This page is designed to provide general information about pharmacy in Australia. It's primary focus is to assist pharmacy students with their work but others who might find it useful include school students and overseas pharmacists contemplating a career in pharmacy in Australia, journalists and practising pharmacists themselves. The links provided have been supplied by the parties concerned in almost all instances. The Resource page is always a work in progress and we welcome suggestions for additional information to include. Questions? Contact mark@auspharm.net.au.

What is the Pharmaceutical Society ofAustralia?

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia is the professional society for over 10,000 pharmacists working in community pharmacy, hospitals, universities, industry, government, the military and as students. PSA has branches in all states and a national office inCanberra, and exists to help pharmacists to optimise their contribution to health care.

For more information on PSA visit www.psa.org.au or call 1300 369 772.

What does it do?

PSA develops standards of practice, policies and guidelines on a broad spectrum of professional pharmacy issues and delivers continuing education and practice support for members. It also represents the profession in a wide range of forums, and to parliamentarians, government agencies, other professional bodies and consumer organisations.

An example of PSA's guidance for the profession is the reviewed and just published Professional Practice Standards, updating existing standards and providing several new benchmarks against which pharmacists can gauge their performance.

PSA's education program includes national conferences, Pharmacy Australia Congress (PAC), the offshore Refresher Course, and Adventure Education; the annual Gold Questionnaire to test medicines and practice knowledge, regular Essential CPE education books, and preferential access to the online education service PriMeD Pharmacy.

PSA branches provide a comprehensive range of evening lectures, daytime and weekend seminars and local conferences. As well as the ongoing program of drug updates and disease-state based themes, a particular current emphasis is on equipping pharmacists to become involved in Medication Management Reviews. (In fact, all the Society's efforts in the education and practice area are being refocused to emphasise current practice needs and in particular new professional service opportunities).

In a very practical way, PSA's practice programs assist pharmacists and pharmacy staff to interact effectively with consumers. PSA's Pharmacy Self Care program annually delivers over 1 million fact cards on 70 different topics and is an excellent means for pharmacists to ensure they deliver a high level of care in line with Professional Practice standards.

PSA's Pharmacy Disease State Management Programs equip pharmacists with particular interests in diabetes, asthma and smoking cessation. Other practice support activities are implemented at branch level. For instance, PSA's NSW branch offers a range of practical practice support activities aimed at helping community pharmacies meet the requirements of the Quality Care Pharmacy Program, and at assisting pharmacies and pharmacists with medication reviews.

The Society's national publications include the top rated journal, the Australian Pharmacist, provided every month toPSA members as part of their membership, the monthly magazine, InPHARMation for members of the Pharmacy Self Care program, and the Australian Pharmaceutical Formulary and Handbook (the 20th edition will be released in early 2006). The Society is a partner in the Australian Medicines Handbook and has also been involved in the comprehensive Australian drug reference AusDI.

PSA links all its professional development activities to the individual pharmacist via its CPD&PI program. PSA provides online tools to assist pharmacists in developing personal learning plans for their professional development and practice improvement. Completion of PSA activities is recorded as credit points against your member record in PSA?s member database.

Branches provide members with periodic newsletters and other mailings and electronic communications, and the Society's website incorporates an expanding range of news and reference material, some of which is accessible only to members. Twice a year members receive a catalogue for PSA's book service with over 150 titles covering all professional needs. Society members have access to a broad selection of member benefits and discounts and are entitled to use the well recognised post-nominal 'M.P.S.'

The Society's branch in each state is extensively involved with university pharmacy schools and their students, and the Society organises events and activities of particular interest to pharmacy students.

The key focus of PSA activity in recent years has been:

• to ensure that decision makers recognise the current and potential contribution of pharmacists to health care;
• to ensure that rigorous and relevant standards and guidelines exist to guide the profession;
• to ensure the members of the profession remain equipped to deliver a very high standard of care through the provision of useful continuing education and practice support;
• to ensure that members have the resources, information and skills they need to deliver new services such as Medication Management Reviews.

An example of PSA's policy and representational activity has been the major effort applied to the two major COAG competition policy reviews on pharmacy legislation (including pharmacy ownership rules) (the Wilkinson review) and on medicines schedules (the Galbally review). In both cases,PSA provided extensive evidence of the public benefits flowing from current arrangements and had an extended dialogue with the reviewers and their teams.

At national and state level, PSA represents the profession in numerous committees, working parties and consultative arrangements with government agencies and other organisations. For example, PSA is heavily involved in the medicines scheduling process through the National Drugs and Poisons Schedule Committee, in the development of the Home Medicines Review arrangements (Domiciliary Medication Management Reviews) and in the development of an electronic medication record through its work on Mediconnect.

The Society has extensive partnerships with governments and other professions in the public health area. Recent examples are its in-depth work on the minimisation of harm from the diversion of pseudoephedrine, and assisting pharmacists to provide education and information to the community on alcohol use and health. The Society supports and is involved with the work of other groups concerned with the Quality Use of Medicines, including the National Prescribing Service and the Australian Pharmaceutical Advisory Council.

Members of the Society have the opportunity to contribute to and influence all these efforts on behalf of their profession, as well as enjoying the direct benefits of membership outlined above, and receiving the recognition that comes with being an 'M.P.S.'

For more information on PSA visit www.psa.org.au or call 1300 369 772.