Courtney Tse is a final-year PharmD candidate at the St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. The author would like to thank fellow final-year PharmD candidate Asna Omarzai for her assistance with this article.
When the COVID-19 pandemic first struck in March of 2020, APhA–ASP chapters were forced to answer an unexpected question that would impact their activities for the next year: “How can we adapt to a world that became virtual?” As students in a profession that largely requires us to be on our feet and personally face patients as part of providing care, we were forced to think creatively of ways we could impact our communities and advance our profession through the technology and screens in our homes.
When our chapter was posed this very question, we made sure to answer with full force. It was during that time when innovation became our best friend. Through this, not only did our chapter win the Region 1 award for the accomplishments of our OTC Medicine Safety Patient Care Project, but also the national APhA–ASP Chapter Innovative Programming Award for our new initiative, The Student Pharmacist Policy Podcast.
Bringing care virtually
Since in-person outreaches were no longer feasible to host amid the pandemic, the OTC Medicine Safety Committee, led by 2020–2021 project officer Asna Omarzai, took a different path to educate fellow student pharmacists and children on important health care topics. In conjunction with our chapter’s Women’s Health Committee, we hosted a Skincare & Self Image Online Outreach Event for middle schoolers, which covered topics including pharmacological and nonpharmacological approaches for acne, deodorants, and the importance of self-image and ways to improve it. This event directly impacted middle schoolers, as they often struggle with acne, health hygiene, and negative self-image. Even though we were unable to meet face-to-face, we innovatively thought of a way to provide a fulfilling experience virtually as shown by the students’ interest and willingness to learn throughout the event.
Merging creativity with advocacy
The Student Pharmacist Policy Podcast, which I created as the 2020–2021 chapter policy vice president, was an initiative created to spark conversation among student pharmacists regarding pertinent health care issues and to educate them on how we can use our voices to elevate the profession and the care we bring to patients.
Before the pandemic, most advocacy activities such as scheduled trips on Advocacy Day, letter-writing drives, and speaker events were primarily held in person. As the pharmacy profession began to receive more recognition in 2020, advocacy became more important than ever and so was our job to carry on that momentum. Through this podcast, we found a creative way to not only introduce student pharmacists to policy by allowing our members to meet guest advocates and serve as cohosts and producers, but also engage members everywhere thanks to the accessibility of the podcast on both a local and national level.
APhA–ASP brought us closer together
The success of our chapter was largely due to the amazing teamwork and support from our fellow committee members, executive board, and chapter advisers. While the pandemic may have kept us apart, being involved with APhA–ASP has only brought us closer than ever. Together, we should always strive to make innovation our best friend, for we have the ability to make an impact on any level, even through the virtual screens in our homes.