The AJP Podcast

Community pharmacist and owner of MedWest Medical Dispensary, Keegan Wong, says his passion lies in merging evidence-based medicine with a holistic model of health. Speaking to host Carlene McMaugh of the AJP Podcast, Wong shared his journey to co-founding MedWest Medical Dispensary in Western Australia, and his his practice and perspective has evolved.  “Back when I was working in community pharmacy, I was starting to see more and more patients coming in with prescriptions for medicinal cannabis,” he said. “You think ‘Oh, I haven’t really learned much of this at uni’. “The feedback that I’ve received over time was really eye-opening,” he continued. “People were dealing with chronic pain, sleep issues and anxiety… many of them actually find real relief.” Other highlights include:  4.39: Keegan’s holistic approach.  7.07: The supply challenges in Western Australia.  9.20: Common misconceptions about medicinal cannabis.  16.49: Regulatory concerns and how pharmacists are managing them.  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

Professional Services Innovation Award winners Bev Mistry-Cable and Zineb Medrek share the secrets of their success with the AJP Podcast – and what’s next   “I think everybody’s got a slightly different passion, so it’s trying to work out what drives the pharmacies,” Cooleman Court Pharmacy’s Bev Mistry-Cable told the AJP Podcast’s Carlene McMaugh.  The winners of the Professional Services Innovation Award say they have developed a host of programs for different pharmacies to help their local communities.  “My colleague, Brad, implemented Men’s Health Down Under, and he basically helps men with post-prostectomy surgery and also things with erectile dysfunction, things like that,” Mistry-Cable said.    “We also do vaccination services here very well. So they’ve grown in the last five to 10 years, which has been good to see.” Medrek added: “Everyone that comes through the pharmacy, we check with them where they’re up to.” Other highlights include:  4.03: Cooleman Court Pharmacy’s skincare trial.  5.05: Travel health and UTI consultations.  7.53: The promotion of new services.  11.41: Other considerations in implementing new services into the pharmacy.  13.17: How to measure the value of pharmacies in the healthcare ecosystem.  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

AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh takes a look back at 2025 with AdPha president Tom Simpson and outgoing vice president Dr Kate O’Hara Speaking during Advanced Pharmacy Australia’s Medicines Management 2025 conference in Melbourne, the three spoke about how residencies can help pharmacists keep getting feedback through their early careers, medicines reconciliation and points of transition, as well as the greater role pharmacists and pharmacy technicians can play in the healthcare system. Simpson explained that “transitions of care is not a problem we have solved in Australia by any measure”. “We did some great work obviously this year partnering with the condition on the practise standards around transitions of care, but we’re also looking at how we expand those collaborative prescribing models at the point of discharge,” he said. “We know discharge summaries and discharge medication lists have a high rate of inaccuracy and there’s hospitals that are already implementing collaborative prescribing models at that point and seeing dramatic reductions, so patients out the door hours quicker with the right medicines. “Our challenge there is that until we have PBS prescribing rights for pharmacists, all the pharmacists can do is write a prescription and ask the doctor to sign it, and that means that you’re still effectively wasting a lot of time because it’s not a value add activity at that step. “If they’ve already agreed the treatment plan, then adding a signature to a page doesn’t add value, but it just takes time.” O’Hara, who has been closely involved in the collaborative prescribing trial in NSW, said that it had been “really exciting this year to see advocacy really pay off”. NSW and WA “are getting collaborative prescribing over the line” in terms of legislation change, she said. “So getting that, working with all of the states to get that through has been a really massive achievement. And in New South Wales, those legislation changes are now fixed in the legislation and they’ve acknowledged that partnered pharmacists prescribing or charting is really key to getting people through the emergency rooms faster and getting those medicines right quicker. “So that’s been a really significant piece of advocacy work that has really paid off for both the profession and for our patients in that space. “So we continue to really advocate for and encourage for pharmacists prescribing to be done in that collaborative way as part of getting pharmacists embedded in multidisciplinary teams to focus on the medicines and give everybody else the time to do what they do best.” Highlights include 01:20 – How have the new practise recognition pathways evolved through 2025? 04:20 – The value of the independent pathway 05:38 – Advancements in empowering pharmacy technicians and assistants 08:09 – The launch of AdPha’s clinical standards 09:33 – How can these changes be scaled nationally to free up pharmacists for higher level clinical duties? 11:42 – The difference between a residency and an internship 16:50 – “Our transitions of care are some of the highest risk points in any patient’s journey.” 20:46 – The NSW collaborative prescribing trial 21:52 – “1.3 billion of wasted expenditure in hospitals” 22:58 – Gaps and loopholes in transitions of care 25:09 – The impact of MedsAware Deprescribing Week 27:23 – How is the integration of electronic prescribing and electronic medical records fundamentally changing the clinical workflow of hospital pharmacists and what digital competencies are now essential for new graduates? 28:38 – “I expect to see digital competencies start to be built into our university degrees.” 32:00 – How is AdPha working with regulatory bodies and health services formally recognised the credential specialist, clinical pharmacists, and to ensure the remuneration and role expansion? 35:05 – “We’ve seen employers as well now asking for ANZCAP recognition as part of applications for jobs.” 36:24 – The gap in seven-day clinical pharmacy services 39:25 – Recruitment, retention and burnout 43:25 – Why are there more vacancies? 44:25 – “One nice trend I’m seeing these days is that there is much more of a portability in the profession.” 46:33 – Hopes and goals for 2026   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

