MCW Advocacy Day Teaches Students Skills to Advocate for the Pharmacy Profession

Since 1998, the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin (PSW) has united pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and Doctor of Pharmacy students to advocate for the profession. There are two pieces of legislation PSW is lobbying for lawmakers to support in 2025.

• LRB-2415 Eliminate the Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE) Requirement: To be a licensed pharmacist in Wisconsin, pharmacy students must pass an exam (the MPJE) specific to laws relating to pharmacy practice. PSW recommends eliminating the requirement to pass the MPJE due to the barrier it provides to attaining licensure and the fact that pharmacists understand their professional responsibility includes staying up-to-date and following relevant laws and regulations.
• AB 43 / SB 42 Expanding Access to Contraceptives: This legislation would expand access to oral and patch contraceptives by allowing pharmacists to independently prescribe these products. PSW supports this legislation because it will allow pharmacists to bridge gaps in patient access to health care amid the primary care shortage. Additionally, pharmacists are qualified to prescribe contraceptives as medication experts who are highly trained in pharmacotherapy.

During an on-campus Advocacy Day in March 2025, MCW pharmacy students learned about the proposed legislation and gained advice on lobbying best practices.

MCW’s Office of Government Relations led a presentation including tips on persuasively presenting your case, using data to support your argument, how to make a request to legislators and how to follow up in a scenario where you are unable to answer a lawmaker’s question. Nathan Berken, vice president of government relations and Nathan Schwanz, director of government relations, led pharmacy students through a mock scenario: advocating for the day following the Super Bowl to be declared a national holiday.

Pharmacy students had the opportunity to practice the skills they learned in small group discussions about the PSW-supported legislation with Rep. Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa).

In a debrief session, Rep. Vining encouraged pharmacy students to recognize that they are the medication experts and to bring that confidence with them into meetings with legislators. Anticipating arguments against your viewpoint and being ready to respond is also a key strategy she highlighted.

Rep. Vining also recommended that students send pre-read material to legislators before their meeting to lay the groundwork for the discussion and allow processing time. “If anyone asks me for a meeting and sends information ahead of time, I will read it and figure out what I need to know in order to have the conversation you deserve in my office,” she said.

“One of the things I learned is to show that you’re passionate about the issue but be able to express your thoughts professionally and effectively without letting emotion get the best of you,” said first-year pharmacy student Kori Kruegel.

“I never realized how interpersonal it is when you’re having a conversation with the legislator rather than submitting a bunch of documents through email. Engaging in that face-to-face discussion is different from how I envisioned advocacy,” said first-year pharmacy student Amber Villanueva.

Michael DeBisschop, PharmD, pharmacy law instructor, advised second-year pharmacy student leaders in organizing the event. Organizers represent MCW’s student chapters of PSW, the American Pharmacists Association and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

(l-r back row) Kal Narance (student), Nathan Schwanz (director of government relations), Nathan Berken (vice president of government relations), Michael DeBisschop (professor); (l-r front row) Madelyn Lechmaier (student), Maura Keenan (student), Hannah Bush (student), Rep. Robyn Vining, Sejud Assad (student), Ana Boutris (student)

“Since pharmacy is such a heavily regulated profession, developing legislative advocacy skills is important for pharmacists to advance the profession to improve and extend the ways they can provide patient care,” explained Dr. DeBisschop. “Advocating for a position to an elected official can be uncomfortable and intimidating, so sessions like the one we organized on campus, or the annual PSW Legislative Day in Madison, are helpful to build students’ confidence and experience to advocate effectively.”