Attending my First FIP World Congress as the US Ton Hoek Scholar
Catherine (Katie) Kuecker, PharmD, attended the FIP World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences for the first time, in Glasgow, United Kingdom, this year. She attended as the second recipient of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Foundation’s annual Ton Hoek Scholarship, established in memory of Mr. A.J.M (Ton) Hoek (1955–2012), a former CEO and General Secretary of FIP.
Katie, a PGY2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Resident at William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, WI, USA, shares her experience with us on attending the conference and lessons she learned.
Enjoy below.
The Ton Hoek Scholarship through the American Pharmacists Association in the United States was established in 2017 to provide a student pharmacist, fellow, resident or PharmD graduate pursuing graduate studies the opportunity to attend the FIP World Congress. As the second annual recipient, I had the opportunity to attend my first FIP World Congress in Glasgow, Scotland in September 2018.
My international interests first began when I studied abroad in Spain during my undergraduate career. During pharmacy school, I furthered my interest by implementing influenza vaccine clinics for under-served patients, serving as a Spanish interpreter and pharmacy intern through free student medical clinics in Madison, and completing an international Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience during my final year in pharmacy school in Cape Town, South Africa.
While completing my PGY1 pharmacy residency, I first heard about FIP through another pharmacist with global interests. She encouraged me to get involved and consider attending their World Congress. I felt that attending the Congress would provide me the opportunity to kick-start my pharmacy professional involvement on a global scale and start building relationships with other pharmacists. My time in Glasgow was spent attending the inaugural Young Pharmacist Group (YPG) Leadership Development Workshop, attending executive committee and council meetings, presenting a research poster, and connecting with other pharmacists across the world. I was even able to reconnect with my former preceptor from South Africa at the congress.
The Leadership Workshop allowed me to meet other young pharmacists and new practitioners who were also interested in enhancing their leadership skills. Session and discussion themes focused on critical topics globally, but ones that we are also facing in the United States: regulations surrounding cannabis, physician-assisted suicide, and entrustable professional activities. These commonalities demonstrate the professional need to continue advancing practice at all practice sites and levels in order for pharmacists to provide enhanced, quality care for patients.
As I was brand new to the world of FIP, attending the Congress gave me an enhanced perspective of the broader structure of the organization and helped me find where I fit best within FIP as a resident and a new practitioner. I was reinvigorated to continue expanding my leadership skills and professional network at the local, national, and now global scale. One of my favourite memories was being able to discuss the importance of advancing and sustaining pharmacy practice globally with Carmen Peña, Immediate Past President, in Spanish! This experience was unique and invaluable to my personal growth as a globally-minded pharmacist.
