How do we ensure that the organization has the financial resources short-term (one to three years) and long-term and the necessary infrastructure to support the mission and vision?

AACP Member Needs Analysis

Assessing and meeting the needs of individual members is an ongoing priority for AACP. During the past several months, the Association conducted its first comprehensive membership survey in nearly 10 years through focus groups, telephone calls and an online survey. The more than 1,660 individuals surveyed included deans and other administrators, faculty and professional staff as well as nonmembers. While obtaining critical data about members and nonmembers, the survey identified opportunities to drive higher member satisfaction, increase member engagement and reconnect with nonmembers. 

Survey results showed that AACP members continue to be engaged and active in the organization. Highlights of the findings:

• Respondents have been most actively involved with AACP through the Annual Meeting and the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education (AJPE). Nearly 75 percent have attended a meeting, and approximately 67 percent have read an issue of the Journal.
• While members as well as nonmembers spend a majority of their time teaching, nonmembers spend more time in research and patient care.
• AACP communications of greatest interest to members are: AJPE, information about professional development opportunities, meeting materials, information affecting pharmacy education, Academic Pharmacy Now magazine and the E-lert newsletter.
• Programs that members want AACP to pursue include toolkits for mentoring new faculty, faculty development portfolios, and programming related to curriculum and assessment.

The survey revealed the following major needs and wants of AACP members:

• Develop mentoring programs for faculty and administrators to promote professional development, career satisfaction and faculty retention.
• Support initiatives to enhance the availability of funding for faculty investigators to help them launch and sustain successful academic careers.
• Increase programming—Webinars, podcasts and forums—focused on enhancing teaching skills, teaching strategies and resources, and teaching the graduate and professional degrees curriculum.
• Develop programs and knowledge banks related to how faculty can better engage classrooms, prepare exam questions and look up good clinical case studies.
• Offer career or job-match programs for faculty and students interested in academic careers.
• Provide more information about AACP advocacy efforts to help build interest and awareness about the issues and opportunities facing the profession.

Survey results will help AACP identify which new and existing programs have the greatest benefit to members. Starting this process, AACP Section and Special Interest Group leaders met at the 2012 AACP Leadership Retreat to discuss preliminary survey findings. The volunteer leaders took the initial goal-setting and planning steps to meet member needs, generate engagement and drive member satisfaction.