This 2023, the Tasmanian community will have a peak of the ongoing Tasmanian Pharmacists’ Scope of Practice. This review is a chance for Tasmanian pharmacists to "catch up" to their peers in other jurisdictions and for Tasmanians to have easier access to primary healthcare in their own area.
According to Helen O’Byrne, the Guild’s Tasmanian Branch President, the review will produce beneficial results that benefit both pharmacists and patients. He also emphasised that any changes will be supported by rigorous education and training for pharmacists. Moreover, this review is a significant opportunity to advance the understanding that pharmacists practicing in their communities are a professional competent resource that in Tasmania is now underutilised.
O'Byrne stressed the significance of acknowledging the progress already made in Queensland, New South Wales, the Northern Territory, and Victoria in allowing patients the option and convenience of using their local community pharmacy for straightforward conditions, where appropriately trained pharmacists will be able to diagnose, prescribe, treat, and manage a range of acute and chronic conditions.
For O’Byrne, these governments have demonstrated an understanding of the importance of pharmacists as a resource for healthcare that is currently underutilised in this nation, especially in light of the severe GP scarcity in rural and distant locations.
Last year, just right before Christmas, the National Medicines Policy framework was announced. This Policy emphasises the importance of patient-centred medicines services and calls on all medical specialists to use the full range of their training to achieve the greatest possible patient results.
Pharmacy Course for Overseas Pharmacists
For pharmacists who have received their training abroad and want to work in Australia, the Australasian College of Pharmacy (ACP) and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia have developed the Career Preparedness for Australian Community Pharmacy course.
According to Michelle Bou-Samra, the College’s President, the ACP seeks to give pharmacists with training from abroad who desire to work in Australia the knowledge and abilities to practice in community pharmacy.
Moreover, in this course, interested overseas pharmacists will undergo the pathway needed to obtain general pharmacist registration. To guarantee a smooth path to a career in Australian community pharmacy, each module has been created to deliver information, advance understanding, and be useful to practice. There are five modules in this course and these include the following:
The Australian pharmacy landscape
Working in a community pharmacy
Community pharmacy programs and services
Codes and guidelines
Completing a pharmacist internship
Ms. Bou-Samra also stated that a discount of $500 off the Guild Intern Training Program cost will be given after the successful completion of the course. Generally, the Guild Intern Training Program, which costs $1,855, offers practice for clinical and pharmacy exams as well as test preparation. The team will assist participants in the Guild Intern Training Program in finding internship opportunities.
For overseas pharmacists, both those who are already in Australia or still waiting for migration, these benefits will be equally offered.
Intern Pharmacists Get Educational Support from ACP
The Australasian College of Pharmacy (ACP) will offer free accreditation training to intern pharmacists engaged in the Guild Intern Training Program beginning in 2023. According to ACP President Michelle Bou-Samra, the college is committed to meeting the educational needs of the pharmacy industry throughout Australia, particularly those of interns who will eventually become licensed pharmacists.
Furthermore, all Guild interns receive a complimentary college membership, worth $399, for the period of their internship in addition to the accredited training.
According to Trent Twomey, the Guild’s National President, this matches the Guild's dedication to providing all interns with the finest opportunities. Additionally, the free accreditation offer is particularly important because accreditation aids pharmacists in doing Home Medicine Reviews and Residential Medication Management Reviews.
Australia has some of the best pharmacies in the world, with teams who are capable of providing top-notch primary care services. If you want to work in Australia or start your journey as an intern pharmacist, Raven’s Recruitment can help you out. At Raven’s Recruitment, we can help you find the best part-time and full-time pharmacy jobs not just in the community pharmacy profession but in hospitals and other areas as well.
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.
