More than 120 students graduating from Monash University’s Graduate Certificate of Pharmacist Prescribing this year are poised to help patients access care across the state, as the Victorian Government today adds new conditions to the Chemist Care Now Community Pharmacist Program.
The Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Certificate, which launched last year in response to the evolving responsibilities of pharmacists, directly supports the Victorian Government’s Chemist Care Now program, training pharmacists to deliver even better quality of care to their patients.
Health Minister Ingrid Stitt today visited TerryWhite Chemmart Footscray to announce two new conditions will join the Chemist Care Now Community Pharmacist Program.
“Pharmacists play an important role in helping Victorians get the care they need. It’s great to see Monash’s first graduates ready to put these new skills into practice,” Minister Stitt said.
The first cohort to complete the comprehensive Graduate Certificate will enter the workforce equipped to manage 22 common acute, chronic and preventative health conditions. Among the students graduating, 83 will practice in Victoria with 57 in metropolitan locations and 26 in regional communities.
The course incorporates online learning, hands-on workshops, simulated assessments and supervised practice with current prescribers to ensure graduates are practice-ready.
The Course Director of the Graduate Certificate, Associate Professor Steven Walker, said the curriculum has been designed with input from domestic and international prescribing experts, using evidence-based education methods.
“We know the Australian public holds immense trust in pharmacists, and every one of the pharmacist learners graduating this year is preparing to meet those expectations with world-class training,” Associate Professor Walker said.
“We have rigorously assessed our students’ competency in clinical decision-making and patient consultations to ensure they prescribe with care and skill.”
Professor Kirstie Galbraith said the integration of supervised workplace learning was critical to the graduates’ success.
“Our students have been learning alongside an Ahpra-registered prescriber which allows them to translate their academic knowledge into real-world, person-centred prescribing decisions on graduation,” Professor Galbraith said.
“Spread across the state, they will improve access in Victoria’s rural and remote areas where we know there is a greater need for healthcare workers.”
Among those are Louise and Everett O’Keeffe, pharmacists at Wonthaggi Pharmacy and Health Hub and two of the 126 pharmacists about to graduate in October. They said the qualification had already improved clinical outcomes for patients, demonstrating how crucial a prescribing pharmacist can be, especially for rural practice.
“The hands-on training and mentorship at Monash, from experienced and knowledgeable lecturers, have given me the confidence to take on this expanded scope of practice, professionally examine, assess and prescribe safely for appropriate patients,” Everett said.
“The clinical conditions included in this course have dramatically expanded our knowledge, and we look forward to delivering new services that will provide more timely, safe and accessible healthcare to our regional community,” Louise said.
Applications for intake in the Graduate Certificate of Pharmacist Prescribing at Monash University close 18 October.
