“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I will remember. Involve me and I will learn.” Benjamin Franklin.
I am excited that the theme of this month’s edition of the CPNP Perspective relates to membership, specifically to our continued emphasis on student outreach. Over the past several years, CPNP has devoted much time and attention to “involving” students and educating them on the field of psychiatric pharmacy. Our collective efforts have effectively grown the student segment of our membership as well as our overall Annual Meeting attendance to record numbers!
One way we have sparked student involvement is via the generosity of the CPNP Foundation which awards 20 grants for student attendance to the Annual Meeting which I am pleased to announce will continue to be available for the 2017 Annual Meeting in Phoenix, AZ. Thank you to the CPNP Foundation who continue to fund this grant program supported by the generous from members and past presidents.
To further enhance student member involvement, the Student Committee has been working hard over the past few months to develop student programming for the 2017 Annual Meeting. Please look for further details on the CPNP 2017 student programming track in this issue of the newsletter. Also returning, by popular demand, is the student mentorship program. If you are interested in partnering with and mentoring a student at the Annual Meeting, please volunteer for this opportunity when you register (coming soon!) for the Annual Meeting.
In addition to our student members, CPNP leadership is working hard to better serve the entirety of its professional members. As you know, a membership survey and Government Affairs and Policy Audit was conducted this summer. The results are in and are currently under review by CPNP staff and Board of Directors. Over the next few months, the staff and Board of Directors will be busy analyzing the data and making recommendations to enhance your CPNP member experience.
I would like to close by personally commending all CPNP members involved in education and “involving” students in your daily practices. Twelve percent of our members are employed with Colleges of Pharmacy. Over 50 percent of CPNP members teach students, residents, and fellows in various capacities. Many of you serve as academic advisors to our 26 Student Chapters and several more student chapters are on the horizon. CPNP student membership is the fastest growing segment of our organization (over 700 members at the end of the 2016 fiscal year), so opportunities abound for CPNP members to continue to “involve” students interested in the field. I encourage and challenge ALL members to incorporate students into your daily practices.
Your efforts continue to cultivate interest in our profession and I sincerely thank you!