---
title: "Membership Hack: Online Acronym Finder"
id: "44176"
type: "post"
slug: "membership-hack-online-acronym-finder"
published_at: "2018-09-21T20:17:14+00:00"
modified_at: "2018-09-21T20:17:14+00:00"
url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/09/21/membership-hack-online-acronym-finder/"
markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/09/21/membership-hack-online-acronym-finder.md"
excerpt: "The Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society recently revamped its acronym guide from a printed piece to a searchable online database. The new tool helps RAPS members navigate a sea of bureaucratic shorthand."
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  - "AssociationsNow"
  - "Membership"
  - "online tools"
  - "Professional Development"
taxonomy_content_format:
  - "Article"
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  - "Employee (Non-Manager)"
taxonomy_persona:
  - "Association Professionals"
---

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 » Membership Hack: Online Acronym Finder

**How to hack it?** Does the work your members do sometimes look like alphabet soup? Welcome to our world, says the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society, whose members are involved with the regulation of healthcare products. A key benefit for RAPS member is a printed guide that defines and explains more than 5,000 acronyms used in the regulatory world.

In July, RAPS created a digital version: [an online acronym finder (opens in a new tab)](https://www.raps.org/publications-resources/acronyms-definitions)
 for members who want to quickly and efficiently look up abbreviations from a computer or mobile device.

“Our members travel a lot, so we aimed to make something more flexible and useful for them,” says Lindsay Currie, director of stakeholder engagement at RAPS. “The world of regulatory is constantly changing, so the online format allows for us to update more [and] in real time.”

**Why does it work?**The members-only tool saves time and helps regulatory professionals to decipher both domestic and international acronyms. “It is especially helpful as many in the profession routinely pursue product lines beyond their domestic borders,” Currie says.

**What’s the bonus?**Members are starting to use the online guide as a study tool when preparing to take one of RAPS’ [four certification exams (opens in a new tab)](https://www.raps.org/rac-credential)
, which are focused geographically (U.S., Canada, the European Union, and global). The guide is searchable by region, Currie says, which “allows for more targeted studying.”

(Milkos/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

[Tim Ebner](https://associationsnow.com/author/tim-ebner/)

Tim Ebner is communications director and press secretary at the American Forest & Paper Association in Washington, DC. He is a member of ASAE’s Communication Professionals Advisory Council and a former Associations Now senior editor.

[More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/tim-ebner/)

Tags: [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/)
 [#online tools](https://associationsnow.com/tag/online-tools/)
 [#Professional Development](https://associationsnow.com/tag/professional-development/)

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