On the latest AJP podcast, our host Carlene McMaugh speaks to pharmacist Keegan Wong about the impact of the 1 July vaping regulations  Among the topics covered in this podcast are: The impact of the regulations on the product’s that pharmacies can supply (03:11 minutes) What is the new process for patients to get a compliant product? Has their been an increase in prescriptions for higher concentration vapes? (07:12) What can we advise patients on the different nicotine concentrations and to find the right dose for their needs? (11:09) Are the new regulations curbing the black market? Or are they driving more people to search for illicit products? (14:54) What are the key things that patients need to know about the new regulations and how to access compliant products? (17:48) The next steps in vaping regulation (21:00) Where can you learn more about the changes? (24:59) 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 

One pharmacist urges her colleagues to put aside their preconceptions of ADHD and those who live with it, and take a wider view Susan Nguyen, a Sydney pharmacy co-owner and founder of ADHD Support Pharmacist, has told AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh that she hopes pharmacists will try to gain a better understanding of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and consider how it affects patients’ lives in multiple ways – including its comorbidities, and what pharmacists can do to help. She likens it to diabetes in the way that people make negative judgements about a patient’s behaviour – but also contrasts it with regard to the lack of a holistic approach. “When you look at someone who has diabetes, they experience the judgement, ‘oh, they’ve got diabetes. Oh, they must have been having too much sugar or too many soft drinks. Or their parents probably gave them lollies every day’,” she says. But even with this wider social stigma, pharmacists do not generally hold negative opinions about people with diabetes, she says, and do consider the wider picture. “You’re thinking of foot care, wound care, vaccinations, diabetes med checks… diabetes has a lot of, I guess, comorbidities and other conditions and lifestyle factors played as well. “When you look at ADHD, it’s a lot, just much the same. You’re looking at a lot of comorbidities, you’re looking at lifestyle, you’re looking at complications, you’re looking at as well, the stigma… “When you care for someone with ADHD and you delve into it more, you start to see there’s anxiety, there’s depression, there’s also [that] unmanaged ADHD means they may be eating, there could be obesity there, drug use work, relationship problems, a whole gamut. “So it’s where pharmacists need to be.” Nguyen also looks into misconceptions such as overdiagnosis, that ADHD is a condition mainly affecting boys, and that ADHD medicines may impact quality of life. And significantly, she speaks about how people with ADHD are judged negatively for their own symptoms. “The lack of concentration, the disorganisation, the time blindness, not being able to manage your scripts, not getting your scripts. “It goes out of date, you freak out, the patient rings up and they say, ‘look, I haven’t got any of my medications left’. “When we hear that it could be easily seen as they’re being lazy, they’ve been so they’ve let themselves down to let us down. “It’s such a hassle. It’s inconvenient, but it’s the presenting symptom, and they’re stigmatised for their presenting symptoms. “We’re actually, as healthcare professionals, as pharmacists, as even as society, we’re almost punishing people with ADHD for what they have, whereas someone with diabetes, they might have more UTIs, they might have infections that just don’t heal, that sort of stuff. “But there’s a lot of support. And that’s because we look at the symptoms, we understand the pathophysiological side, but because of that lack of, I guess, understanding of ADHD, it’s become more of about a character flaw or character trait. “And so that really makes it hard for, I guess, healthcare professionals to show that care and support. “And I feel that this is where we need to really, as pharmacists making that stance on that and then supporting our patients in a much better way.” Highlights include: 01:21 – Why does ADHD need more attention in pharmacy? 04:18 – The comparison with diabetes 07:14 – ADHD in women and inattentive symptoms 08:11 – The role of social media 12:26 – Will medication “fix it up”? 14:04 – How can we widen our views? 16:32 – “With stimulant prescribing, it is hard.” 18:10 – The consequences of unmanaged ADHD 20:44 – How do we share information? 21:49 – “Pharmacists may think, oh, they’re going to get tolerant when they take  Ritalin for so long.” 23:10 – “If you’ve seen a patient who comes in with their prescription for Vyvanse, we can’t assume that, hey, everything’s under control.” 26:27 – The carer’s perspective 28:37 – Pharmacists with ADHD 32:39 – “We need more pharmacists to really be in that space to advocate for patients.” 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

