Garret Matthews: Precepting “is an invaluable experience that will prepare you and the IPPE student for your future roles as pharmacists.”

Stepping into the world of APPEs can seem daunting. Student pharmacists are quickly pulled from the safety of the classroom and told to apply their knowledge to a real, living patient—a far cry from scenarios we worked on in class. While this may be difficult initially, find some comfort in the fact that school prepared you with the foundations to approach most situations. But what do you do when you face a situation on rotations that school did not prepare you for and couldn’t have prepared you for? How do you assist in precepting an IPPE student when you are learning as well?

Entering the world of layered learning comes with some growing pains of its own. I was confronted with challenging situations during multiple rotations, but I quickly came to appreciate them with the utmost gratitude.

The following are some notes I compiled that helped me to provide a welcome learning experience for the IPPE students I rotated with.

Rep. Charlie Crist (D–FL) meets with APhA–ASP members on Capitol Hill to discuss the importance of advocacy and civic engagement.

In order to create the change we desire in the pharmacy profession, pharmacists need to learn from the past and commit to the future. Over the years, significant developments in practice have created both highs and lows for pharmacists; however, what has remained constant is the dedication of APhA and its members to advancing the intent and principles of the profession. One effective tool in the advocacy kit is the APhA Political Action Committee (APhA–PAC), which contributes to candidates for federal office who have demonstrated support for pharmacy issues and recognize the value of pharmacists in the health care system. Each year this committee relies on the backing and involvement of APhA members to achieve its goals.

Through leveraging the APhA–PAC, legislators have been educated on important issues such as DIR fee reform and provider status. Supporting the APhA–PAC has allowed pharmacists’ collective voice to be heard on Capitol Hill, increasing our impact on patient care, pharmacy services, and the continued growth of the profession.

Student pharmacists are sometimes told that they don’t know enough yet to create legislative or policy change. They are told that they need to wait, that they aren’t ready. Well, I am here to tell you being ready is overrated. With the state of the world, there isn’t time to waste. There are many good policy ideas, but not every good idea has a champion. Students can—and should—be those champions.

If asked to describe myself, I would say that I am a student pharmacist at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, a cat mom, and a Taylor Swift stan. While arguably those are equally important to me, I am writing this from my student perspective. In the 2019 Minnesota state legislative session, I championed a good idea and I was able to successfully create a new state law.

‘Fearlessly Authentic’ stories and positive messages greeted Sydney Tu (center) while on the road this past fall, including this visit to High Point University.

As the calendar turns to 2020, I want to take a moment to reflect upon the 2019 season of APhA–ASP Student Outreach Visits (SOV) and Midyear Regional Meetings (MRM), as well as my experiences as your APhA–ASP National President-elect.