Australia’s first Indigenous pharmacist, Professor Faye McMillan, speaks with AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh about her journey in pharmacy, the profession’s role in Closing the Gap, racism and more
Wiradjuri woman, Faye McMillan, tells the AJP Podcast that she was inspired to pursue a career as a pharmacist after working at a dispensing assistant in her local pharmacy in Trangie, NSW.
“[I] saw the contribution that the pharmacist made to the community, and the community held him in such high regard, in the sense of relationally regarded,” she said.
“It really gave me a sense of ‘in service’, and what it meant to be in service with your community… that’s why I wanted to do it – I wanted to be in service, I wanted to – at the time – go back home after studying and be the local pharmacists, which didn’t happen.”
Reflecting on becoming the first pharmacist of Aboriginal heritage, McMillan said “when somebody gets to say that they were the first, there’s a lot of things that we don’t fully appreciate until the distance of time”.
“So, to experience being the first, there was no safety net in the sense of who can I go to ask questions? What’s been the experience? How do we navigate this? Why aren’t we learning so more about indigenous peoples? Why aren’t we understanding the pharmacology of indigenous plants? Why aren’t we doing all these things?
“It was so Western and biomedical that it was a struggle, but in hindsight, one that I think certainly crafted who I am, the relationship I have to the profession, and also the relationship I have to my family.”
McMillan told the AJP Podcast that after completing her training she faced challenges in finding opportunities where she could be both an Indigenous person and a pharmacist.
“There were doors that were open if I just wanted to be Aboriginal, or there were doors that opened if I just wanted to be pharmacist, but very few doors that opened that allowed me to be both, that allowed me to be who I was,” she said.
An opportunity to embrace both side of her identity came when Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) chief executive, Bronwyn Clark, invited McMillan to work with the APC.
“It was I think that moment of acceptance that I could be both an Aboriginal woman as well as a pharmacist, and I bring knowledge of both of those systems.
“And so it started a relationship with APC that continues to this day.”
While McMillan said she has found opportunities to be here authentic self, she noted that racism remains an issue in Australia.
“You can’t be an Indigenous business owner and be successful because that doesn’t fit the stereotype of what being a business owner should look,” she said.
“Or you only get to a position because you’re Black or because they pull the race card and we have quotas that organisations want to fill.
“It’s not like I have done a master’s; I have done a doctoral qualification; I have postdoctoral qualifications. I am qualified to do the job as well as bringing that other unique set of diverse lens.
“I think the challenge for us is understanding why we’re so afraid of difference and why we want to have conforming ideas.”
Other key topics include:
Perceptions of pharmacies being retailers are holding the profession back from playing a greater role in Closing the Gap for Indigenous patients (21 minutes 35) New guidelines for supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with medicines management (24:58) Cultural safety in pharmacy (28:11) Attracting more First Nations people to pursue careers in pharmacy (30:23)
You can access the full transcript of this podcast here. While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription.
ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT
Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts. These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify
Carlene McMaugh