The cost of living is hitting Australians hard – and arguably none more so than students who need to complete unpaid practical placements, says one high-profile student National Australian Pharmacist Students Association national president Sebastian Harper has opened up to AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh about the financial pressures on pharmacy students – and how NAPSA aims to take a greater role in advocacy for the profession. “There really needs to be a revolution in how we approach placements, and this doesn’t just go for pharmacy, but this is, as far as I understand, pretty much all health disciplines,” Harper says. He highlights the increasing cost of living throughout the 2020s… “which I think everyone, not just in Australia but around the world is very conscious of”. “But students, young people, but also mature age students, many who might have a mortgage, they might have kids at home that they have to feed. The cost of living crisis is really hitting hard and that’s why we’re trying to, in our capacity as a student organisation, mitigate that as much as possible.” Students are literally having to decide whether they can afford to buy food or pay rent at their usual home, and actually finish their placements, Harper says. He also talks about the “hidden costs” of prac placements – from uniforms to transport and hospital parking – as well as offering some advice for preceptors. But there have been positive developments as well, he says – not only have some disciplines been granted prac payments, there are options such as government housing for students. “I had a fantastic experience on placement where I was in Mount Isa and I was housed with about six other students from other health disciplines,” he enthuses. “We had a couple speechies, we had a medicine student, dental student physio, science, so there were a lot of different disciplines there, and it was great to just for our mental wellbeing, but also the idea of us being better interprofessional collaborators in the future that after each shift we got to almost debrief about our days and interesting cases we saw. “I learned more about what speechies do there purely by just talking to them.” He also tells McMaugh about the establishment of the Health Students Alliance, a new organisation bringing together just over 40 health student associations across the country. Highlights include: 00:56 – Priorities for NAPSA 02:38 – The cost of living, and lack of prac payments 03:38 – The impact of placement poverty 05:57 – Advocating for a highly feminised workforce 08:00 – Hidden costs 10:47 – “I’ve just anecdotally heard from my members on calls or at events and things like that, but they’re literally going hungry throughout the entire day.” 11:47 – How financial pressures impact health 14:41 – Youth allowance and advocacy 19:40 – Some solutions 23:38 – How can pharmacists support their students? 26:04 – The potential for impact on the future workforce 30:24 – How to find your niche 33:17 – Some of NAPSA’s key initiatives – including splitting the rural and Indigenous chair positions 37:10 – “The future of pharmacy is incredibly exciting.” 39:52 – “The biggest thing that registered pharmacists can do is just enable the excitement of the next generation.” 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

PSA Victorian pharmacist of the year Sara Murdock talks about a “sliding doors” moment in her career – and why it’s important to make sure every patient’s voice is heard Murdock tells the AJP Podcast’s Carlene McMaugh about the many times she has reinvented herself – from arriving in Australia from war-torn Iraq “with nothing, just hope” to the time she walked away from a job that refused to offer her, a single mother, the flexibility she needed to parent her son. “I think people often think of pharmacists as people that dispense and dispense scripts and check scripts, but once they get to know me, they realise our impact goes far beyond the pharmacy doors,” she says. “We’re often the first point of contact for someone who’s scared in crisis, overwhelmed or in pain, and we’re quite often educating or triaging. We listen a lot and we are often in people’s lives for a very long time, so we have conversations we support, we offer support, and we build trust and that’s where the real impact happens, not just inside the pharmacy but out in their community every single day.” For Murdock, this means “hands-on” health delivery in Pascoe Vale, where she works, going to local clubs to do free blood pressure checks, getting involved with Rotary, overhauling her pharmacy to put in consulting rooms and talking at schools and local football cubs. But it also means really being there when it matters to patients. “I’ll never forget this lady who came into the pharmacy one late afternoon. I remember it clearly because she wasn’t a regular patient and she looked completely overwhelmed. “She had a toddler on one hip and a script and her hand and her eyes looked quite puffy that she’d been crying and on paper at the time it looked like just a repeat for an antidepressant that you could have dispensed, but something just didn’t feel right and instead of just processing her prescription, I asked her gently at the time, ‘how are you? Are you okay?’ “And she broke down, she hadn’t slept, she hadn’t eaten properly and she’d just left the home because of an abusive partner. “And she said to me, I didn’t know where else to go. So I came here and in that moment the pharmacy became more than a pharmacy. “I brought her into the consult room, gave her space to breathe, linked her to support services, and I contacted her GP to coordinate the next steps. “But more than that, I made her feel safe, seen, not rushed and not judged. And I remember her saying that I was the very first person who didn’t look away and that interaction has stayed with me forever. “I believe behind every prescription is someone surviving something and sometimes the difference we make isn’t in the medicine, but in the way we choose to show up.” Highlights include: 01:13 – “Sliding doors” – why Murdock left one pharmacy job, finding her way to one which was “amazing” 02.23 – What people don’t realise about pharmacists 04:03 – “We’ve built a culture I’m very proud of where every voice is heard.” 04:46 – Helping a desperate customer 05:51 – Advice on handling difficult situations 08:07 – “I’ve had to reinvent myself quite a few times and it started early.” 10:54 – What keeps you going? 11.29 – “Balanced? What’s that word?” 12:49 – Transforming health care in Pascoe Vale 15:32 – Beyond the pharmacy walls 16:57 – If you could change one thing in the pharmacy profession, what would it be? 17:38 – Advice for pharmacists starting out 18:49 – “Balance doesn’t mean perfect proportions every single day.” 19:04 – AI and pharmacy 20:29 – How Murdock’s pharmacy evolves to meet the community’s needs 20: 51 – How does the future look? 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

