The feature articles below are "opinion" pieces and reflect the views of the individual authors. They are not the views of AusPharm.net.au P/L, its directors or editorial group unless explicitly stated to be so.

The Point of view of a Pre-reg! :: Rowan Lowe : 22/11/2007 : In today's AusPharm feature pre-reg Rowan Lowe talks us through the issues that are important for pre-regs.

"When agreeing to employ a pre-registration pharmacist, a preceptor should always keep in mind that they are not simply employing a staff member but are providing an opportunity to educate and train the next generation of pharmacists."    More...

The Best Weight Loss Drug is Food :: Dr Amanda Sainsbury-Salis, PhD : 20/11/2007 : After the recent dicussions on AusPharmList on weight loss prompted by Stuart Adams' article a 'lister was in touch to introduce AusPharm to Dr Amanda Sainsbury-Salis, saying that her work was worth a look.

Dr Sainsbury-Salis is a Senior Research Fellow at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and author of The Don't Go Hungry Diet. In today's AusPharm feature she explains her research into reducing 'the famine reaction'.

Acording to Dr Sainsbury-Salis: "Whilst providing your clients with scientifically based advice for effective weight loss won't sell weight loss products such as the kind mentioned in Stuart Adam's article of October 23rd, a growing number of astute customers are looking for real solutions from professionals they can trust."   More...

Exposure to commonly-occurring chemicals during pregnancy - be alert but not alarmed! :: Ron Batagol : 13/11/2007 : Recently, after I returned from a vacation, I had a quick look, as is my wont, at what I had missed on AusPharmList in the two weeks that I had been away.

One exchange of posts immediately caught my eye. It concerned the situation of a pharmacist who sells a cough mixture which contains saccharin to a pregnant client and the ensuing debate around how to access the safety in pregnancy of saccharin used as a flavouring in medicinal products.   More...

Can you communicate? :: Archana Haria : 8/11/2007 : Recently I've been involved in the behind-the-scenes organisation of a nationwide public speaking competition aimed at high schoolers and the art of social intelligence interests me greatly.

I've seen some true gems walk through this competition, often discovered as diamonds in the rough, yet nothing prepared me for a recent 'moment in time'.

I thought I had seen the breadth and depth of social intelligence but I now reside in the comfort of mankind's unique ability to adapt.    More...

Pharmacy relocation - some hidden traps :: John Clayton : 30/10/2007 : In today's AusPharm feature from Cropper Parkhill lawyer John Clayton he tells the story of one young pharmacist's journey through the regulatory maze she needed to negotiate when looking to open her new pharmacy.

"....A young pharmacist identifies an opportunity to start a pharmacy in a new medical centre in a large city. The centre is less than 1.5 kilometres from the nearest pharmacy and so there is no possibility of seeking a new pharmacy approval under the Pharmacy Location Rules. However, the centre is more than 500 metres from the nearest pharmacy and so it may be possible to relocate a pharmacy approval number to the centre."    More...

What's the way forward? :: Roy Stevenson : 25/10/2007 : "...pharmacies should be implementing the range of cognitive services now available in some cases (e.g. HMRs and RMMRs) and soon to be available in others (e.g. asthma and diabetes disease state management programs, medication profiling and dose administration aids assistance)."

So said Bruce Annabel in a recent presentation to delegates at the Pharmacy Australian Congress Industry.

How many times do we have to hear this before the majority of us recognise the state of urgency that exists for change?   More...

Invest in a pharmacy? Or just buy shares or property? :: Mark Nicholson : 18/10/2007 : A 'lister emailed AusPharm a week or two back and posed the question above.

Who better to answer, we thought, than AusPharm writer Mark Nicholson, from JR Pharmacy Services.

"The BHP share price on October 1, 2002 was $9.10. Five years later, on October 12, 2007 it was $46.20. This represents an amazing annual growth rate of 38.4%!"    More...

Plans for the future in 'Pharmacy 210' :: Rowan Lowe : 9/10/2007 : A team from the Griffith University School of Pharmacy recently won the Pharmacy Guild of Australia's National Pharmacy Business Plan Competition. Rowan Lowe was part of the winning team and in today's AusPharm feature he tells us a little of how the team went about their task.

"Pharmacy exists in a competitive marketplace and differentiating one's business from those in the surrounding area can help to ensure a prosperous enterprise for years to come. How does a business owner discover a market segment that is yet to be utilised in your local area? It all comes down to research."   More...

Guidelines schmuidelines! No good unless you read them. :: Dr Geraldine Moses : 4/10/2007 : Have you read this month's Veteran's Mates Therapeutic Brief (VMTB) entitled Antipsychotics in Dementia? It's excellent.

Sloppy PIs and CMIs - now it's getting serious and it's time to do something about it! :: Ron Batagol : 2/10/2007 : In todays feature article Ron Batagol challenges us all to set up and maintain "a high-quality independent, peer-review and validated, alternative to CMIs."

Ron makes some compelling arguments in this article. AusPharm looks forward to the day that Ron's challenge becomes a reality.    More...

