Should I say “Welcome” or “Thank you!” for joining us on this journey of pharmacy, health and everything in-between!

The goal of “PharmacyDownUnder”  is to form a community of like-minded people that have a deep passion for pharmacy and health. 

No matter where you are in your career, from the wide pearly eyed pharmacy students looking up at the healthcare giants dominating the sphere, to the veteran chemist that has been servicing the community through thick and thin, this newsletter is for you! 💊💊💊

Now enough grandiose talk, let’s get to the real gritty stuff!

Let me reintroduce myself to those who don’t already know me.

My name is Gus and I have been entrenched within the world of community pharmacy in Australia for close to a decade and I have seen the constant evolution of pharmacy to the point where discussions have begun questioning “what is the role of a pharmacist?” 🤔🤔🤔

Our role in the pharmacy has long been generalised as “pill pushers” or “ticket clippers” as mentioned by some of our political leaders…

However, no matter where you fall on the spectrum of opinion, it's UNDENIABLE that pharmacy is evolving, it is expanding and the concept of being a community pharmacist is undergoing a massive paradigm transformation that will redefine our perspectives and our belief as to what we are capable of! 🏆🏆🏆

Now in order to facilitate this change, we need to look at our freshly graduated pharmacists in the making and our early career pharmacists, as they will define and bear the flag for evolution!

If you're a pharmacy student or an ECP reading this, you might naturally be thinking, “How on earth does Gus expect us to do this?” 

And honestly that is a valid question! 

To be completely transparent, I believe there needs to be interactive, ongoing, FREE, educational resource for pharmacists in all stages of their profession to refer to when unsure, or are just in need of a refresher. 

“Why?” 

You might ask. 

“I have my uni notes right?”

Right… let’s be real.

No one has looked back at their university notes as a genuine resource. 

Hands up if your notes are either gathering dust in a closet somewhere or on an external hard drive never to see the light of day? 🖐🤣

I was in the same boat, and especially during my internship, I must admit, I struggled. 😕

Juggling work, study, my health, family and social circles was overwhelming to say the least. 

My trusty AMH was overflowing with bookmarks and stickers, my APF literally fell apart by the end of the year as me and one of my closest pharma-friends rummaged through the pages over and over. 

Unfortunately, all too often there are interns that DON’T have that support… 

Surely, there must be a better way…

This day and age is all about the “express” lifestyle, our attention spans are shrinking by the minute, with the average being 8.25 seconds! 

So because of this, I want to formulate something different, something engaging and entertaining!

And with that “PharmacyDownUnder” was born! 🥳🥳🥳

Over the next few weeks, most pharmacist interns will commence their supervised training and simultaneously I will be launching an ongoing pharmacy training program that will be released over the course of 2024 and BEYOND!

I will be releasing content and mini-courses to help GUIDE you and to help you develop into the pharmacist that you originally intended to be from Day 1!🎯

Watch this space as a lot more will be coming out over the next few months, like:

1. Mini-courses: breaking down each body system, conditions and treatments

2. OTC Crash Course

3. Legal and Ethical Breakdowns

4. Written and Oral Exam Technique Help

5. Leadership and being a “Community” Pharmacist

6. “1 on 1” or “1 on Multiple” Exam sessions!

7. Exam Resources

8. And much more! 

So if you want to join me on this journey, share the word, tell your workmates, your colleagues, heck even your neighbours! 🤣

This is simply the beginning of something great, be a part of the “PharmacyDownUnder” legacy!

Please feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn for advice with your internship or just for a chat!

Speak to you soon,

Gus