AI is a field full of misconceptions, with many afraid to use it – but expert Andrew Bartlett tells the AJP Podcast how it’s being used to help learning and simulate patient interactions “There is still a lot of people who are scared of AI,” says Andrew Bartlett, academic at the University of Sydney’s School of Pharmacy, and PhD candidate. “Students are afraid to use it. They think they’’re going to get caught cheating.” But “The way that university, particularly the University of Sydney works now, is that we have assessments to help learning and we have assessments of learning and AI is allowed in those assessments where it’s helping learning. “I think there’s a misconception [that] whatever you put in is private and I don’t think it is. And so I think there’s some serious concerns that people need to take into consideration about what they put into AI.” Bartlett has been having his students help him develop AI agents – “it’s a bit of a class project”. “I have a pharmacy management tutor and we use it in the class, so I’ll give them a topic, say we’re talking about the pharmacy employment landscape in different areas of Australia. “I might give each little table group a prompt and they put it into the agent and then collectively they’ve got to come up with a three minute presentation that they’ve got to teach back the class. “So they quite like doing that. It means that there’s almost like an extra one of me accessible when they need it. “When it comes to exam preparation as well, it’s got all my teaching resources in there, they can ask it questions, I can train it to behave a bit like I would in the way that it asks questions. “So I’m accessible 24 hours, but I still get to sleep.” Highlights include: 01:12 – Bartlett’s background in pharmacy, and how he became interested in AI 02:18 – “I was seeing them use AI in classrooms and I was seeing that they were using it really badly.” 03:24 – AI misconceptions 04:37 – How students respond to the AI agents 06:48 – AI for patient counselling scenarios 08:50 – The key benefits of simulated patient interactions 09:39 – How to minimise mistakes 11:16 – “AI can be quite good at stepping someone through a reflective process.” 13:02 – Bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world pharmacy skills 14:29 – How could AI change a pharmacist’s day-to-day role? 15:56 – “It’s interesting looking at the biases that come through.” 19:24 – What skills do pharmacists need in an AI-driven future? 21:35 – Getting up to speed 22:36 – The next frontier 25:17 – Embracing AI in business 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

The AJP’s podcast host Carlene McMaugh shares her career lessons and tips “It starts with knowing your values, what you are looking for, that you’re willing to leave the comfort of where you are and start something new,” says Carlene McMaugh.  In the latest episode of the AJP Podcast, McMaugh details the ways pharmacists can think about their career in 2025.  There are opportunities to use new technology for searches and to brush up on marketing, she said.  “You could type in your skills or your experiences and to ChatGPT and ask for suggestions about roles or you can even put your CV in and ask what options there are out there.” Other highlights include:  04:46: Carlene shares her own career journey.  12:30: Thinking about your brand.  17:16: Using AI to enhance your resume.  19:04: The importance of networking.  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

A leading aged care pharmacist discusses how pharmacy has changed over the years – and his passion welcoming those changes The AJP Podcast talks to the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s inaugural Aged Care Pharmacist of the Year – Neil Petrie, who has been working primarily in aged care, undertaking medication reviews for the past 25 years. He has also owned his own community pharmacy in the past and semi-retired into aged care onsite pharmacy under the ACOP program. With a father and uncle who were pharmacists, he says he remembers being about six or seven years old, “and going to the pharmacy after hours with my dad to make up an APC mixture, if I remember rightly, which was aspirin, phenacetin, and caffeine in it”. “And I vividly remember my father saying, hold that needle and don’t drop it. And what did I do? I dropped it onto the footpath, didn’t I? “So pharmacy’s been in my blood for a long time and I did have my own pharmacy for about 13 years, but I realised I wanted to do something a little bit different and when I had my pharmacy, I started servicing some hostels at that point in time and I really enjoyed that work.” Petrie was one of Australia’s first pharmacists accredited to conduct medication reviews in 1998 – and ever since, his motto has been change. He says ACOP will only increase in time, and “highlights our impact on direct resident care, medication safety, the quality use of medicines, and really system-wide improvements to medication procedures. So it really showcases us as pharmacists as a valued integral part of the care team.” This is also highlighted, he says, by the sheer need for pharmacists’ services; discussing the most common medication-related problems in aged care facilities, given the amount of polypharmacy – and more importantly, inappropriate polypharmacy – underway. Highlights include: 01:13 – Neil’s introduction to pharmacy 03:42 – Aged care: a changing environment 05:11 – RMMRs and lack of rural and remote support: a disillusioning moment 06:14 – The responsibility of promoting ACOP 07:39 – Over 30-plus years in the field, what has changed the most? 09:29 – “How one person within the organisation can change an organisation overnight” 10:40 – The most common medication-related problems in ACFs 11:46 – Beginning an antibiotic stewardship program 13:11 – Taking the workload off the nurses 15:09 – “We have to get to a point where society says wherever medication is involved in therapy, there’s a pharmacist involved.” 17:11 – Thoughts on deprescribing 18:36 – The role of interdisciplinary team-based care 20: 54 – “How do you approach educating both residents and their families about their medications?” 22:07 – Practical strategies 23: 58 – “Polypharmacy is challenging.” 25: 06 – Neil’s vision for the future 29:26 – How can technology help? 32:18 – What advice would you give young pharmacists? 42:07 – A passion for antimicrobial use 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 

“Saying sorry seems like such a simple, inherent notion, but it can also be a minefield,” PDL professional development pharmacist and Be Risk Ready host, Amy Minion says  Meridian Lawyers’ Chandrika Darroch joins PDL Podcast host, Amy Minion, and pharmacist, Georgina Woods, to discuss how to apologise when incidents occur.  This episode of the Be Risk Ready PDL Podcast looks at how to apologise for an incident, and what to do and not do.   The topics covered include:  “It’s important to normalise adverse events” (2 minutes 36).  Make sure the patient feels heard (3:54).  “Apologies are a very important component of incident and complaint management, and the regulators generally have quite a poor view of practitioners who are neither apologetic or reflective” (7:24).  Open disclosure (9:17).  “It’s important to keep in mind that no one is infallible” 10:08.  Apology laws and how to actually say sorry (15:49).  “Matters escalate when there’s been a failure to acknowledge that something’s gone wrong” (18:48).  “You can and you should express sympathy, regret or concern” (20:18).  Resources available for pharmacists (21:31).  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     

