AMCP Volunteer Spotlight: Brenden O’Hara

AMCP's volunteers are vital players in propelling our mission forward. In this installment of the AMCP Volunteer Spotlight, we are featuring Brenden O'Hara, RPh, BCACP, Carolinas AMCP President, Diplomat, and Professional Practice Committee member. 

What interested you in becoming a volunteer for AMCP and in what areas of AMCP did you volunteer? 

Really most of my professional life I have wanted to help push pharmacy forward. Because of this I have always tried to be an active member of associations I am a part of — APhA, North Carolina Association of Pharmacists (NCAP). As my career trajectory moved more into managed care, I knew I wanted to grow in this area, so I began applying for volunteer opportunities. My first opportunity was handing out luggage tags at an annual meeting and then I became the Diplomat for Campbell University School of Pharmacy. I really enjoy interacting with the students so if I can attend a meeting (Annual or Nexus) I do try to offer myself as a mentor for the meetings as well. 

I knew I wanted more so I applied for various committee appointments but was not selected for a few years straight. I reached out for feedback on my application, learned some areas I may have not communicated well about my experience, then received my first Committee placement on School of Pharmacy Resource Committee (SOPRC), I served three years there, where I was able to gain additional experience by leading one of the tasks in my final year. After that term I applied and was selected to Professional Practice Committee. Currently, I am in my third year here and have the honor of being asked to be vice chair this year.  

In 2021 we wanted to bring the feel of AMCP to our local level, so we built the Carolinas Affiliate. We were granted our charter in December 2021, and I currently serve as the President of the affiliate.  

What value do you think you gained from that experience?  

A big part of this was my own professional growth. I spent about half of my career in community pharmacy. When I moved into managed care, I honestly did not know it was managed care at the time, but I knew I liked what we were doing and wanted to learn more. By being active within the association, I really gained knowledge about managed care, AMCP, and the structure of AMCP. I worked with very different groups of people at AMCP in each of my committee assignments, so this gave me exposure to student affairs, professional affairs, and others. This work also allowed me to gain the knowledge and confidence to present the work my team does to help providers reach their quality and cost of care goals at national conventions.   
What advice would you give an AMCP member who wants to become a volunteer? 

Understand what your strengths are and choose an opportunity that aligns with those strengths. Be patient (and persistent), know there are several people applying to these positions and AMCP wants the right person for those positions, but it does take time to review all of the info/ data and make the decision. Ask for feedback on your application and see how you can strengthen it for the next year. 

As mentioned, I applied for volunteer positions for years before I was able to get slotted on SOPRC. I have applied for different opportunities and have not gotten them, but I think I have been able to make the most of those experiences and now I think I have helped the managed care community and myself where I am now. Finally, don’t forget to look at local and national opportunities. It is great to get experience at a local level, or even help build it if it is not there. 

Is there anything else you would like to provide?  

Be flexible with opportunities that come your way, you may not be able to start out with a committee appointment, there are only so many committees and so many positions (and even less new positions.) But figure out what you can do (precept students, volunteer to talk to pharmacy students or interview residents, volunteer at a conference or be a conference buddy) and have something to highlight in your future applications. Most of all keep at it. iI really is very rewarding, and I feel very fortunate to be able to gain from and give back to this community at the same time.  

Kickstart your journey as an AMCP volunteer by checking out the Volunteer Opportunities Overview today.