Advancing the Profession: How I Became an Advocate for Pharmacy

by Kara Brockhaus, Pharm.D.

As the field of pharmacy continues to expand, pharmacists are encouraged to advocate for our profession. You frequently hear the word “advocate,” but what does that mean? Where do you start? What should you advocate for? If you don’t know the answers to these questions, don’t worry, you are not alone. I, myself, did not know the answers to these questions until my rotation with Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA). At MPA, I was introduced to various forms of advocacy. I was even presented with an opportunity to meet a few lobbyists! I have learned that advocating gives you a voice for the future of your profession and this is important. For me, one of the easiest ways to advocate is by writing a letter to your legislator. Writing a letter does not require a significant amount of time and avoids the issue of planning ahead to schedule meetings. These characteristics make advocating feasible for busy people like you and me. In today’s post, I will describe how I became an advocate for my profession by writing a letter to my senator. 

Tips I Followed to Write My Letter

Tip 1: EDUCATE YOURSELF. 

Educate, educate, educate! I cannot emphasize this enough! It’s important to understand what problems your profession is facing and how proposed solutions will correct the issue. Prior to writing my letter, I sat down and began to read about bills that were recently introduced into Michigan Legislature. After learning what these bills represented, I was able to select a topic for my letter that I felt passionate about. The topic I selected was Senate Bill (SB) 150, medication synchronization. This bill would allow patients to fill a portion of their prescription early so that it may align with their other prescriptions. Currently, third-party payers may prevent synchronization by denying coverage on early or partial medication refills. This bill aims to dissolve this issue and decrease a potential barrier to medication adherence.

Tip 2: TAKE A STANCE and TELL A STORY.

After you understand the issue and how the proposed solution will correct the issue, you can take a stance in favor or against the proposal. Once you take a stance, it is important that you support your viewpoint throughout the entire letter. Being indecisive about a topic can jeopardize the argument you are advocating for. When taking a stance, make sure you are able to explain why you are passionate about the topic and how it could impact the community you live in. Many times, people are drawn to an issue from personal experience. Share those experiences! Using a personal story to support your argument can help legislators understand the severity of the issue. 

In the case of SB 150, I was strongly in favor of allowing patients to synchronize their medications. Allowing patients to synchronize medications would increase adherence rates and encourage patients to take an active role in managing their health. By increasing adherence to medications, we could prevent adverse health effects, decrease hospitalizations and decrease health care expenditures. Having practiced in a hospital, I have also witnessed the effects of medication nonadherence. This experience allowed me to add a personal touch to the letter by including the following story:

“This past year, I witnessed a patient who was admitted to the critical care unit where he received treatment for a heart failure exacerbation. Heart failure patients are required to take multiple medications in order to maintain adequate cardiac function. This can be challenging for patients to manage especially when medication refills do not align. After questioning the patient, this was found to be the case and he had forgotten to refill an essential medication. This error resulted in a 23-day hospitalization and cost the system more than $92,000. By allowing patients to synchronize their medications, costly admissions, such as the one described above, could be prevented.” 

Tip 3: PUT IT INTO WORDS.

Writing a letter to your legislator should be conducted in a formal manner. Included below is a sample template I used when creating my letter (click here to view a larger file).

• Paragraph one is your opportunity for introduction. Introduce yourself, the reason you are writing, and the bill you are advocating for. Just because you are writing to a member of the Legislature it does not mean they are familiar with the bill you want to promote. It is hard for legislators to know every bill that has been introduced. Can you imagine if a pharmacist had to know the details about every drug currently in development throughout the U.S? Yikes! When explaining the issue, be sure to use terminology that everyone can understand. Remember, a legislator is not health care provider just as you are not a legislator. After providing a brief summary of the bill, you need to take a stance. State whether you support or oppose the issue and list three solid reasons that strengthen your argument. You must support this opinion throughout the entire letter!
• Paragraph two is where you can provide examples that support the argument you are trying to make. As previously stated, using personal experiences can enhance the message of a letter. When providing examples, mention how the bill would impact you, your family or your community. Your story will make the letter memorable. 
• Paragraph three is the closing paragraph. Inform the reader what stance you would like them to take on this bill and reiterate the importance this will have on the community. Remember to thank the reader for their time and offer follow-up in the event he or she may have any questions. 

What I Learned from Writing a Letter

Writing a letter to my senator made me feel empowered. It gave me a voice in the future of my profession and for my patients. Combine my voice with the voices of many other pharmacists and together we can implement changes to advance our practice. Pharmacy plays an integral role in health care, but few people outside of pharmacy understand this role. Advocating for our profession, getting our voices heard and making professional advancements can help us to show the world what we can do! Whether it’s writing a letter or making a phone call, advocating can help us achieve these goals!