Pharmacy Organizations

Pharmacy Organizations

Which to Join?

Four weeks of pharmacy school have already passed and now I am trying to get a navigate all the numerous and wonderful pharmacy organizations I have the opportunity to join. Let’s go through a few of the here: American Pharmacist Association (APhA), American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP), Student National Pharmacist Association (SNPhA), Iowa Pharmacy Association, Johnson County Pharmacy Association (JCPA).  Both the ApHA and the ASHP have student organizations which are called the American Pharmacist Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) and the University of Iowa-Student Society of Health-System Pharmacists (UI-SHP).  APhA is the first and largest national pharmacy organization that serves as a collective voice of pharmacists.  ASHP is a 35,000 member organization that focuses on pharmacists who practice in more of a clinical setting such as hospitals, health maintenance organizations, and long-term care facilities. The student level organization of the national organizations such as the APhA-ASP and APhA provide great opportunities to attend national and local meetings, to network, and to do service projects.  The Iowa Pharmacy Association (IPA) and the Johnson County Pharmacy Association (JCPA) are good ways to be involved and learn about pharmacy issues that are closer to home. Here is a site that lists many more national organizations: http://www.accp.com/stunet/compass/organizations.aspx Good luck exploring all these organizations. Keep learning and keep growing!