Student Advocates for the Pharmacy Profession on Capitol Hill

“We had eight meetings that day, the most of any group,” she said. They met with staff in the offices of senators and congresspeople from Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and New Jersey.

“It was overwhelming because it felt like we were being thrown into it,” DesLauriers said. “But after the first meeting, we got into a rhythm and got more comfortable with our talking points.”

The most significant conversations happened when DesLauriers and Vose combined their expertise as pharmacy students and their personal experiences.

“When I was on clinical rotation in Vermont, I administered 60 to 100 vaccinations per week, and a lot of those patients had Medicare,” DesLauriers said. “We tried to emphasize to the staff that the bills are about access to care, especially in rural areas of their states.”

The topic of pharmacy benefit manager reform was more challenging due to its complexity and larger implications for both pharmacies and insurance companies. Overall, DesLauriers said the people they met were open-minded.

“The staff took thorough notes and were really open to our discussion,” she said. “We even met a pharmacist who works in policy in association with Senator Bernie Sanders’ office. That’s something I never expected a pharmacist to do.”

Both bills are in the early phases of the legislative process. Still, DesLauriers left D.C. feeling hopeful for the future of her profession and optimistic about the contribution she made.

“It has opened my eyes to being more involved in what’s happening with pharmacy and joining the conversation,” she said. “I like the idea of coming back to do this on an annual basis with other pharmacists.”

DesLauriers has accepted a position as a Clinical Pharmacist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, NH and will be starting this September After the NACDS experience, she said she will remember to think beyond the day-to-day and stay informed about possible changes coming to her profession. She encourages other pharmacists to do the same.

“Politics aren’t as scary as I thought they were, and other students shouldn’t be afraid to try advocacy work,” DesLauriers said. “Seeing so many people who care about pharmacy in one place working toward the same goals was truly incredible.”