Even though ACCP has a phenomenal level of engagement with its members—as evidenced by your outpouring of applications to join committees—yet there is always more to be done professionally than can be accomplished. President-Elect Terry Seaton, Pharm.D., FCCP, BCPS, has done his best to match your skills to the available committees and task forces, but many will be left without that opportunity this year. Don’t let your sense of volunteerism go to waste. For the majority of members, it is PRNs that provide individuals that you connect with most throughout the year. For those already active in your PRN, my thanks for your service. For those looking for more involvement, this is a great place to contribute to our professional organization.

I started with ACCP in the Critical Care PRN and in parallel with the Society of Critical Care Medicine, Clinical Pharmacy section. I learned about the organization, worked on many projects with these groups, and honed my leadership skills. Younger members should not hesitate to ask PRN leaders how they got started in organizational volunteerism—you might find that it is easier than you think.

The title “PRN” (Practice and Research Network) indicates that there is something for everyone. Practitioners often connect through the e-mail list—seeking advice on difficult patient problems and procedures or identifying trends in practice or drug shortages. There are some very committed members who routinely answer these calls for assistance. Although you have probably not thought of it as a mentoring situation, these exchanges illustrate 2 of the 10 powerful principles for effective mentoring, as described by David Stoddard (The Heart of Mentoring: Ten Proven Principles for Developing People to Their Fullest Potential. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2009). He suggests that “effective mentors understand that living is about giving” and “effective mentors open their world to their mentoring partners.” Although an e-mail list hardly gives the type of close professional and personal relationship that characterizes a true mentoring relationship, it clearly serves a developmental role for our members. I must admit that some e-mail list questions give me occasional pause regarding the level of expertise in some settings. But then I remember that there are new clinical pharmacists at the bedside every day, many without residency training or a strong local mentor. More experienced practitioners who respond help contribute to members’ development when their responses prompt the questioner to do some additional research or reading and then suggest appropriate citations. Hopefully, some professional mentoring relationships have developed as a result of these exchanges.

Within the PRNs, there are many other mentoring relationships. Some of these are formal and arranged by the PRN, whereas others develop from the valuable networking that occurs when groups share a common interest. Projects, white papers, and other publications have arisen from PRN activities. These represent another opportunity to be involved in a portion of ACCP, network with others, and identify potential mentors. I would like to ask that PRNs start to define what makes their providers unique. How have you affected patient care, how have you implemented comprehensive medication management (CMM)—and importantly, how do you make it work on a daily basis? How and what do you document? What do you measure within your process of care or quantify the impact on patient outcomes? These important components of implementation are inadequately defined, and the PRN is an optimal clearinghouse for the refinement of this information. Share your success stories with each other, and perhaps it will open the door to a greater focus around the “R” component of PRN—that of research. ACCP is focused on the agenda of “practice advancement” through the work of new staff member Daniel Aistrope, Pharm.D., BCACP, our director of clinical practice advancement. He has already provided new resources to PRN leaders and welcomes feedback from your groups.

In the next year, there will be an increasing focus on research within ACCP. Most of it will not be of the same magnitude as our large grant for research into the process and impact of CMM in primary care to be awarded this fall, but other opportunities exist for research funding within ACCP. We are awarding the 2015 Futures Grant to three junior investigators and two student investigators. All of these are mentored research activities that will contribute to members’ further skill development and interest in research. Forty applications were received, and we are excited by this level of interest. The PRNs could provide a home for further development of research proposals by providing a mentorship and proposal review service, if one does not already exist.

ACCP is also increasing resources within the Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN). PRN members are encouraged to define important research topics and practice-related questions and to discuss them with the interim director of the PBRN, Rachel Chennault, Ph.D., at the Global Conference or by phone or e-mail. For PRNs with a research committee, I would ask that you consider developing a project in conjunction with the PBRN. Many of our members desire the opportunity to be involved in a relevant project, and the PRNs could provide that structure.

Many of the PRNs have sponsored members to attend the Focused Investigator Training (FIT) program or the new Mentored Research Investigator Training (MeRIT) program. Consider giving these members a forum to discuss their experiences during your business meetings. These programs provide a high level of research mentoring, and it is important for the PRN to know whether their investment was fruitful. More information about the 2016 programs will be available at the Global Conference or at www.accpri.org/investigator. The research discussions at your PRN business meetings could also include participants in the ACCP Research and Scholarship Development Certificate Program. Practitioners who are not yet ready for a MeRIT experience can strengthen their research fundamentals through this program, and many of your colleagues have experience with our certificate training programs.

If there are other needs (educational, mentoring, research, etc.) that ACCP has not addressed in other forums, the PRNs may serve as a starting point. Members should engage with their PRN leaders, volunteer for committees, and participate throughout the year ahead. You will be helping yourself and other ACCP members.