The Many Directions of MPhA

The end of week 3 is here and it’s time to reflect and keep everyone updated on our progress.  Laura and I have had an interesting week.  One of the things I have noticed about being in a position like Julie’s is that her job can take her in countless directions everyday.  I remember feeling the same way on my community IPPE rotation due to the wide variety of patients I would see.  However, this is different… much different.  On Monday alone we had a staff meeting at the MPhA offices, a nationwide conference call with NCPA, and finished the day with a fundraising event for Rep. Paul Thissen of district 63A.  And that was all in one day! 

My favorite part of Monday day was the fundraiser event for Rep. Thissen.  He has been a very important legislator for MPhA to work with over the years, and it was very important for us to be there to show our support.  I also dispelled a misconception that I have had for a long time while at this fundraiser.  I have always thought of lobbyists as a rather dishonest, immoral group of people.  Part of the reason for this is probably all the bad press lobbyists seem to get because of a few bad apples.  Basically what I learned is that lobbyists are simply advocates for a cause.  They are paid by organizations to present the message of that organization in a way that legislators can understand.  And from my experience I found that they are NOT affiliated across party lines.  They are simply trying to convey a message to anyone who will listen.  Lobbyists generally know that members of the House and Senate very well, and in turn, most senators and representatives know many lobbyists.  Therefore, their credibility is essential!  If a lobbyist is not trusted, there is a slim chance that any legislator will listen to them.

The rest of the week Laura and I teamed up to visit a few more independent pharmacies and we also had a meeting with the marketing firm that AWARxE uses.  We visited three independent pharmacies in the west metro called Center Drug.  These three are owned by two partners named Josh Lemm and Chris Beckman.  It was awesome meeting them and talking about their operations.  They serve vastly different communities at each of their stores, and provide a wide range of services.  They have full time delivery persons that make over 90 deliveries per day, they service nursing homes, and they run two separate software systems out of their Hopkins location.  Above all this, Josh and Chris were extremely personable and more than willing to take time to talk with Laura and me about independent pharmacy.  They had a great atmosphere of ‘helping people at any cost,’ and I can see why their patients feel at home each time they enter the store.  Check out Center Drug at www.centerdrug.com

Finally, our meeting with the AWARxE marketing firm (called Mark it!) went great!  We discussed continuing education ideas surrounding the AWARxE campaign, and got the ball rolling on both sides.
Now I’m looking forward to next week when we will be taking road trip to Worthington, MN to see some rural independent pharmacies and to see telepharmacy in action.

Week Three

The conclusion of week 3 is fast approaching, and this week’s schedule was again filled with varied experiences.  Monday started off with an MPhA staff meeting where the main topic of discussion was reflection regarding the recent Annual Meeting.  Staff discussed the venue, logistical concerns, and some feedback from attendees in an effort to identify opportunities for improvement.  I know that when I attend meetings, I don’t always take the time to write comments or fill out surveys.  But I can tell you from firsthand experience that your input is appreciated, valued, and taken into consideration!

Mark and I listened in on a conference call with the National Community Pharmacists Association.  NCPA leadership discussed important national bills that would affect community pharmacy practice, and urged pharmacists from various states to contact their legislators about these issues.  Prior to this experience, I was not aware that pharmacy organizations from all 50 states came together regularly to discuss important issues.  I was pleasantly surprised to hear that these organizations share information and have a genuine interest in helping one another to improve pharmacy nationally.

We ended Monday by attending a fundraiser for Rep. Paul Thissen of district 63A.  Thissen has been a longtime friend of pharmacy and really seems to understand pharmacy issues and how legislation around pharmacy can have very broad impacts on businesses, individuals, and health care.  Meeting with Thissen also impressed upon me how it really isn’t intimidating to meet with elected officials.  I think many students, pharmacists, and individuals can feel intimidated by the office, but it’s important to realize that without constituents like us, these “regular people” would never be elected.

The rest of the week, Mark and I visited 3 more independent pharmacies, met with marketing executives to discuss using CEs as a method to get the AWARxE word out, sat in on a technician academy meeting, and researched some of the issues surrounding the use of antibiotics in livestock.  As you can see, our plates have been full with many different issues and opportunities.  I continue to be grateful for all these different experiences, and I’m really looking forward to learning more about rural pharmacy next week.