When Do You Know That It's Time To Go? :: Veronica Nou : 20/9/2007 : In today's AusPharm feature recent graduate Veronica Nou recounts the story of a young colleague and asks: "When do you know that it's time to go?"

"Apparently there's been an oversupply of pharmacists in recent times looking for work in Sydney.

Of course, for a well-educated health care professional, the experience of not being able to find work is going to be a tad unpleasant, especially when up till now it's always been the other way around. Does that mean pharmacists are going to accept poorer work conditions?"   More...

Against my better judgement I picked up the telephone and dialled Telstra/BigPond :: Irwin the evil chemist : 18/9/2007 : There are many, many reasons not to be a Telstra customer in the 21st century, not the least of which has to do with their service and their price.

I suspect that I was one of Telstra's first ADSL customers in Heidelberg back at the turn-of-the-century: my account number was HEID01, and I ditched them as soon as my contract expired.   More...

Unsung heroes :: Archana Haria : 13/9/2007 : Archana Haria reflects on her 'rural' placement in WA's Geraldton.

It's the quiet heroes of our time that make life all the more worth living. I sit back and think of the last few months and how much the meaning of life has become richer. The experiences I've had in that time are second to none.

The feeling of frustration that comes from being helpless to assist people who really need all the help they can get feels like the life being sucked out of me and yet these are the very things that help define me. All of this in our own backyard.....   More...

FREE you say? How much does it really cost? :: Mark Nicholson : 6/9/2007 : Having two young school age children, I am regularly badgered into taking them to a fast food chain outlet for what is anything but a "happy meal".

It is common to see much of the purchased food go uneaten (probably a good thing) and the accompanying "free" toy provides a minor period of enjoyment. But the "free" and ever changing toy is a powerful hook. Moreover it costs the outlet nothing as it is provided by a third party as part of a promotional release.

It is therefore with both amusement and concern that I read the regular comments of AusPharmlisters concerning the provision of free services to customers.   More...

'But the pharmacist said'......the sin of offering unsolicited health advice. :: Dr Geraldine Moses : 4/9/2007 : On the helpline last week I learned of a case that illustrated the negative impact that unsolicited health advice can have on patient care. It concerned a woman, let's call her Mrs T, who was being discharged from hospital after a 3-week ordeal of serious illness, psychiatric instability and police involvement.

When the family collected her discharge meds from the hospital dispensary, the pharmacist made an unsolicited comment about her medications interacting, which then set them off on a wild goose chase looking for answers. Here's how they saw the story........   More...

The Getting of Wisdom or the Impression Thereof :: Bruce Moffat : 28/8/2007 : On occasion, in my dealings with the doe-eyed Bright Young Things that trusting Schools of Pharmacy place in my care or perhaps for the benefit of my staff when they find it politic to actually listen to me, I get to bang on about all the clever things I know and stuff I have learnt while glossing over the things of which I never really got a hold.

As you can see, the 'no preposition at the end of a sentence' lesson I not only learned but actually practice and I believe there may be some other stuff of at least equivalent importance that I regularly feel the urge to pass on lest the angst, pain and sometimes acute embarrassment that led to the getting of these pearls (small 'p' to distinguish them from Peter Allen's) be for nought.

So, in the egotistical expectation that anyone actually gives a toss and to save endless reiteration, (and seven separate posts to the 'list) I thought I would pass on the most important things I have learnt in no particular order.   More...

A Wonderful World - Reloaded :: Ron Batagol : 23/8/2007 : In anticipation of the Pharmacy History session at this weekend's PAC conference Ron Batagol reminisces about his early career.....

"My first manager's job in the early 60s, in a Pharmacy in inner Melbourne, lasted for a day and a half! On Day One I "sprung" the trusted shop assistant about to post off a heap of dexamphetamine tablets - which was then only S4 - to various valued clientele who never bothered to get scripts for them. She insisted Mr Boss did it "all the time" for his customers, and they really appreciated it. I bet they did!"   More...

The Phrenetic Pharmacist :: Andrew Roberts : 16/8/2007 : In today's AusPharm feature Andrew ('Robbo') Roberts talks about how he gets his messages out to his diverse and geographically widespread constituents.

"My work out bush started as a discreetly funded project but after the first year the remote area health service found that I brought something extra to the primary health care team and now they fund my position."   More...

Smoke and Mirrors - A reflection on the impact of smoking bans :: Wendy Morton : 14/8/2007 : I have long subscribed to the theory that we should be careful what we wish for in this life, for the best intentions often have unintended and unreckoned upon consequences.

The July 1st introduction of a total ban on smoking in enclosed licensed premises in Victoria may I suspect turn out to be just such a beast for at least one already disenfranchised slice of our community.   More...

Pharmacy Location Rules - a two-edged sword :: John Clayton : 9/8/2007 : AusPharm is pleased to welcome John Clayton to our writing team. John is a partner in Cropper Parkhill Solicitors and has considerable experience and expertise in the pharmaceutical and community pharmacy sectors. In his first article for AusPharm John looks at some of the issues that arise in the application of the Pharmacy Location Rules.

"A recent change to the Rules provides an example of how they can have an unintended effect and serves to remind us of the fragility of the system which underpins retail pharmacy."   More...

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