One multi-award-winning pharmacist talks to the AJP Podcast about why we need to value the services available in pharmacy – and pay for them The Capital Chemist Charnwood is in the news again: 11 years after being named Guild Pharmacy of the Year, it has again taken home two of the final awards in the competition, being recognised for excellence in Community Engagement and Excellence in Harm Minimisation at APP25. Co-owner Samantha Kourtis told AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh that government decisions, made without input from pharmacy, were a strong influence on her implementing a fee-for-service model. “From the early days, I’ve been a huge advocate for charging [for] things,” Kourtis says. “And 13 years ago I walked into this pharmacy. Everything was free, free blood pressure, free home delivery, free Webster packs, free consult with the baby nurse, free everything. “And early on I was like, well, this has to stop.” It simply wasn’t a viable business model, she realised – perhaps counter-intuitive given that Charnwood is one of Canberra’s lowest socioeconomic demographics, but as it turned out, customers are happy to pay what pharmacist expertise is worth. She pointed out that she bought into the business in March 2010 – and that in October that year, the federal government announced accelerated price disclosure. “I was in a real position where my business loan could have crashed and burned. The bank could have come in and taken it away because overnight the value of our businesses went down… “And we’ve seen this happen several times over the last 10 years with what the government’s done. “So it was my commitment to valuing the work that a registered healthcare professional did and my commitment to stopping the of services in pharmacy and then the financial pressure on me as a brand new young business owner that had to go, okay, well, I don’t want to pay my pharmacist award wage. I want to pay them well, because they do a really great job. “So if someone wants to sit down with a pharmacist for a blood pressure check, they’ll pay for it. And that has gained momentum from then. And we were charging $15, 13 years ago, for a wound consult fee.” Highlights include: 01:40 – Becoming an award-winning pharmacy through the ups and downs 05:01 – What did winning the awards mean for staff and the community? 06:59 – Talking about harm minimisation in schools 08:07 – What it takes to being an award-winning pharmacy in this space 11:11 – Engaging with the community 13:22 – The viable business model 16:11 – Why $10 for a consult is “such a joke that is so disrespectful to our profession”. 17:01 – “Nobody complains really about the price.” 18:29 – What does being unsurprised in pharmacy mean to you? 21:10 – “I could not believe that the leaders in our country thought that [disparaging pharmacists over 60-day dispensing] was a good idea.” 22: 31 – “Actually, it doesn’t matter what I think. Doesn’t matter how I practise, doesn’t matter how much I care, things are going to happen. And that was quite freeing.” 24:11 – On being part of the scope trials 28:38 – What are the core values of your pharmacy? 31:35 – A challenge for pharmacists: be unsurprised 34:36 – A “vulnerable time” for pharmacy 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 

Deprescribing is “about working together to make sure that the medication someone is taking still fit with the current health goals, the values and their needs at that point in their life,” says one expert Pharmacist Amanda Quek is currently working on her PhD, focused on developing clinical practise guidelines for deprescribing common medications used by older people. She told AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh that it’s vital to take a “pragmatic personalised approach when it comes to prescribing and deprescribing”. “This just means that understanding what matters to the person, the values and preferences and priorities for treatment, other expects that are important is to consider the person acceptability to deprescribing the support system life expectancy and ability to safely manage changes in treatment,” Quek says. “And I think the shared decision making and clear communication between the patient and the healthcare providers is especially important. “People need to feel supported and reassured, especially when stopping a medication they’ve been on for a long time.” Quek notes that health professionals often note a lack of clear structure to support desprescribing. “An effective literature review published last year found that around 70% of all clinical practice guidelines for treatment don’t include any guidance about deprescribing,” she tells McMaugh. “And most of them focus heavily on when to start a medication but rarely offer advice on when or how to safely reduce and stop them. “And there’s a huge missed opportunity.” 01:04 – What is deprescribing and why does it matter? 02:53 – “Deprescribing isn’t just about managing a medication list, it’s about looking at the whole person.” 05:43 – Gaps and challenges to address 08:37 – What do these guidelines add to the existing evidence that supports deprescribing? 09:56 – The team that put the guidelines together – including patients and carers 12:53 – “One of the most valuable things we learned from them was just how critical clear communication is in healthcare.’ 14:06 – What does this feedback mean for pharmacists and for patients? 16:02 – How to share feedback 17:01 – “The main thing is just to remember for both patients and pharmacists is that deprescribing is a team effort.”   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 

