By Elizabeth Rayes, PharmD
They say home isn’t a place; it’s a feeling—and attending the APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition each year feels like coming home. It may be the only professional conference where greetings are as often hugs as they are handshakes. APhA2025 in Nashville this past March was no different. It was a homecoming filled with reconnecting with old friends, making countless new ones, and reigniting my passion for the profession.
Kicking off the weekend
Friday kicked off with the New Practitioner Network Welcome Session. This was an excellent opportunity to network with fellow new practitioners and learn more about ways to be involved within APhA. Another Friday highlight was the Opening General Session. The keynote speaker, Ben Nemtim, made me rethink the question, “What do you want to do before you die?” His inspiring story illustrated that nothing is impossible if you stay persistent and believe in your cause—a lesson that will undoubtedly stick with me.
The kickoff to the Expo Hall followed the inspiring opening session. The hall was filled with dazzling performers, sparkling cowboy hats, and excellent opportunities to connect with colleagues (and, of course, all the expo booth freebies). The night was capped off with the New Practitioner Network Social. Unwinding with old friends and connecting with new ones at this event was one of my favorite parts of the weekend.
Impactful professional and personal development sessions
The session that most stuck with me from Saturday was “Bill or Bust: The Pharmacy Legislation Showdown.” The session explored the importance of policy and advocacy in advancing our profession. The interactive session called for the audience to debate provider status from both pharmacists’ and physicians’ perspectives. It was a lighthearted but thought-provoking session that highlighted the importance of advocating for our abilities as medication experts.
Sunday’s highlight was easily the session “Another Day, Another Slay: Empowering New Practitioners.” The session covered ways to combat burnout and find work–life balance as a new practitioner. One piece of advice I took away was to compile all the compliments, good notes, and positive things that happen at work. Then, when the tough days come, you have something to look back at and remember that there are brighter days. This is something I greatly look forward to incorporating into my practice at home.
As a nuclear pharmacist, I also spent much of my weekend attending nuclear-specific CE. In the nuclear field, finding CE that feels relevant is often difficult. I’m always grateful that there is no lack of content from APhA. The APhA Nuclear Community has made APhA feel even more like home for me. I look forward to connecting and learning from colleagues each year through the CE sessions and receptions this group hosts.
See you in LA!
I returned from Nashville and APhA2025 with new lifelong friends, a rhinestone cowboy hat, and knowledge that will help me in my field and navigating life as a new practitioner.
I can’t wait to be back home again at APhA2026 in Los Angeles. I will see you there!
Elizabeth Rayes, PharmD, is a nuclear pharmacist at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA, and serves as a member of the 2025–2026 APhA New Practitioner Member Engagement Workgroup. She is passionate about nuclear medicine and advocacy for the profession of pharmacy. When she’s not playing with radioactivity, you can find her crafting or sailing the Charles River.