When you read this, you will either know we appreciate your volunteer service OR consider the possibility of volunteering yourself, perhaps for the first time.

Last month, APhA held one of our most important meetings—the 2016 Academies Leadership Meeting. This marked the annual “beginning” of our year as more than 50 leaders came together from the APhA Academy of Pharmacy Practice & Management (APhA–APPM); APhA Academy of Pharmaceutical Science & Research (APhA–APRS); APhA Academy of Student Pharmacists; the APhA New Practitioner Advisory Committee; and the APhA Strategic Directions Committee. We share the common goal of making an impact on patient care. Leaders spent the weekend in strategic planning, participating in professional development sessions, networking, and conducting visits to Capitol Hill. Virtually every time we bring our volunteers to town, we hit the Hill. This meeting was no exception!

You know our advocacy story: pharmacists make an impact on patient care every day by counseling and coaching patients about their medications, answering questions, and providing a range of services such as immunizations and health screenings.

Have you ever wondered what else you can do to promote patient care? What about volunteering to serve your profession, and making some amazing connections in the process? No matter what your interests are or how much time you may be able to contribute, there is a spot for you at APhA!

• APhA–APPM welcomes volunteers who would like to be appointed to the Academy’s standing committees in the areas of Awards, Communications, Education, and Policy, as well as Special Interest Group (SIG) activities. Members who hold APhA–APPM as their primary Academy are eligible for consideration and appointment. For more information and to fill out an APhA–APPM and/or SIG volunteer application, visit http://fs10.formsite.com/APhA-APPM/form70/index.html and/or http://fs10.formsite.com/APhA-APPM/form106/index.html, respectively. You can also contact Margaret Tomecki, PharmD, FAPhA, APhA’s Director of Practice and Science Academies, at mtomecki@aphanet.org.
• APhA–APRS annually solicits volunteers for its committees in the areas of Awards, Communications, Education, and Postgraduate activities. Members who hold APhA–APRS as their primary Academy are eligible for consideration and appointment. For more information and to fill out the APhA–APRS Volunteer Application, visit http://fs10.formsite.com/APhA-APPM/form71/index.html. E-mail Margaret Tomecki with any questions at mtomecki@aphanet.org.
• Another way to volunteer is to submit your name for consideration as a candidate for the APhA Board of Trustees. The APhA Honorary President is also an elected position and is nominated from the membership. For more information, visit www.pharmacist.com/elections.
• If you like to write, here are TWO special offerings:
  • JAPhA’s editorial team is seeking pharmacist mentors with a flair for writing to work with community-based pharmacy residents or recent community residency graduates who will be submitting their papers for a special issue of JAPhA focused on community-based pharmacy residents. Residents will be paired with a mentor to help them develop writing skills and revise their manuscript during the peer-review process. For more information, contact Pam Heaton, PhD, Special Issue Editor, at heatonp@ucmail.uc.edu by June 1, 2016.
  • APhA will be publishing Pharmacotherapy First: A Multimedia Learning Resource on PharmacyLibrary (www.pharmacylibrary.com). We are looking for subject matter experts to write and review pharmacotherapy content. For more information, please visit: http://pharmacist.com/pharmacotherapyfirst or e-mail Janan Sarwar, PharmD, APhA’s Associate Director of Content Development, at jsarwar@aphanet.org.

As a member-led organization, we are so grateful for the thousands of volunteers who lead and/or contribute time and expertise to inform and shape our profession, and to create new opportunities for our future pharmacists. To those of you who are already engaged with us, a tip of the hat!

For those of you who are on the fence or are interested in learning more, send an e-mail to one of the APhA staffers listed above. Let’s have a conversation. You never know—that “flying leap” you take to volunteer might just change your career for the better.