Executive Fellowship Reflection

EMBARKING ON THE JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME

Ihave always been a very future-oriented thinker. I dream big and work my hardest to reach the goals I set for myself. The path to IPA’s Executive Fellowship in Association Management was no different. I had dreamed of joining the IPA team for years, and in July of 2021, that dream came true.

As a young pharmacy student, I knew I was interested in non-traditional areas of pharmacy – management, entrepreneurship, practice transformation. What I didn’t know was I would find all of that and more while at IPA. From my first day at the Association, I knew the journey I was embarking on was special and would shape me into the pharmacy leader I had always envisioned becoming.

With new opportunity comes change, and change is something I had to learn to embrace and lean into over the last year. From my first month to my last, there were many changes that challenged me to grow both professionally and personally, learn something new, take on a new role, and ultimately, strengthen my confidence as a pharmacist.

During my year as the IPA Executive Fellow, I experienced all areas of association management. I worked with pharmacists, residents, students, and technicians alike. I shared and expanded my passion for mental health, discovered a new passion for the legislative process, managed projects big and small, planned events, and worked with healthcare organizations across the state. I learned about the importance of advocacy, a unified voice for our profession, and building relationships with state and national legislators. While all of these experiences pushed me to the next level in my training, the most important thing I learned was how vital it is to grow and maintain your professional network. In one short year, my professional network has doubled, if not tripled, in size. Attending state and national meetings allowed me to build connections I never would have imagined. It was an incredible feeling to attend virtual calls and meetings with people from across the country who I later had the opportunity to connect with in person! Through these connections, I was able to share ideas, learn about the passions of both state and national leaders, create friendships, and keep up with pharmacy practice across the country.

Throughout my fellowship year, words of wisdom shared by IPA President Chris Clayton kept me motivated. “Just keep moving.” Association work was nothing like I had ever experienced before. It was exciting, fun, challenging, fast-paced, and passion filled. Some days, I was overjoyed with the work I was doing for the profession. Some days, I felt unsure of the importance of my role. Some days, I worked throughout the night to ensure the work was getting done. Every day, I learned something new. Every day, I made a new connection. Every day, I made a difference for the profession of pharmacy. “Just keep moving.”

Embarking on this journey of a lifetime was everything I had hoped for and more. To IPA, the pharmacists, technicians, and students who made my fellowship experience one I will never forget, thank you. ■

IPA is excited to announce Elizabeth will be continuing on as the Iowa Pharmacy Association’s PGY2 Executive Fellow in Association Management!

Elizabeth Orput, PharmD

2021-2022 IPA Executive Fellow