From the Desk of the ACCP President
February 04, 2020
Brian L. Erstad, Pharm.D., FCCP, BCPS
The Real Invisible Ingredient: ACCP Staff
During my early career, I often heard that hospital pharmacists were the “invisible” health care professionals – invisible, because their work took place in a centralized pharmacy or another part of the hospital with little direct patient interaction. Although this was true before pharmacist decentralization in many hospitals, it is certainly less true today, given that most hospital pharmacy services include at least some semblance of clinical pharmacy services. Another group of invisible (and sometimes underappreciated) individuals dedicated to advancing the pharmacy profession and the patients we serve are the staff of professional organizations and societies. As members of ACCP, we are fortunate to have a top-tier organizational staff. They work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that the day-to-day operations of our professional organization function efficiently, that our meetings run smoothly, and that member volunteers receive the support they need, given that most of them have full-time “day jobs.” For an organization of its size, ACCP does not have a large staff, which means that individual staff members often have substantial workloads and work across multiple departments. Although I’m certain this causes stress and some level of aggravation at times, staff members take great pains not to show it and invariably step up to do what needs to be done. While serving for 3 years as ACCP treasurer and now as a presidential officer, I have been fortunate to get to know and appreciate what the ACCP staff do for me and each of you as organizational members. So, when you come into contact with an ACCP staff member, either in person or through other forms of communication, please thank them for their efforts and treat them in the same respectful and positive manner as they treat you. I encourage you to learn more about the staff by visiting www.accp.com, clicking on the “ABOUT” tab, and selecting “Staff.”