Home - Australian Pharmacist

Diclofenac associated with cardiovascular health risk

Sharon Smith - 1 October 2018

Clinical

A 20-year population-based study has found the use of diclofenac for pain relief is linked to an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events...

Ensuring safer opioid systems

Natsumi Penberthy - 12 March 2026

Clinical

Opioid analgesic stewardship is now a national medicines safety priority, targeting preventable harm across acute settings and transitions to community care.

Pharmacists in GP surgeries: the UK perspective

Sandra Gidley - 10 December 2017

Industry

The workforce issue facing general practice has been around for some time in the United Kingdom. Between 2007 and 2014, the GP clinical workload...

Pharmacists assisting in drug dependency

David Barbeler - 16 May 2018

Featured

The recent upscheduling of codeine has pushed issues around drug dependency into the spotlight. So how can community pharmacists help minimise harm at the...

Are your CPD activities up to date?

Dr Brett MacFarlane MPS - 13 August 2019

Clinical

With the fast-approaching 30 September marking the end of the current CPD year, pharmacists should take stock of the progress of their CPD plans....

Taking care: the different areas of medicine safety

Joshua Hoey - 15 July 2019

Featured

In its landmark Medicine Safety: Take Care report, PSA identified the frightening cost of medicine misadventure in Australia. With medicines safety a central theme...

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7.30am	Brew and view Start the day with a strong latte; it’s non-negotiable. I’ll also usually have a quick look through my emails to get a sense of what’s coming up.
8.00am	Team alignment Connect with the team and check in on key priorities across the portfolio, including learner progress, program delivery, CPD and workforce initiatives. A lot of the focus is on aligning moving parts and making sure everything is tracking as it should.
12.00pm	Stakeholder engagement Meet with stakeholders – including health departments, partners or internal leaders – to discuss how our work supports current and evolving pharmacy roles. These conversations help to build a bridge between education and practice, ensuring what we’re doing is practical and required for pharmacists on the ground.
2.00pm	Program blueprint Spend time with the team on program design and delivery. That might be refining a workshop, reviewing content or shaping digital learning.
4.00pm	Shifting gears Pivot to more strategic work – including looking at new initiatives, thinking about what’s coming next, and how we continue to maintain and improve quality. This is usually where things start to connect across the bigger picture.
6.00pm	Evening reset Wrap up and head home. Evenings are a chance to spend time with my husband, check in on my parents in Malaysia and decompress. We chat about the day and catch up on everything that’s been going on.
8.00pm	Global growth Check emails or connect with collaborators in different time zones. I also use this time as a chance to step back and reflect on my work and where things are heading.

7.30am	Brew and view Start the day with a strong latte; it’s non-negotiable. I’ll also usually have a quick look through my emails to get a sense of what’s coming up.
8.00am	Team alignment Connect with the team and check in on key priorities across the portfolio, including learner progress, program delivery, CPD and workforce initiatives. A lot of the focus is on aligning moving parts and making sure everything is tracking as it should.
12.00pm	Stakeholder engagement Meet with stakeholders – including health departments, partners or internal leaders – to discuss how our work supports current and evolving pharmacy roles. These conversations help to build a bridge between education and practice, ensuring what we’re doing is practical and required for pharmacists on the ground.
2.00pm	Program blueprint Spend time with the team on program design and delivery. That might be refining a workshop, reviewing content or shaping digital learning.
4.00pm	Shifting gears Pivot to more strategic work – including looking at new initiatives, thinking about what’s coming next, and how we continue to maintain and improve quality. This is usually where things start to connect across the bigger picture.
6.00pm	Evening reset Wrap up and head home. Evenings are a chance to spend time with my husband, check in on my parents in Malaysia and decompress. We chat about the day and catch up on everything that’s been going on.
8.00pm	Global growth Check emails or connect with collaborators in different time zones. I also use this time as a chance to step back and reflect on my work and where things are heading.

7.30am	Brew and view Start the day with a strong latte; it’s non-negotiable. I’ll also usually have a quick look through my emails to get a sense of what’s coming up.
8.00am	Team alignment Connect with the team and check in on key priorities across the portfolio, including learner progress, program delivery, CPD and workforce initiatives. A lot of the focus is on aligning moving parts and making sure everything is tracking as it should.
12.00pm	Stakeholder engagement Meet with stakeholders – including health departments, partners or internal leaders – to discuss how our work supports current and evolving pharmacy roles. These conversations help to build a bridge between education and practice, ensuring what we’re doing is practical and required for pharmacists on the ground.
2.00pm	Program blueprint Spend time with the team on program design and delivery. That might be refining a workshop, reviewing content or shaping digital learning.
4.00pm	Shifting gears Pivot to more strategic work – including looking at new initiatives, thinking about what’s coming next, and how we continue to maintain and improve quality. This is usually where things start to connect across the bigger picture.
6.00pm	Evening reset Wrap up and head home. Evenings are a chance to spend time with my husband, check in on my parents in Malaysia and decompress. We chat about the day and catch up on everything that’s been going on.
8.00pm	Global growth Check emails or connect with collaborators in different time zones. I also use this time as a chance to step back and reflect on my work and where things are heading.