There’s far more to First Nations health than filling Close The Gap scripts – one Wiradjuri pharmacy student tells the AJP why early dispensing can be vital, why knowing about a patient’s pets matters and why pharmacists should be able to sign patients up for CTG During NAIDOC Week, fourth-year pharmacy student and proud Wiradjuri woman Jesyca Pearson has told AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh shared a store of information for pharmacists. A key issue is acknowledging the difference in cultures, says Pearson, giving a slew of tips which can help pharmacists understand not only their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients better, but patients from other cultures and with other needs as well. “As a pharmacist we might write, for example, on our Webster packs, we have morning lunch, dinner, bedtime,” she says as an example. “I think it’s important to steer clear of that, especially among mob patients, and instead of having those specific times have an actual time. “So for example, 8:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 7:00 PM, 8:00 PM… Just so we can establish an actual time and avoid those medication issues at home because some mob might call their tea time morning tea, or dinnertime could mean lunchtime, and then we’re getting our doses at the wrong time of the day or we’re missing doses.” Pearson also goes into the concept of cultural safety – particularly important for pharmacy as accessible health professionals. “There’s just been a lot of distrust in the past and we’d hate for this to be ongoing, especially as pharmacist scope is expanding and we’re having such a bigger impact on our community’s health,” she says. “I think it’s very important to have the whole team trained… “I’m a Wiradjuri woman, so I know my culture quite well, but I also know lots of other mobs have different culture and different traditional law as we call it. “So I think as a pharmacist and as a pharmacy team as a whole, it’s important to know what land you’re practising on, know your people, know their history, and know their culture, which you do through talk. “We always talk. You’ll find if you open up in conversation with an Indigenous patient, if you are kind, caring, open and willing to understand, most of them will be very, very appreciative to share their culture and tell you about it. “Especially me being an Indigenous person. If I was to go and work in another state, for example, and I’m not familiar with the customs on that land, I would engage in conversation with the elders, with local people and just ask the questions, be upfront, be inquisitive.” And there’s a lot to be learned from the international experience as well, Pearson says, such as Canadian First Nations programs which even allow OTC medicines and vitamins to be provided free of charge. 1.3—Where Jesyca’s passion for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health comes from 03:45—Why NAIDOC Week matters – especially for young mob 05:00—“To First Nations people, health and wellbeing isn’t just about being healthy or being sick.” 06:21—“We got all of our medicine from the land…. And when colonisation happened, we didn’t have that.” 07:51—The key conditions First Nations people are most likely to live with 10:02—On cultural differences 11.17—What does cultural safety mean in the context of pharmacy? 12:44—Taking steps towards cultural safety 15:27—“Practising with culturally safe care in the front of your mind is essential to developing those healthy relationships and having the best outcomes for our patients.” 18:23—Close the Gap and Aboriginal Health Services 20:45—“We can sometimes forget about programs that can be beneficial to our patients.” 22:41—Program limitations, and why pharmacists should be able to sign patients up to CTG… plus what’s happening in Canada 26:55—Integrating pharmacists within Aboriginal community controlled health services 29:14—“Expanding scope is pretty essential because we’re changing.” 31:06—Encouraging more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to work in pharmacy 33:43—Inspiring pharmacists and students 38:03—How can the pharmacy profession better support and empower Indigenous leadership within the sector? 41:00—Successful initiatives in the community 42:55—”Listen to your community, engage in those meaningful conversations and get to know your patients.” Pearson talks sorry business, men’s business and women’s business 46:10—Pearson’s vision for the future 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 

“My piece of advice if you’re going through the training or considering the training is just get your stethoscope on as many lungs as many hearts and just really start to hear the differences,” says one newly qualified prescribing pharmacist  “Because it’s very difficult, what sounds normal,” Jess Burrey tells AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh. “You have to then start hearing what does not sound normal.” Burrey is a central Queensland pharmacist who has just become a prescribing pharmacist and joined as the central Queensland representative for the Queensland Pharmacy Guild. In this podcast, she tells McMaugh what the training was like, including a practical placement at a local GP where she got “out of her comfort zone”. “I structured my practical component where I did a combination of doing or I guess stepping into the consult room more often in the pharmacy and just kind of working with my general patients and doing a little bit more and then having discussions with my supervisors and then also going in and working half a day a week at the general practice,” she said. “Initially I just sat in, watched them deliver consultation, kind of get a feel for how to really connect with patients and then fast forward, kind through a few steps and by the end I was going through the wait list where I live, we have a six week wait to see a GP. “So I was going through the wait list trying to pick out patients that looked like they fell hopefully within my scope and I would ring those patients, see them at the general practice, and then my supervisor would come in at the end, review all of my work and then decide, yes, I’ve made the right decision about what I would like to treat and prescribe, and then they would just finalise off the consultant and write the prescription when I was not able to do so.” Highlights include: (01:15) – Burrey details the Queensland prescribing course (04:12) – Practical placements (06:15) – How Burrey is using her new skills (07:25) – An opportunity to intervene (09:55) – Five hours in ED – or an hour and a half wait in a pharmacy? (11:38) – Staffing: “As a rural pharmacist, I am working with reality” (15:07) – “Even while I was doing the training where I was practising on my patients, they were wanting to pay me” (17:27) – “I think it’s really cool to have a stethoscope and to be able to use it” (19:00) – What’s next for pharmacists? (20:20) – Pharmacy services: Business as usual (22:41) – The “slow burn” as pharmacists’ interest gains ground and begins to explode (24:40) – What do patients think? (25:42) – Advice for the hesitant   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

