On May 28, 2022, four pharmacists were awarded at PSA’s State Conference and West Australian Annual Therapeutic Update (ATU) because of their dedication to the profession.
According to Keegan Wong, the PSA West Australian Branch President, these pharmacists were able to demonstrate their leadership and commitment to the health and wellbeing of their communities.
During this time of the pandemic, pharmacists have provided more health services than they are required to do. They have been working on not just dispensing medications but also vaccinations while dealing with workforce shortages.
Intern Pharmacist of the Year
The Intern Pharmacist of the Year award was given to Shaylee Mills. She has been an intern, working as a core vaccinator, since December 2021 at Kimberley Pharmacy Services.
Even though she started her internship during the covid-19 outbreak, she still managed to make a significant contribution to the health and wellness of Western Australians, especially the vulnerable Indigenous populations.
Shaylee Mills aims to ensure proper medicine labelling and patient counselling. Some of their works include dispensing labels, dosing charts, and consumer medicine information (CMIs). All of these come with pictures, colour codes, and medical language.
Early Career Pharmacist of the Year
In the past few years, antibiotic resistance has been an issue in the pharmaceutical industry and the risk of this event increases when patients abuse or misuse antibiotics. As a strong advocate of medication safety, Aaron Chan aims to promote antimicrobial stewardship.
Aaron Chan had his internship at Pharmacy 777 and during this period, he collaborated with medical doctors and educated Western Australians about harm minimisation.
According to the PSA WA ECP Chair and member of the ECP Communities of Specialty Interest leadership group, he is truly an inspiration to the career development of Extended Community Pharmacy Services by improving education, supporting safe medication administration, and promoting the quality use of medications.
Pharmacist of the Year
The Pharmacist of the Year award was given to Phuong Nguyen. Phuong focuses on research about asthma adherence and cardiovascular medication clinical trials design support pathways. One thing to appreciate about Nguyen is that she does not only focus on the actual profession.
Nguyen designed a tertiary education course called Graduate Certificate in Health Leadership and Management to help healthcare professionals enhance their leadership and management skills. This can be done by incorporating business and economics with healthcare.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Chris Shenton, a managing partner/director at Joondalup Hospital Pharmacy received the Lifetime Achievement Award because of his great contributions to both community and hospital pharmacy services in Western Australia. Other credentials of Chris Shenton include the following:
Director of PureIV Aseptic Compounding
Founded a pharmacy at the Royal Perth Show
Medical team volunteer at the 2000 Olympic Games
Director at the SouthWest Hospital Pharmacy at St John of God Hospital in Bunbury
Shenton has been in the pharmacy industry for more than 3 decades and his commitment to improving the lives of every Australian made him worthy of the award.
Past PSA Excellence Award
At the annual PSA national conference, the past PSA excellence awards winners shared with others what their recognition meant to them and how these awards opened many professional doors. To recall, these past PSA Excellence award winners were the following:
Angelica Lagoda - Intern of the Year, 2018
Zoe Robinson - Pharmacy Student of the Year, 2021
Dr. Fei Sim - Early Career Pharmacist of the Year, 2019
Kay Dunkley - Pharmacist of the Year, 2020
Valeri Constable - Lifetime Achievement Award, 2021
Looking at these awardees, it is exciting to say that pharmacy is one of the best professions in the health industry, and at Raven’s Recruitment, we also appreciate your commitment and service.
Since 1987, Raven's Recruitment has been specialising in Pharmacist recruitment, so we have expert knowledge in the space. If you are looking for an exciting opportunity to work as a locum pharmacist or want a permanent job, then look no further - get in touch with our Recruitment Consultants today.
