Nikki Chen is a final-year PharmD candidate at the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy and the 2023–2024 APhA–ASP International Standing Committee national contact person.
Attending conferences as a student pharmacist for the first time can be intimidating, so attending an international conference as a student pharmacist may seem nearly impossible. This year I have served as the national contact person on the APhA–ASP International Standing Committee (ISC). I truly want to demystify the idea of an international conference and all the logistics that are involved so that student pharmacists can feel more empowered and assured in approaching these opportunities.
Pro tips
My first international conference was in Indonesia in August 2023 for the International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF) World Congress. As a member of APhA–ASP, you are automatically a member of IPSF.
Tip number 1 for traveling for an international conference is to stay up to date through their social media avenues and reach out to a main point of contact. APhA–ASP has the ISC as our main point of contact for any IPSF international conferences. Since IPSF is fully student-run, payments are often completed through PayPal or wire transfer, and something to keep in mind will be the exchange rates for different currencies. A really great thing about IPSF conferences is that the registration covers not only the conference programming, but also where you will stay and some meals.
Tip number 2 involves booking your flight and ensuring that you will be able to attend the conference in the host country. When looking up whether you need a visa, it’s important to pay particular attention to the details, since most countries don’t require U.S. passport holders to get a tourist visa if they are staying shorter than a couple weeks. Flight costs are typically the bulk of expense for an IPSF conference, so reaching out to the contact person for grant opportunities and contacting your university for reimbursement policies can help make international travel cheaper as a student pharmacist.
Packing smart
After you have the logistics of registration and flights booked, what do you pack? IPSF conferences release the overall itinerary to attendees to help determine what goes in the suitcase.
For IPSF World Congress, the day-to-day is casual wear if you’re attending the different workshops or business casual for more formal sessions like the General Assembly, which is most comparable to our House of Delegates session at the APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition. There are excursions that vary in what dress code is needed; for example, the excursion for Indonesia was a beach day. There is also a formal awards night event when everyone wears formal dress for a banquet-type dinner and an international night when you wear what represents your country’s culture. (We chose to do cowgirl outfits.)
Depending on what you hope to see and do as well as wherever the conference is, looking up the weather and any travel tips for the country you’re visiting is most crucial to ensure what you wear is appropriate for their cultural traditions and environmental conditions. Some things to keep in mind are different outlets: a multicountry converter from Amazon will be your best friend when you need to plug in your phone or other devices. It’s also important to pack some of their currency in cash, though most countries accept credit cards. Travel credit cards are a good investment as well to avoid international fees. You’re bringing your phone but likely want to avoid international call and text fees, so you can look up a couple options. The cheapest route is likely getting an e-sim card before your trip or getting a Wi-Fi box at the airport of your destination. An easy option from most American phone providers is paying $10 a day for unlimited calling and texting internationally, which is what I chose to do.
Your ISC can help
The most important part is to keep ISC in the loop. Chances are, the committee members are registering as the official delegates, whereas any member of APhA–ASP can register as a regular delegate. By staying in communication, travel plans can be made with one another, and knowing others you can touch base with throughout the trip is helpful.
Traveling mixed with the magic of conference networking helps you build a better understanding of pharmacy practice in other countries and provides you a network beyond our borders.