Association Perspective
Michael D. Hogue, PharmD, FAPhA, FNAP, FFIP, Executive vice president and CEO of APhA
Most of you reading this month’s column are members of APhA. We thank you for your membership. We work very hard every day to add value to your professional careers and to your lives.
For some of you, you were members of APhA as students through APhA’s Academy of Student Pharmacists or the Student American Pharmaceutical Association depending upon how far back you go.
For everyone, I want you to know that you are welcome at APhA. This association is your home. And we are here to provide our members with opportunities to network, to gain new knowledge, to expand career pathways and horizons, to support your work, to encourage you in your pursuits, and to fight for you in Washington, DC. You may not have considered becoming a member of APhA in a very long time. In fact, I know some have been asking themselves, “why should I pay dues to APhA? What have they done for me?”
A colleague called me several years ago, having difficulty finding a job. Due to no fault of her own, and as a total surprise, her practice—where she’d worked for years—closed. For years, she’d only really spent time with the other pharmacists in her practice. She’d never attended a professional meeting, and never paid dues to a state association or national association. In short, she felt trapped with no professional network to support her. I helped her connect with some folks I knew, and in a relatively short time she had a new job. She made the commitment to stay connected to APhA and her state association—she never wanted to find herself in that same situation again.
Many folks say, “well, I have networks on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.” And to that I say, “yes, but…what about relationships? Do you have true relationships with a broad group of people from across the entire profession?” Having an acquaintance on social media is simply not the same as having a personal and professional relationship with a colleague.
There are some things we can control in life, and one of them is paying our insurance policies. You’d never think of leaving yourself exposed without auto, home, and life insurance. So why would you leave yourself exposed by not purchasing the very basic insurance policy against professional isolation—dues for APhA and your state pharmacy association? There is no better investment you can make. APhA makes this investment affordable by offering a monthly membership payment option of only $23.75.
In an uncertain world where practice is changing rapidly, we all need to reconnect, build relationships broadly in our profession, and be prepared for changes, expected or unexpected, that may come our way. In an ever-changing working environment and landscape, now more than ever, we need our support network and membership in APhA comes with a built-in network.
APhA is ready to welcome you home. Regardless of your position, whether you are a board-certified specialist, a hospital pharmacist, a community pharmacist, a pharmacist in a medical practice, or working in one of our federal service sectors, APhA is, and has always been, your professional home. If you are a pharmacist in academia, public health, the pharmaceutical industry, practicing in managed care, a nuclear pharmacist, or an entrepreneur charting your own path to create new opportunities that have never existed, this is your home. APhA is for every pharmacist, for all of pharmacy. ■