Rotation at APhA enhances my PGY1 residency experience

By Amanda Murray, PharmD

This past April, I had the incredible opportunity to complete an elective association management rotation at APhA headquarters in Washington, DC. I applied for the experience back in August 2024, just 1 month into my PGY1 community-based pharmacy residency with Riverside Health, in Newport News, VA. This experience counted toward the completion of my residency requirements and gave me the opportunity to step away from my everyday responsibilities as a new practitioner to further support the advancement of the pharmacy profession.

Tailored to my interests

My experience was tailored to my areas of interest. I spent my first 2 weeks with the APhA Professional Affairs team focused on well-being initiatives and then transitioned to working with the Education team for my final 2 weeks. For the Education team, I also supported well-being programing in addition to education for preceptors and diabetes management. 

Highlights included the opportunity to meet with and learn from various staff members at APhA, attend the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) HSII Implementation Awards Announcement Symposium, take part in the APhA Vaccine Roundtable: Enhancing vaccine referral and improving data exchange, and volunteer to assist during the APhA LEADS meeting following the launch of APhA Communities.

Additionally, I enjoyed tapping into my creative side by drafting two deliverables. These included a poster highlighting APhA well-being initiatives that was recently showcased during the National Academies Innovations in Pharmacy Training and Practice to Advance Patient Care: A Workshop “Future of Pharmacy” poster sessions and a postcard on the proper use of naloxone that was distributed during the 2025 APhA Institute on Substance Use Disorders. I ended the rotation on a high note after recording a podcast episode of APhA’s “The First Fill” with Yara Al-Shaer, PharmD, an APhA Education fellow, and Katie Meyer, PharmD, BCPS, BCGP, APhA vice president of education. 

Balancing act

I thoroughly enjoyed the office days at APhA, where I got to sit in the bullpen with the 2024–2025 executive fellows, in addition to visiting APPE students. After my days in the office, I loved going home to my Airbnb in Fort Totten and running to Rock Creek Park. Rock Creek Park is an oasis in the middle of the city where I would often spend hours, running upwards of 6 miles or more due to the pure beauty and peace the park offered. On the weekends, I explored the streets of Georgetown, spent time at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, and Alexandria, VA.

Throughout the rotation, I also had to balance the primary responsibilities of my residency with those of the external elective. It was a busy time because I was concurrently meeting deadlines for my residency major project, including the preparation and submission of my research presentation for the UNC Research in Education and Practice Symposium. The balance was all made possible by making sure my calendar was up to date and that I had blocked out time to complete residency duties.

I believe I navigated my work responsibilities and well-being activities quite well, which led to a memorable month in DC!

Amanda Murray, PharmD, is a PGY2 ambulatory care resident at VCU School of Pharmacy in Richmond, VA. She has experience working with patients in both primary and memory care settings and has previously supported remote patient monitoring initiatives for chronic disease states such as hypertension, heart failure, diabetes, and COPD. Outside of residency, you can find her on a run or trying new restaurants.