Pharmacy & Me

In this bumper episode of Pharmacy & Me, our hosts are joined by PSA’s new National President Dr Fei Sim and General Manager for Policy and Projects Chris Campbell, who unpack PSA’s remuneration campaign, potential funding models, and the future of the profession in Australia.

Reporting from the heart of one of the profession’s biggest events of the year, the hosts share how PSA is advocating for fair remuneration and how individual pharmacists can help create change.

If you want to know how pharmacists can know their worth and gain the remuneration they deserve, this is an episode not to be missed.

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Ienaam Khatib MPS loves being a community pharmacist. But despite only being registered for a year, she’s already questioning how long she can last in the profession. 

And Ienaam isn’t alone. Across the country, a lack of fair remuneration and little recognition, on top of the pressures of the pandemic, has many pharmacists asking: ‘Is this what I signed up for?’

In this special episode of Pharmacy & Me, hosts Peter Guthrey and Hannah Knowles get to the heart of the issue, speaking with Ienaam and pharmacy owner Caroline Diamantis MPS about what needs to change when it comes to remuneration.

They also speak to PSA Public Affairs and Communications manager Candice Burch about how PSA is advocating for pharmacists – and how individual pharmacists can help create change. 

If you believe pharmacists deserve better remuneration and greater recognition, this is an episode not to be missed.

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When an injury cut short his career in construction, Sean Richardson MPS threw himself into pharmacy study and discovered a newfound passion for healthcare.

Now a locum in Mount Isa, Queensland, Sean is always looking for the next opportunity, whether it’s implementing an opioid substitution program or finding ways to assist palliative care patients.  

In this episode of Pharmacy & Me, Sean speaks with hosts Peter Guthrey and Hannah Knowles about his experience as a mature-aged student who didn’t finish high school, working as a locum (and not wanting to leave) and knowing your worth as a pharmacist. 

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For former athletics star Emily Shears MPS, combining sport and pharmacy was always the plan. The question was how. 

After owning two pharmacies and working as a locum, she eventually found the answer, launching the Female Athlete Network (FAN) last year. Through FAN, and her role as a wellbeing lead with the AFL NAB League, Emily helps female athletes to better understand their physiology and use this to achieve peak performance.

In this episode of Pharmacy & Me, Emily speaks with hosts Peter Guthrey and Hannah Knowles about how she combined her passion with her profession, the transferable skills pharmacists possess and the gaps in women’s healthcare she’s trying to fill.   

Listen to the episode below or find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.

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It’s something every pharmacist experiences – the exciting, slightly terrifying transition from pharmacy student to intern and then again from intern to registered pharmacist.

How did you prepare for those transitions? What do you wish you had known before they happened? And what advice would you give to students and interns who are about to face the same thing?

In this episode of Pharmacy & Me, PSA’s NSW Intern of the Year Bridgette Mackley and hosts Peter Guthrey and Hannah Knowles answer some of these questions. Plus, Bridgette shares how she handled the pressures of intern year, her best advice for pharmacy students and interns, and how buying a toothbrush holder changed the course of her career.   

Listen to the episode below or find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.

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Dr Esa Chen doesn’t shy away from difficult conversations. From diversity and inclusion to gender equity and climate change, she is using her voice to improve the pharmacy profession. 

Growing up as a Chinese-Malaysian-Australian in country New South Wales, Esa struggled to find people who looked like her. But moving to Melbourne to study pharmacy, and then spending 5 months in Hong Kong as part of her PhD research, made her realise just how much representation matters. 

In this episode of Pharmacy and Me, Esa speaks with hosts Peter Guthrey and Hannah Knowles about finding her voice, creating change and her best advice for other early career pharmacists who want to tackle the big issues.

Listen to the episode below or find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.

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A career as a hospital pharmacist was always the goal for Deanna Mill MPS, and she worked hard during university to make it happen. But after meeting other young pharmacists through PSA’s Early Career Pharmacists network, she decided to step outside of her comfort zone and explore what else pharmacy had to offer. 

Today, PSA’s Early Career Pharmacist Board Appointed Director and the ECP Community of Specialty Interest Chair is combining her passion for pharmacy practice with her love of research, pursuing a PhD on professionalism in pharmacy. 

In this episode of Pharmacy & Me, Deanna speaks with hosts Peter Guthrey and Hannah Knowles about what she’s learnt so far, advocating for ECPs and the importance of a ‘done’ list.

‘I was fortunate I was somewhat in the right place at the right time, researching the right thing.’ Deanna Mill MPS

Listen to the episode below or find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.

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“Give people an opportunity to stuff up, give people an opportunity to stand up and just give them an opportunity to succeed, because you will be really surprised by what people do if you give them an opportunity.” Linda Badewitz-Dodd

From producing the world’s first comprehensive guide to drugs in sport to supporting her community through bushfires, and now the pandemic, Linda Badewitz-Dodd MPS is always willing to step up to the challenge.

Her pharmacy in Merimbula on the New South Wales south coast, which she co-owns with business partner Tania Dwyer, provides a wide range of professional services with a focus on personalised support and care. 

But community pharmacy wasn’t always Linda’s passion. 

It wasn’t until 2013, when her husband David Dodd, also a pharmacist, was tragically killed, that she had to throw herself into a new role and take over his share of the business. She has since become the epitome of a professional community pharmacist who is practicing to her full potential, and is a pillar of support for her community.

In this episode of Pharmacy & Me, Linda speaks with hosts Peter Guthrey and Hannah Knowles about her incredible career, knowing when to give ‘more hugs than drugs’, her best advice for early career pharmacists and why life is too short to keep waiting for the big moments. 

Listen to the episode below or find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.

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“Aged care so far has been almost all the great parts of working in a community pharmacy and all the great parts working in a hospital setting”. Julian Soriano

A job conducting residential medication management reviews (RMMRs) left South Australian pharmacist Julian Soriano MPS with a drive to do more. 

On a mission to create better outcomes for aged care residents, he joined a project coordinated by PSA and the Country SA Primary Health Network to embed pharmacists in residential aged care facilities. Seeing the value of his medicines expertise, the facility employed Julian in a full-time role at the completion of the trial.

In this episode of Pharmacy & Me, Julian speaks with hosts Peter Guthrey and Hannah Knowles about an average day as an aged care pharmacist (hint: there isn’t one), working within a wider healthcare team, the joys of seeing real world results and why sometimes, a little apple juice is all you need to solve a problem. 

Listen to the episode below or find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.

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Have you ever fantasised about upping sticks and moving to the country? That’s exactly what community pharmacist Taren Gill MPS did, packing up her life in inner Sydney at 23 years old to move to Orange in the NSW Central Tablelands.

Now, she’s a pharmacy owner in Maryborough, Victoria, where she provides personalised, expert care to a population of about 8,000 people.

In this episode of Pharmacy and Me, produced by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, Taren speaks with hosts Peter Guthrey and Hannah Knowles about the immense rewards of rural pharmacy, talking medicine safety while rounding up sheep and her top tips for other pharmacists thinking of taking up opportunities in rural and regional locations.

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