All of the hard work paid off for Brandy Seignemartin (second from right) and colleagues when Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed HB 1726 into law.

This year, as the Vice President of Legislative Affairs for the Associated Students of Washington State University Health Sciences (ASWSUHS), I helped lead the passage of HB 1726 in the Washington state legislature. The bill increased opportunities for interprofessional engagement by allowing any licensed nurse, physician, or pharmacist to supervise or precept any students in programs of nursing, medicine, or pharmacy, respectively, as long as the services being provided are within the shared scope of practice. Here’s how we did it.  

PharmD degrees offer expansive and diverse career opportunities, and this career flexibility was one of the aspects that sparked my initial interest in the profession. I have always had an interest in research, and I knew that I wanted to pursue a career that encompassed it.

Starting as a lab assistant at age 15, I realized that benchwork was unlike any science I had ever been exposed to. As I continued being involved in research through college, I worked in various labs gaining a background in cell culturing, biotechnology, and animal models. When I transitioned into pharmacy school, I realized that research could encompass not only benchwork, but clinical aspects from patients as well. In my first year, I started planning how I could incorporate research into my curriculum and realized the research area of emphasis that was offered was not as in depth as I wanted. My mentor, Marina Galvez-Peralta, PharmD, PhD, suggested that I look into additional programs that I could pursue in order to gain the level of knowledge I was after.

My inquisitive nature led me to become a pioneer of sorts at the West Virginia University (WVU) School of Pharmacy.

OSU’s Danielle Powall (left) and Emily Enslen present at the 2019 APhA Institute.

Through Generation Rx at The Ohio State University (OSU), the chapter has enabled its members to provide a wide array of help to almost 11,000 people in the Columbus area. People of all ages were provided with educational tools and resources on the misuse and abuse of prescription drugs. Student pharmacists fostered relationships with educators, legislators, local law enforcement, DEA, patients in recovery, the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, the OSU College of Social Work, children’s museum, family members of persons with active substance use disorder, and local pharmacists.

The decision to get involved in Generation Rx for many student pharmacists comes from personal experience with substance use disorder. Danielle Powall, OSU’s past Generation Rx Chair, has always had a deep passion for educating the public on the potential misuse and abuse of prescription drugs. Danielle stated, “This passion developed as I entered my undergraduate career but grew stronger after my family suffered a tragic loss. In February 2015, I received a call from my mom, and she told me that my cousin Nicholas had suffered an overdose. I initially wasn’t sure exactly what this meant, so I paused and asked if he was in the hospital. She replied with ‘no honey, I’m sorry, he’s gone.’ As she said those words, I heard her voice trail off as she was about to cry. I felt like I had been hit by a truck. I didn’t know how to react. I was angry that this happened, that all these tears and broken hearts quite possibly could have been prevented. I felt regret, running through the memories in my head, trying to see if there was a point where I should have said something, reached out more, or tried to help.”