Rheumatology Health Professionals Reap Rewards of Volunteerism

He says participating in the ARHP allows him to “see things differently than colleagues whose worlds are much smaller.” He feels he has a larger perception from the meetings he attends and the international networks he has built.

“I’d like to be recognized as someone who fully supported the organization and was generous with my time and ideas,” Dr. Hasson says. “I like to think I’m pretty easy to get along with and willing to serve.”

Learning Opportunities

Jessica Farrell, PharmD, is a clinical pharmacist at Albany (N.Y.) College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She has been a member of the ARHP since late 2008. The first committee she served on was the ARHP Preconference Task Force. She felt being involved with committee work was a way to further her education, because there was no specialty training in rheumatology within her pharmacy education. “Being asked to serve on additional committees,” says Dr. Farrell, “tells me that I have leadership skills and that my ideas are valued.”

Dr. Farrell

The primary benefits of ARHP membership have been the opportunity to work with different rheumatology professionals and learn from them. “There are no mid- or high-level rheumatologists in my practice,” Dr. Farrell says, so the relationships she has developed provided learning experiences she couldn’t get from her immediate surroundings.

The relationships with colleagues from different institutions offer different perspectives on rheumatoid diseases and treatments, which Dr. Farrell believes increase her ability to treat patients.

She feels her involvement “has increased my visibility as a pharmacist who practices in the field of rheumatology and allowed me to meet service requirements.”

Dr. Farrell was instrumental in revamping the Medication Quick Guides for the Practice Committee. in 2013, The Rheumatologist published an article she wrote, “The Role of the Pharmacist in Rheumatology Disease.”

Networking

Deborah A. McCloskey, BSN, RN, CCRC, is a nurse manager in the Clinical Research Center of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. She has been an ARHP member for 26 years.

Dr. McCloskey

To her, membership benefits include the “ability to communicate with and ask other health professionals about rheumatoid diseases. Networking is huge. Arthritis Care & Research is valuable for its high-quality articles.” Ms. McCloskey also appreciates the educational opportunities and “uses the practice guidelines all the time.”

When she was presented with a volunteer form, she checked a lot of boxes, Ms. McCloskey says. “I’m the kind who likes to get involved.” Her first committee was the Advocacy Committee, which addresses legislative and regulatory issues affecting those with rheumatoid diseases, where she worked for legislation regarding patient rights.