By Grace Fee, PRSSA member, University of Georgia

In this interview, Sandra McGrew, APR, Director of External Relations for the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement (ACHI), explains how earning her Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) has elevated her experience as a professional. 

What motivated you to take this next step in your career to earn your APR?
Pursuing this Accreditation demonstrates that you are serious about excellence and your commitment to strategic communication. I’ve had 20 years of unique experience, starting as a journalist and then moving into the communications and PR side over a decade ago. I was ready to anchor that experience. Within our Arkansas PRSA Chapter, a question that's always asked is, What is your why for pursuing your APR?

I had two main reasons: 

1. First of all, being in a communications role for a nonpartisan health policy center, I feel like good strategic communication has never been more important in my career because misinformation and political polarization have resulted in an erosion of trust in public health. This is something a lot of us are feeling from various industries. I wanted to pursue this Accreditation as a professional standard, and it is the gold standard. 
   
2. Secondly, I wanted to show my nine-year-old daughter that you're never done learning. 
   

What words of encouragement do you have for those who are considering becoming Accredited and for those beginning the APR preparation process?
It is worth the effort. It is worth it for your own professional development and for how it could impact your career trajectory, and it really helps the industry as a whole, too. Going back to my why for pursuing my APR, I can't think of another time in my life where it has been more important to have effective strategic communication.

Over half of the PRSA Arkansas Chapter's members have their APRs. What do you attribute this success to? 
In my opinion, the key to our Chapter's success is its APR Ready to Roll Program. It's very intense, but our sessions are focused on preparing candidates for the questionnaire, the panel and, of course, the exam, mostly by focusing on materials from the APR Study Guide. One of the most valuable things is that APRs are teaching these sessions, and you get to hear their experiences. There was such a sense of paying it forward.

As McGrew looks to the future, she hopes to focus on educating employers about the benefits of this Accreditation and about the importance of supporting their employees in pursuit of their APR.

Learn more about the APR

Sandra McGrew, APR, is Director of External Relations for the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement (ACHI). She also serves on the board of directors of the Arkansas Chapter of PRSA.

Grace Fee is pursuing a dual degree at the University of Georgia (UGA), simultaneously earning a bachelor's in public relations and a master's in public administration, along with a minor in communication studies and a certificate in personal and organizational leadership. She also serves on the Content Committee at PRSSA's UGA Drewry Chapter.