Pharmacy veteran George Tambassis expected young pharmacists to be excited about full scope of practice – and was delighted to see that pharmacists of all ages and situations are keen to get going With Victorian premier Jacinta Allen and health minister Mary-Anne Thomas “very, very keen to support us in exactly the same way as Queensland and the other states,” the former Pharmacy Guild national president has explained the state branch’s current priorities, as well as offering advice for thriving as pharmacy evolves. Tambassis, now the Guild’s Victorian state president, defined full scope, and how things are changing, particularly in Victoria. He told AJP podcast host Carlene McMaugh that at a recent regional Guild meeting, he presented on full scope, and was pleased at the response. “People my age were actually getting excited,” he said. “The young people were getting excited, it didn’t matter. “I was a little bit reluctant and nervous that sometimes 60 year olds or older guys and ladies that are still practising at our age, my age group might be a little bit nervous or too lazy or …don’t want to do the extra training.” But that was far from the case. “[O]ldies like me have put their hand up and said, you know what? This is something that I’d like to get involved because it just keeps me fresh.” Not only is Guild membership keen to get going on scope of practice, but the universities are excited to start upskilling pharmacists as well, he said. “Any pharmacist that’s listening to this podcast should really be advocating as best he or she can within any decision maker,” he advised, after noting that he had first met former health minister Greg Hunt when the then backbencher had visited his pharmacy’s reopening. “He just got a really, really good taste of pharmacy that he wouldn’t have had otherwise… “They come across at any time… You never know when you’re working in a pharmacy or a hospital, wherever your place of practice is. “You can really never know who that patient or that customer may be. So when you get the opportunity to explain to them, explain to the consumer or the member of the public that pharmacists are very, very, very highly trained healthcare professionals and we’ve got quite a bit of capacity to do more. “You never know who you’re talking to.” Highlights include: 02:42 – How Tambassis started out 03:36 – “This strange organisation called the Pharmacy Guild reached out to me” 06:42 – “You never, never know when the next person’s going to walk in your pharmacy. They might end up being the prime minister in 10 years or the health minister.” 08:04 – The importance of full scope – and the process of having it approved in Victoria 10:51 – Scope as a member priority 13:09 – How can pharmacists prepare their pharmacies for increased scope in Victoria? 15:47 – What does the federal election mean for the Guild, and for pharmacists? 17:30 – The upcoming beginning of the reduced general PBS copayment 19:15 – “The future should be good” 20:22 – Pharmacy’s current challenges 22:24 – End of financial year advice 24:20 – The uptake of existing opportunities, such as the UTI service and oral contraceptives 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

“From systemic erasure in medical education to outright discrimination in our care settings” – LGBTQIA+ patients face a lot of barriers to care and medicines access, says one pharmacist advocating in this space “LGBTQIA patients often face fear of judgement, misgendering or having to show up in discomfort when they have to educate their own healthcare provider just to receive that appropriate care,” says Deni Salmon, the founder of Queer Pharmacists of Australia. “In pharmacy, this can show up in when people are trying to access gender affirming hormones or if we take a look at the other parts of the queer community… it includes the cisgender community, but the HIV status being over-sensationalised when you’re going to get to antiretrovirals and stuff like that,” says Salmon, a transgender woman and community pharmacist. “Or even just assumptions about sexual health in general, not being able to navigate from a cis heteronormative kind of aspect,” she tells AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh. “The result usually leads to delayed care, poorer health outcomes, and deep mistrust in the system.” And LGBTQIA+ pharmacists face challenges of their own, she warns. “Ultimately that can look like misgendering being passed over for leadership opportunities and I don’t think that’s secluded to L-G-B-T-Q-I-A pharmacists or transgender pharmacists “It can be for women and people of colour and then dealing with those microaggressions from both colleagues and patients in the workplace… “And when we do speak up, there’s often a fear of being labelled difficult or too political, and that’s something I’ve encountered so many times and I know I’m going to still encounter it in the future,” she says. “I’m quite passionate and strong to deal with it, but I wish it would just stop because there’s other people who I don’t want that to happen to and I don’t think they can be as determined I guess, or they don’t even need to be determined. “Those sorts of interactions can really just beat down at your ego and you shouldn’t have to deal with that at work. “It can be isolating, but that’s also why peer support and visibility matters so much.” More highlights include: (00:49) – What does championing diversity and health equity mean for you? (01:57) – “I think an ideal outcome would be a pharmacy landscape where every patient feels safe, seen and affirmed.” (03:16) – How can pharmacists be more welcoming and inclusive for all? (04:14) – Barriers to care for LGBTQIA+ patients (05:30) – Challenges for LGBTQIA+ pharmacists (07:49) – Salmon’s own experiences in pharmacy (11:00) – Why using ‘Sir’ or ‘Ma’am’ never felt right in pharmacy (12:48) – Bias and stigma in health care (14:06) – “Start by using gender neutral language.” (15:40) – Why Salmon founded Queer Pharmacists of Australia (16:53) – Engaging in activism (19:23) – Why the recent Fair Work decision on pay for feminised workforces was “very long overdue” (21:29) – Women in pharmacy and the “double bind” (25:11) – Why cultural competence and inclusivity matter in pharmacy (26:04) – Self care and remaining resilient (28:21) – Doing things better in the future 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

Election special podcast: Health is high up on the agenda this federal election – we find out what one group’s key priorities are when it comes to pharmacy AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh has spoken with Pharmaceutical Society of Australia national president Dr Fei Sim to find out what pharmacy, pharmacists and not least patients need from the next government. Sim takes us through the series of recent reviews into scope of practice, and why it matters so much, particularly given the chronic workforce shortages across the health sector. “I really believe that if nothing changes the health system is really not going to cope,” Sim warns. “We do have an issue in Australia in terms of ageing population and we know that ageing population will come with increased healthcare needs and we know that if nothing changes, nothing changes.” She cited the Deloitte report which showed that by 2050, Australia is going to need four times as many full-time equivalent health professionals as it does currently – “and we know that’s not possible”. “And that’s why there needs to be a reform to really look at how we can enable all healthcare professionals to practise to our full and top of scope,” she says. Sim tells McMaugh that the top priority for PSA this election is “to ask the government for their commitment to support professional practise education and training of pharmacists because these are all needed to support pharmacists to practise to full scope. “It’s so important that this has to be the immediate policy priority because all of the measures that were previously committed by the government, which are designed to enhance professional practice, education and training of pharmacists, they need to be fully funded. “Because if pharmacists are not supported in terms of not just remuneration, but if pharmacists are not supported in terms of upskilling, in terms of the availability of training and education in terms of the availability of a strong and robust professional governance framework underpinning the practise and especially the fast evolving practise, then pharmacists are not supported to do the job well.” Sim goes through the eight “very, very clear election asks” put forward in its recent pre-election platform. Highlights include: (01.54): “Everybody cares about health.” (03:08): How have the recent pharmacy reviews influenced PSA’s agenda? (06:40): “If nothing changes the health system is really not going to cope.” (11:11): PSA’s number-one priority: supporting pharmacists (14:40): Support to improve patients’ access to PBS medicines (17:50): Don’t forget about medicines-related harm (20:33): Credentialled pharmacists and why the HMR cap must be removed – and remuneration must be adequate (23:06): The Aged Care Onsite Pharmacist program (25:03): Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health (26:52): How has government responded to these priorities? (29:44): The member advocacy push (33:22): “This needs to be an ongoing conversation.” 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

