Alice Springs renal pharmacist receives SHPA Preceptorship : 06/09/2010 :

Angela Young is the recipient of the SHPA Janssen-Cilag Specialist Renal Pharmacist Grant for 2010. 
 
This grant will allow Angela, pictured at right, to undertake a one-week preceptorship at the Central Northern Adelaide Renal and Transplantation Service of The Royal Adelaide Hospital to improve her clinical knowledge in this specialised area.

An SHPA member benefit, the Research and Development Grants Program provides funding to encourage pharmacy practice and research in hospitals and all parts of the health system and to foster professional development amongst SHPA members.

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OTC codeine in the news again : 06/09/2010 :

A story in yesterday's Sydney Morning Herald, citing the results of a recently published Australian study, has it that 'Misuse of over-the-counter analgesics was the "third-most common category of substance abuse in Australia after cannabis and ecstasy", with more than half a million Australians hooked'.

Yesterday afternoon, Nurofen Plus manufacturer Reckitt Benckiser put out a statement disputing the SMH line.

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Self care's rheumatoid arthritis health campaign wins top award : 04/09/2010 :

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s Self Care Program has won Australia’s leading health promotion award for its rheumatoid arthritis campaign.

The Australian Journal of Pharmacy Award for the Best Health Promotion of the Year was last week presented to the Self Care campaign.

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MediFlags medication review software relaunches : 03/09/2010 :

MediFlags Medication Review Software has relaunched its product range offering a range of software packages to suit the needs of all accredited pharmacists.

MediFlags is the practical solution to fast and effective HMR and RMMR report writing. Be guided through program features with concise instructions, video tutorials and phone support. Speed up report writing with sensible program design and help from clinical flags. Individualise reports by selecting from a range of inclusions, headings and report styles. Utilise advanced features to accumulate, store and retrieve data and produce reports to help manage your practice. Help increase HMR referrals by producing reports that effectively communicate the findings of reviews to GPs.

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Pharmacists slow to embrace social networking sites for professional purposes : 03/09/2010 :

According to the result of this week's AusPharm poll only 46% of pharmacists responding utilise social networking sites professionally with the great majority of these using Facebook.

Of the rest, 25% say they'd like to but need more information. 43% of respondents said they had no interest and / or no time.

AusPharm has had a look at establishing a Facebook presence but we haven't yet got our collective heads around exactly how to use it constructively. We'd love to hear from any pharmacies who are making good use of Facebook or other social networking sites.

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Spring 2010 Bulletin Board : 03/09/2010 :

The Spring 2010 edition of Medicare Australia's Bulletin Board has been published on the Medicare Australia website.

One of many items of interest to pharmacists relates to the preparations underway to facilitate the introduction of PBS prescribing by nurse practitioners on November 1, 2010.

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Sydney Uni to offer a pre-reg program : 02/09/2010 :

Commencing in 2011, the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Sydney will offer a Graduate Certificate in Pharmacy Practice program, incorporating an Internship Training Program for pharmacy graduates.

According to the faculty, it will offer a 'research and practice-enhanced course with high quality outcomes' to Bachelor of Pharmacy and Master of Pharmacy graduates and will fill a current gap in the market for registered pharmacists to embark on postgraduate studies, which would 'enhance their career progression from general to advanced level healthcare professionals'.

Commenting on the new program, Professor Iqbal Ramzan, Dean of Pharmacy said "The overall aim of the Graduate Certificate in Pharmacy Practice is to provide graduates with the additional training, experience and education required for professional registration, thus enabling them to become leading practitioners in any area of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences."

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MIMS Monthly Medicine Update : 02/09/2010 :

The MIMS September 2010 Monthly Medicine Update is now available. Click the link to read it now.

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Early career pharmacists urge development of new opportunities : 02/09/2010 :

According to the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, the debate over whether there is an oversupply of pharmacists highlights the need for the pharmacy profession to continue working on developing opportunities for Early Career Pharmacists.

Recent media reports have highlighted polarised views between those who regard the oversupply as myth and those who regard it as a reality. The Chair of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s Early Career Pharmacist Working Group, Justin Lee, said that regardless of the disparate views on the oversupply question, it was clear that new opportunities outside of traditional pharmacy models held the key to any workforce issues.

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New NAPSA Industrial Affairs Handbook : 02/09/2010 :

The National Australian Pharmacy Students’ Association’s (NAPSA) Industrial Affairs Committee has recently released its third edition of the handbook “Student Pharmacist in the Workplace”.

According to NAPSA the Student Pharmacist in the Workplace handbook is a valuable tool for students as they seek employment in an increasingly competitive industry. A key focus for the handbook is the new Pharmacy Industry Award, tools for constructing a successful resume and cover letter, as well as details of new legislation including the Fair Work Act.

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New FIP President elected : 02/09/2010 :

Switzerland's Dr Michel Buchmann has been elected as the new FIP President. He will serve a four year term (to 2014) following the Presidency of Dr Kamal K. Midha, who will carry on as FIP Immediate Past President.