7.30am	Brew and view Start the day with a strong latte; it’s non-negotiable. I’ll also usually have a quick look through my emails to get a sense of what’s coming up.
8.00am	Team alignment Connect with the team and check in on key priorities across the portfolio, including learner progress, program delivery, CPD and workforce initiatives. A lot of the focus is on aligning moving parts and making sure everything is tracking as it should.
12.00pm	Stakeholder engagement Meet with stakeholders – including health departments, partners or internal leaders – to discuss how our work supports current and evolving pharmacy roles. These conversations help to build a bridge between education and practice, ensuring what we’re doing is practical and required for pharmacists on the ground.
2.00pm	Program blueprint Spend time with the team on program design and delivery. That might be refining a workshop, reviewing content or shaping digital learning.
4.00pm	Shifting gears Pivot to more strategic work – including looking at new initiatives, thinking about what’s coming next, and how we continue to maintain and improve quality. This is usually where things start to connect across the bigger picture.
6.00pm	Evening reset Wrap up and head home. Evenings are a chance to spend time with my husband, check in on my parents in Malaysia and decompress. We chat about the day and catch up on everything that’s been going on.
8.00pm	Global growth Check emails or connect with collaborators in different time zones. I also use this time as a chance to step back and reflect on my work and where things are heading.

What drew you to education?

Describe your career so far.

What does your new role at PSA entail?

Tell us more about your work involving simulation and digital learning.

What are the challenges of introducing new technologies or teaching models?

Any advice for ECPs who want to shape the next generation of pharmacists?

Day in the life of Vivienne Mak, Head of Education and Training, PSA, Melbourne, Victoria

What has your career looked like so far?

Why aged care?

What are the challenges and rewards of working in this setting?

Tell us about the training program for onsite pharmacists you’re developing.

What are the next steps?

How could the ACOP program improve?

1. Who can administer FluMist?

2. Can pharmacists co-administer vaccines?

3. Can pharmacists vaccinate interstate?

4. How do pharmacists maintain immunisation credentials?

What is diphtheria?

What are the symptoms?

How dangerous is the disease?

Was it once eradicated in Australia?

Why has there been a resurgence?

Can diphtheria be treated?

Who is most at risk?

What are the risks of an outbreak here?

How often are booster doses required?

What can pharmacists do?

1. Entering identifiable patient information into AI platforms

3. Using AI scribes without proper consent

4. Failing to check transcription accuracy

5. Trusting AI output without checking the references

An evolving space

What drew you to education?

Describe your career so far.

What does your new role at PSA entail?

Tell us more about your work involving simulation and digital learning.

What are the challenges of introducing new technologies or teaching models?

Any advice for ECPs who want to shape the next generation of pharmacists?

Day in the life of Vivienne Mak, Head of Education and Training, PSA, Melbourne, Victoria

What has your career looked like so far?

Why aged care?

What are the challenges and rewards of working in this setting?

Tell us about the training program for onsite pharmacists you’re developing.

What are the next steps?

How could the ACOP program improve?

1. Who can administer FluMist?

2. Can pharmacists co-administer vaccines?

3. Can pharmacists vaccinate interstate?

4. How do pharmacists maintain immunisation credentials?

What is diphtheria?

What are the symptoms?

How dangerous is the disease?

Was it once eradicated in Australia?

Why has there been a resurgence?

Can diphtheria be treated?

Who is most at risk?

What are the risks of an outbreak here?

How often are booster doses required?

What can pharmacists do?

1. Entering identifiable patient information into AI platforms

3. Using AI scribes without proper consent

4. Failing to check transcription accuracy

5. Trusting AI output without checking the references

An evolving space

What drew you to education?

Describe your career so far.

What does your new role at PSA entail?

Tell us more about your work involving simulation and digital learning.

What are the challenges of introducing new technologies or teaching models?

Any advice for ECPs who want to shape the next generation of pharmacists?

Day in the life of Vivienne Mak, Head of Education and Training, PSA, Melbourne, Victoria

What has your career looked like so far?

Why aged care?

What are the challenges and rewards of working in this setting?

Tell us about the training program for onsite pharmacists you’re developing.

What are the next steps?

How could the ACOP program improve?

1. Who can administer FluMist?

2. Can pharmacists co-administer vaccines?

3. Can pharmacists vaccinate interstate?