IPA Volunteer Opportunities

The Iowa Pharmacy Association is a membership driven organization that achieves success through the dedication of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and student pharmacists in Iowa who volunteer their time and expertise.

There are numerous opportunities for IPA members to volunteer and become actively involved in IPA. It is never too early or late in your pharmacy career to become engaged in the process – IPA volunteers range from student pharmacists to retired pharmacists and everyone in between. If you are interested in volunteering for any of the opportunities listed below, contact Kate Gainer at kgainer@iarx.org.

IPA House of Delegates
IPA Policy Committees
IPA Advisory Committees
IPA Board of Trustees
Iowa Pharmacy Recovery Network (IPRN)
Katy’s Kids

IPA House of Delegates
The IPA House of Delegates meets each June to debate and adopt policy during the IPA Annual Meeting. Serving as a delegate in the House of Delegates provides pharmacists, technicians, and student pharmacists an opportunity to have a voice and be part of the policy adopting process for the profession. Delegates are responsible for attending and participating in two House of Delegates sessions during the IPA Annual meeting.

Pharmacists - 17 pharmacists from each region are elected during odd years (eg 2009, 2011) to serve 2 year terms as a delegate. Members from each region vote for their region only. Pharmacists elected as a delegate are responsible for selecting an alternate delegate if they are unable to fulfill their delegate responsibilities.
During election years, IPA will notate *pharmacists* on the delegate ballots that are interested in serving.
During non-election years, IPA works to fill in unattended delegate seats with alternate delegates from the same region.

Pharmacy Technicians - IPA appoints five (5) technicians, one from each region, to serve as voting delegates. Technicians are appointed for one-year terms.

Student Pharmacists - IPA appoints four (4) students from each college of pharmacy in the state to serve one-year terms as voting delegates.

Other members of the IPA House of Delegates include: current IPA Board of Trustee members, all past IPA and ISHP presidents, a representative from each local pharmacy association, and the Deans from Drake University and the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy.

For more information on the IPA House of Delegates, click here.

IPA Policy Committees
Members of the IPA Policy Committee on Professional Affairs and the Policy Committee on Public Affairs are appointed annually by IPA’s president. Each year, the IPA president seeks to have a diverse representation of pharmacists, residents, pharmacy technicians, and student pharmacists serving on policy committees from various practice settings and areas of the state.

Policy Committees are responsible for attending two meetings – a Committee meeting in April at the IPA headquarters and an executive Committee meeting following the first session of the House of Delegates at the IPA Annual Meeting. Committee members receive a packet of background material prior to the April meeting to review.

Policy Committees are chaired by pharmacists appointed by IPA’s president. Typically, a pharmacist is appointed to serve as vice-chair and will advance to chair the committee the following year.

For additional information on IPA Committees, click here.

IPA Advisory Committees
Three Committees serve in advisory capacities to the IPA Board of Trustees. Pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and student pharmacists are appointed to advisory committees by IPA’s president.

IPA’s Legislative Advisory Committee meets each November to establish IPA’s Legislative and Regulatory Priorities for the upcoming year. Additionally, the Committee may be asked to review and comment on proposed legislation or regulatory language throughout the year as needed.

IPA’s Advisory Committee on Medicaid and Pharmacy Benefit Programs meets each November. This Committee discusses issues related to the delivery of services to the Iowa Medicaid program and its recipients, administered by DHS and the state’s fiscal intermediary. This Committee also encompasses Medicare Part D and issues pertaining to third party payors and pharmacy benefits managers.

IPA’s Health-System Liaison Board (HSLB), established in 2007, serves as an advisory committee to the Board of Trustees to ensure the needs of hospital and health-system pharmacists in the state. The HSLB is chaired by a health-system pharmacist on the IPA Executive Committee. This advisory committee meets twice annually, typically in May and November. Throughout the year, feedback and review may be sought by the HSLB via email communication.

For additional information on IPA Committees, click here.

IPA Board of Trustees
Pharmacists interested in serving on the IPA Board of Trustees (BOT) are elected by their colleagues either as a regional trustee, trustee-at-large, or as an IPA officer (president, president-elect, treasurer, speaker and vice-speaker of the House of Delegates). Pharmacists are slated to run for Board of Trustee positions by the IPA Nominations committee each April for the following year. If you are interested in running for a BOT position, email Tom Temple at ttemple@iarx.org.

Non-voting members on the BOT include: one technician member appointed by the Nominations committee to serve a two-year term and two student pharmacists (one from Drake University, one from University of Iowa) who are appointed by their respective colleges. Technicians interested in serving on the BOT can email Tom Temple at ttemple@iarx.org.

The IPA Board meets in July (1.5 day Board Retreat); October, February, April (1 day Board meetings at IPA headquarters); and June (during the IPA Annual Meeting). Incoming Board members and officers are installed during the Saturday evening banquet at the Annual Meeting.

For additional information on the IPA Board of Trustees, click here.

Iowa Pharmacy Recovery Network (IPRN)
IPRN is a monitoring and advocacy peer-review program for the purpose of assisting impaired pharmacy professionals, including pharmacists, pharmacy students and pharmacy technicians, whose dependency and/or disability is potentially threatening to professional performance and public safety. Services provided by IPRN are intended to be in the best interest of the professional and the public.

There are many roles for volunteers, including monitoring impaired professionals for compliance with their IPRN contract, and providing peer support and assistance to impaired professionals as they enter treatment and recovery. IPRN will assure that volunteers are adequately trained and educated so they can most effectively work with clients throughout the state.

IPRN is always in need of caring volunteers. Please contact Emily Dykstra at emily@proheights.com, IPRN staff, or Bruce Alexander at bruce.alexander@med.va.gov, IPRN Chair if you are interested in serving as a volunteer or in finding out more information. The profession needs you to make a difference!

For more information on IPRN, click here.

Katy’s Kids
Katy’s Kids is a community-based volunteer program developed by IPA for pharmacists and student pharmacists to present in kindergarten and first grade classrooms information on safe and appropriate medication use. Since development in 1988, Katy’s Kids has been presented by pharmacists and student pharmacists in over 30 states to more than 50,000 children.

For additional information on Katy’s Kids, click here.