Page 12 - Demo

NEWS
Members may have seen PSA being more active in the media over the past year. How has this profile-building helped pharmacists?
We have made a concerted effort to raise the public profile of pharmacists through a proactive media engagement and advocacy strategy at a national level.
In the national and trade media, we have highlighted the importance of pharmacists in the Australian healthcare system using PSA’s spokespeople who are experts on healthcare issues.
These pharmacist spokespeople – including from PSA Branch Committees
– have appeared in newspapers, radio
and on TV news in metropolitan and regional areas to speak on a range of issues including vaccination, complementary medicines, dispensing, chronic disease and Quality Use of Medicines.
The Communications team at PSA, led
by Brad Watts, is working hard to build positive stories about pharmacists’ roles as critical members of the healthcare team.
While not all pharmacists are PSA members, PSA is here for all pharmacists.
By supporting PSA, members can be assured they are not only keeping up to date on education and policy, but supporting the future of the entire profession. For example, our Code of Ethics, along with the Standards and Guidelines we set on behalf of the profession, ensure that consumers continue to receive the best quality care.
We are so grateful for members’ support, as our work for the profession allows us to maintain pharmacists’ standing as the second most trusted health profession in Australia.
During the 2015–16 CPD year, PSA members completed an amazing 240,000 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) assessments, cementing PSA’s role as Australia’s leading national provider of quality pharmacy education and practice support.
Most importantly, we launched our intuitive, online CPD Planning Tool to help
pharmacists meet the Pharmacy Board
of Australia’s new requirements for CPD plans. The CPD Tool, which has been widely embraced by pharmacists, helps them to easily identify professional development needs. My thanks to PSA’s Executive Director of Practice Support and Education Jan Ridd and her team for her hard work on the Tool, and to all the PSA State offices for their continued support for members in helping them meet the Pharmacy Board’s requirements.
Almost 1,700 pharmacists across Australia also identified their preferred career paths using the industry-first Career Pathways portal.
We have rolled out five new Career Pathways with more to follow in the new year, so stay tuned and please visit our website to find out how we can help guide your career into the future.
Yes, among a range of reforms culminating in the first half of next year, the Review of Pharmacy Remuneration and Regulation will be a major focus of the roadshow. The Review provides a major opportunity for pharmacists, and we want to make sure that members’ views are well understood to ensure that PSA can advocate pharmacists’ roles to Government.
The first half of next year is going to be critical for pharmacy and we encourage members – including our regional members and non-members – to attend the roadshow. We must ensure there’s
a strong voice for pharmacists in the outcomes of the Pharmacy Review.
This is a huge transition for the sector moving forward, and our roadshow gives pharmacists a unique opportunity to discover how things are progressing. The dates and locations will be announced shortly.
What are PSA’s other goals for the year ahead?
Our goals for 2017 are to continue helping members achieve their career goals through our Career Pathways program, help secure new funding for pharmacists from outside the PBS, continue discussions with other organisations to bring tangible improvement to pharmacists’ wages, and support more community pharmacies to
reform to a financially sustainable health model through Health Destination.
We are keen to continue building a strong membership base, because it is through membership that we are able to do what we do. All of the profession benefits from these efforts, so if your colleagues are not members, please encourage them to join so we can do even more.
Firstly, can I thank all our members for their dedication and support of PSA – without your membership we would not be able to represent you as the peak national body for pharmacists. Our members are at the core of everything we do.
I also extend my thanks to all of PSA’s exceptionally committed and talented staff across Australia, including the hard working and dedicated State Office Directors, who have worked hard to support our members. I love working with them all.
Thank you to the PSA Board members for their leadership, including National President Joe Demarte.
I wish a happy holidays and
a safe and prosperous new year to everyone.
Who would you like to thank for being part of PSA’s achievements over the last 12 months?
Looking ahead, I understand PSA’s informative roadshow will be held again. What can we expect in 2017?
So would you recommend more pharmacists support PSA in future to help achieve these goals?
What’s changed for education and practice support for pharmacists?
10 Australian Pharmacist January 2017 I ©Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Ltd.