On my final day at ASHP HQ, I thought I should share more thoughts on the rest of my experience here in Bethesda, MD.
First of all, holy cow did this month go fast!! I think Policy Week is what really moved it into warp speed. Last Monday, pharmacy thought leaders joined us here in DC to discuss the profession's most pressing issues. Monday started with a student and new practitioner luncheon followed by another Georgetown Cupcake run! I think
Elizabeth Gorski and
Megan Hartranft were glad I sent them to bring cupcakes for everyone, including
Kathryn Schultz! Monday night we had a cocktail hour in the ASHP Boardroom where I was able to meet a bunch of new people and even some friends from Policy Week last year. Tuesday and Wednesday were thought provoking days and I know
Stacy Livingston will agree with that. We even got some great ideas for the
Pharmacy Student Forum! I also enjoyed the annual
William A. Zellmer lecture. On Thursday it was exciting to lobby on Capitol Hill about drug shortages and 340b. You can tell that ASHP has done a great job of telling the legislators about
drug shortages because they already knew about the House and Senate bills that would work to increase FDA authority over drug shortages. By Friday, I was exhausted and still had a TON of work that needed to be done within a week!
This week not only has been busy, but it's also been thought provoking. I think anyone who serves on an Executive Committee within the Forums and Sections should have to spend time at ASHP to truly understand the interworkings of what happens here. From policy to member benefits to meeting planning, the behind-the-scenes work at ASHP is pretty immense. I'm going to miss hearing about the current ASHP issues and getting to work on preparation for the
Pharmacy Student Forum during the day. It's also going to be weird to move out of the "Pharmacy Student Forum House" where Stacy and I have been living and where
Veldana Nuhi joined us earlier this week. Finally, I'm going to miss wearing jeans to work on Friday! Just kidding,
Karl.
Anyone who has a question about spending time at ASHP should check out the
website or post a question. I've really had a great time here and if you're a student, you could too!