🔦 Intern Spotlight!

This week, we spotlight a current pharmacy intern based in regional NSW.

Let’s call her S.

Her journey is raw, real, and exactly the kind of story that reminds us: growth doesn’t always feel like progress in the moment — but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening.

🌪️ The Rough Start: Feeling Like You’re Always One Step Behind

S started her internship full of enthusiasm — she had done well in university, knew her stuff, and was excited to finally contribute. But that excitement quickly turned into quiet panic.

“I kept feeling like I was in the way. Every time a patient walked in, I froze. I’d try to remember counseling points, but my mind would go blank. I didn’t want to waste anyone’s time — so I just stayed quiet.”

She found herself avoiding the front counter, hesitating to speak up during case discussions, and often staying late to “re-learn” things she felt she should already know. Her confidence took a hit.

She began to believe she wasn’t progressing at the same pace as other interns.

⚠️ The Hidden Challenges She Faced (But Rarely Talked About)

1. Imposter Syndrome
Despite positive feedback, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t “good enough” to be there.

2. Lack of Structure
Her pharmacy was busy — there was no set training plan. Most learning happened on-the-go, and it overwhelmed her.

3. Fear of Judgment
She avoided asking questions out of fear of sounding incompetent, even though those questions could’ve saved her hours of confusion.

4. Not Knowing What “Good” Looks Like
There were no clear benchmarks. She didn’t know whether her progress was normal or not — which fed into the anxiety loop.

💡 What Turned Things Around

The shift started when S confided in a fellow intern and realised she wasn’t alone.

She decided to stop silently struggling and started taking charge of her own internship experience.

Here’s what she changed:

✅ The Intern Reset Checklist: How to Take Back Control of Your Learning

1. Weekly Self-Review
➡ Every Friday, S wrote down 3 things she learned, 1 thing she did well, and 1 thing to improve. This helped her track growth and stay accountable.

2. Ask Early, Ask Often
➡ She committed to asking at least one clinical question a day — big or small. She stopped waiting until she had all the answers.

3. Created Her Own Structure
➡ With no official intern plan, she made her own. She broke down core areas (dispensary workflow, OTC counselling, S8 handling, MedsChecks, DAAs, etc.) and created a checklist she could build on each week.

4. Made Mistakes — On Purpose
➡ Rather than staying quiet, she started attempting answers — knowing that being corrected was part of the process. “Safe mistakes” helped her learn faster.

5. Built a Reflection Ritual
➡ Once a month, she scheduled a 1-on-1 with her preceptor to discuss growth, goals, and what was still unclear. This created a rhythm and direction she had been missing.

🎯 Her Advice to Other Interns

“You won’t feel confident before you start doing the things that build confidence. You have to act your way into belief. Don’t wait until you ‘feel ready’ — just start.”

“Also: no one remembers the question you asked. But you will remember the day you finally started trusting yourself.”

Want to be featured in our next Intern Spotlight or nominate a peer?

Reply to this email or message us on Instagram @PharmacyDownUnder with a few lines about your journey.

We’re always here to amplify real voices, real challenges, and real wins.