Many Australians struggle with feeling lonely – and the most affected cohort may not be who you think, says one expert AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh spoke to Jenny Kirschner, founder of Pharmacy Addressing Loneliness and Social Isolation, to talk about her own experiences with loneliness, the factors which influence it, and what pharmacists can do to help – and to examine their own barriers to helping patients. “I experienced a lot of loneliness in my twenties and thirties, and it really was a very painful experience,” Kirschner says. “And like many people who experienced loneliness, there’s a lot of shame and a lot of stigma. So I hid it very well. “I even remember working at the hospital that I was working at as a clinical pharmacist, and to the outside I was really outgoing and so people wouldn’t have known. “But at home in my private life, I was living alone. I felt very lonely. So I really felt for a long time that people should talk about this more because as I learned more about loneliness, I learned that it didn’t mean something was wrong with me, it was just really human.” But even when they have experience of their own, pharmacists are sometimes reluctant to engage with their patients about the issue, Kirschner says. “Pharmacists see patients struggling with loneliness all of the time. And I think often we know that, but we don’t necessarily do anything about it. “We are not comfortable. We feel like it’s outside of our scope. We feel like it might open Pandora’s box and be too much, and we wouldn’t know what to do with it. “So I thought, well, actually there’s a lot that we can do that doesn’t take much time, doesn’t cost much, but could be deeply transformational for our patients, shifting them away from, or again, helping them through their loneliness experience.” Kirschner opens up about not only her own experience, but her research into loneliness and the world-first training for pharmacists she has developed – and discusses the importance of observing and engaging with patients, as well as offering some practical ideas which can help them address their feelings. She also looks at who may be most at risk and why; social prescribing; and the shift in social attitudes which may make it easier for some people to admit to this very everyday and human, yet stigmatised, set of feelings. Highlights include: 00:48 – What sparked your interest in this area? 03:09 – Is loneliness increasing in the population? What is behind this, and who is most affected? “The statistics are unbelievable actually,” Kirschner says. 06:22 – “Technology per se doesn’t necessarily cause loneliness. It’s how it’s being used.” 08:57 – Has Covid had an impact – and what about politics? 10.37 – “Loneliness has maladaptive cognition affects meaning that people start to feel like even though you need connection as the remedy, you start to withdraw more socially because you feel judged because you feel like people don’t get you, you are not worthy. And so it’s kind of counterintuitive.” 12:02 – Do introverts and extraverts have different needs? 15:16 – The role of stigma and shame 17:03 – “When I mentioned the word loneliness… I whispered the word. It wasn’t on purpose. I just couldn’t say, I couldn’t relate myself to that experience of loneliness because it’s very painful.” 18:33 – The role of social skills 24:15 – What does social prescribing entail? 26:36 – Practical skills for pharmacists 28: 32 – Social health, and a case study 33.57 – Beyond the training 39:02 – “It’s not about medicines and it’s not about revenue or business. It’s actually about being better humans.” 41:00 – Loneliness among pharmacists, and providing support 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

Pharmacy coach and influencer Emily Griffin proudly balances a number of roles, including consultant, hospital pharmacist, rural pharmacist liaison officer and training program developer “I love sharing my skills and vast experience with others to help them become better,” Griffin told the AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh. However, at a former organisation, she dealt with rampant bullying and toxicity from a manager – and decided to speak out about it.  “I didn’t want to not do anything about it and potentially miss that opportunity to stop others from experiencing what I had experienced in that workplace,” she said.  “I’m sure I’m not alone in this experience, where the people higher up then tried to blame me as the victim, tried to sweep it under the carpet, tried to threaten me, and also tried to silence me.” Griffin shares her key lessons with McMaugh, including how she regained confidence after the incident.  Other highlights include:  4.10 – How Emily balances the many different hats she wears.  16.03 – The experience of seeing others silenced when they addressed bullying.  20.02 – Advice to others if HR isn’t responding in the expected or appropriate way.  23.36 – The warning signs or red flags of a toxic environment.  28.01 – How speaking out has led to more opportunities for Emily. 36.00 – Tips for pharmacists who may be doubting their workplace.  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 Pharmacists can contact the Pharmacists Support Service on 1300 244 910 for peer support  related to the demands of being a pharmacist in Australia. Lifeline is available on 13 11 14. Members can call PDL on 1300 854 838 for support from a Professional Officer.