HNSA PREPARATION NCPA OFFERS CAREER GUIDANCE P rofessional organizations provided a bridge between graduate education and the job market. For the pharmacy field, one such organization was the National Community Pharmacists Association, founded in 1898 to represent local and independent pharmacies across the nation. At Harding, 77 pharmacy students participated in NCPA, which held many activities throughout the semester to get its members involved in the community. NCPA held meetings during the year and invited speakers such as independent pharmacists in the community, pharmacy wholesalers, and those involved with governmental affairs within pharmacy. "The speakers make the students aware of how involvement in organizations and in legislative and governmental affairs is very important and allows pharmacy to have a voice in their practice," pharmacy student Holly Wilkerson, president of NCPA, said. Wilkerson emphasized that student involvement in a professional community was important for their future. The field of pharmacy required keeping in touch with current events in the community and networking with pharmacy owners. "Through resources that the organization offers, students are able to keep up with the current issues going on in pharmacy and how it is affecting community pharmacists," Wilkerson said. NCPA offered its members several service opportunities. They provided health screenings and medication management therapy at events such as the White County Fair and Get Down Downtown. Two major service projects that the NCPA was involved in were Medication Cleanout and Script Your Future. Medication Cleanout communicated the need for patients APHA to dispose of medications properly, offering proper disposal services to those who needed it. Script Your Future raised similar awareness among the health professional community, bringing their attention to the critical health issue of taking your medication as directed. Pharmacy student Kejal Patel, vice president of NCPA, believed the students gained valuable experience by interacting with the Searcy community. "You gain a exposure to a lot of different community experiences," Patel said. "We get to meet a lot of pharmacists around the country at the conventions, so you get news about what is going on nationally at the pharmacy level." Wilkerson explained that while NCPA offered valuable professional networking, it also provided a good perspective on the variety of workers in the pharmaceutical field. "By being in NCPA, a student can gain an appreciation of the roles and actions of independent pharmacists and have many career opportunities within community pharmacy practice," Wilkerson said. Pharmacy student Nora Martin, vice president of community service for NCPA, appreciated the NCPA as a stepping stone of her career, allowing her to develop some of the skills necessary when dealing with patients and fellow workers in the industry. "It helps you with your interaction with patients," Martin said. "It helps you develop relationships with your peers as well as other pharmacists. It can help you in guiding you towards your career path and perhaps helping you to find your career once you graduate." Kelsey Pierce SSHP Harding Nursing Student Association, est. 1977: Row 1: American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists, est. 2010: Row 1: M. McRae, K. Frossard, Y. Lee, E. Vang, S. Sharma, N. Huynh, N. Hussein, T. Yang, P. Nguyen, M. Joo, J. Richardson, A. Scissell, A. Rasaphangthong, 0. Livingston, P. Khan, J. Chang, A. Tran. Row 2: L. Hinojosa, E. Jones, M. Ngo-Wenang, A. Park, S. Vangilder, J. Grimes, A. Fay, A. Duffield, P. Pham, R. Dumornay, A. Dollins, S. Patel, B. Underwood. Row 3: T. Ly, C. Hill, K. Hively, M. Egbuka, A. Cooper, H. Wilkerson, T. Ngo, Q. Wan, R. Akpala, K. Waldrip, K. Rorex, B. Cothren, S. Morrison, M. Tate, S. lshag, N. Martin, D. James, T. Keathley, E. Scott, J. Smith (sponsor). Row 4: C. Ononogbu, R. Umeh, R. Mumbuna. Student Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists, est. 2009: C. Riggs, C. Arnold, L. Meeker, R. James, K. Donaldson, K. Parker, M. Robinson, K. Christopher, A. Peralta, M. Mcilroy. Row 2: K. Welch, C. Feather, M. Young, E. Porter, M. Sitzes, V. Estep, S. Rall, C. Yearry, 0. Ross, E. Sexton, D. Li. Row 3: C. Bruns, R. Grasham, D. De La Rosa, K. McGaughy, C. Wright, T. Overman, K. Ketchersid, B. Dollins, J. Fritz, P. Smith (sponsor), S. Collier. Row 4: J. Burt (sponsor), L. Pinczuk, A. Rogers, H. LaFavers, K. Bess, E. Ceniceros, N. Strand. Row 5: K. Parker, K. Galloway, C. Walle, D. Molina, K. Miller, C. Tomberlin, C. McDonald, A. McGaughy, C. Lowe. Row 1: M. Evans, A. Tran, 0. Livingston, A. Rasaphangthong, B. Chandler, E. Scott, Y. Lee, J. Chang, K. Frossard, C. Carter. Row 2: S. Griffin (sponsor), R. Storey (sponsor), L. McGary, M. Tate, M. Joo, J. Richardson, S. Morrison, Q. Wan, M. McRae, K. Patterson, L. Hinojosa. Row 3: M. Egbuka, B. Cothren, E. Jones, P. Nguyen, T. Yang, K. Jang, J. Grimes, B. Green. Row 4: S. Patel, J. Skaggs, A. Duffield, P. Pham, A. Pinkerton, T. Ly, J Entsuah, A. Dollins.
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