Dr Buchmann (pictured at right - click for a larger image) is assuming the role of FIP president after extensive experience within FIP Boards, community pharmacy practice and Swiss politics. In his remarks following the release of the Election Results at the FIP2010 Congress, currently underway in Lisbon, Dr Buchmann reiterated his commitment to advancing FIP’s Strategic Plan to advance pharmacy practice, the pharmaceutical sciences and pharmacy education on a global level.

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AACP Forum at PAC : 01/09/2010 :

The Australian Association of Consultant Pharmacy Accredited Pharmacists’ (AACP) Forum at the Pharmacy Australia Congress this year focuses on Clinical and Practical Skills for MMRs, Building your Portfolio with a targeted program of clinical presentations, therapeutic updates, clinical controversies and practice pointers.
 
Chief Executive Officer of the AACP, Grant Martin, said this year’s forum would be particularly important following the recent introduction of mandatory CPD by the Pharmacy Board of Australia. While the AACP Forum is targetted towards accredits pharmacists and those seeking to be accredited, all pharmacists are most welcome.

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Poll: What social media networking sites do you use professionally? : 01/09/2010 :

Have you caught the "Facebook" bug and can't live without it? Or are you one of those who has had the email invite from "friends" to join Facebook to see their photos, and then just can't be bothered with it? There are a myriad of online networking sites on the internet, some seem more suited to sharing personal information with friends and family, and others for professional networking. However Facebook seems to want to own the business and professional space as well as the social.

The temptation to keep your online life simple by belonging to just one networking site, can mean you find yourself blurring the boundaries between personal and professional life a little more than you might have in the purely physical world. 

Use this AusPharm week's poll to show which online networking site you use for professional networking.

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ACP IMS grant winner in touch from FIP : 01/09/2010 :

'Listers will recall that Jana Fulcher was recenltly chosen as the 2010 recipient of the IMS Health - Australian College of Pharmacy Young Pharmacist Innovation Grant. Jana's grant paid for her to attend this year's FIP Conference, currently underway in Lisbon. She has just reported back from the front line.....

Hi all,

Having a great experience at FIP so far, and it has only just begun. Below is my experience for the first day:

I went to a session on emerging community pharmacy business models where professional service implementation and success was the topic.

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New online Board exam not without its issues : 01/09/2010 :

Following the introduction of national registration on July 1, the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) assumed responsibility for conducting the written examination interns must pass in order to register as pharmacists. For the first time the 125 question MCQ exam was delivered online.

According to APC, while the new system of examination delivery was without problems in most locations there were a number that experienced delays and other problems in the first session.

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Marketing for pharmacists at PAC10 : 01/09/2010 :

Strategic planning is considered by some pharmacists to be an issue 'for the future', or one that is too difficult or best left to over-paid consultants. Strong marketing relies on sound strategic planning and PAC10 will present a special breakfast session to introduce delegates to the key concepts which are essential for the development of valuable practical marketing strategies.

Marketing for Pharmacists, on Sunday October 31, will be an interactive, practically oriented session, where presenter Professor Lesley White will lead discussion on the components of a marketing plan and how each can optimally be developed.

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APESMA seminar on workplace bullying - obligations & rights : 31/08/2010 :

APESMA are conducting an evening seminar in Melbourne on legal obligations and rights in relation to workplace bullying. The seminar will cover:

• What is workplace bullying
• What can be done about it
• What you can do to assist a colleague being bullied
• What obligation is on managers to detect and prevent Workplace Bullying?
• Recent cases

The seminar will be presented by APESMA's national legal officer, Joseph Kelly. APESMA members are welcome to bring guests.

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Facebook for pharmacists - what's the big deal? : 31/08/2010 :

A recent article in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association gives a useful explanation of what the social media 'Facebook' is, how it works, and hints at the potential it offers pharmacists and pharmacy organisations.

The article begins with an introduction for those pharmacists who are novices to the concept of Facebook, or other social networking internet sites such as LinkedIn and MySpace, but feel it might be time to understand exactly what it's about. Beyond the personal social networking benefits of Facebook, some potential professional benefits are identified however these are generic and not specific to pharmacy. 

While identifying topline generic applications of Facebook for professionals such as pharmacists and their organisations, the article concludes that further research is required to really determine how useful online social networking applications could be to the pharmacy profession.

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No surprises in July PBS numbers : 31/08/2010 :

PBS figures for July 2010 have been released by Medicare Australia.

Script numbers were up 6% compared to July 2009 with absolute dollars up by 12%.

Calendar year to date figures show a decline in script numbers of 0.3% and growth in dollar terms of 6.0%.

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Shades of 1989 : 31/08/2010 :

In 1989, before the stop works meetings Canberra pharmacists had a large poster done which we all displayed which said:

"The Government is trying to close THIS PHARMACY" with an appropriate illustration.

This poster, Spain, today.

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