A KEY speaker who will present at the upcoming Pharmacy Daily Pharmacy Careers Summit 23 on 07 Jul, multi-award winning pharmacy owner Karen Brown (pictured), believes "pharmacy has a bright future.
"I think the sky's the limit for the scope of clinical services, with a fee for private consultation.
"Over my time I've had pharmacists that specialise in men's health, fertility, diabetes, and are nutritionists.
"The opportunities are endless with less red tape, and as you are such a fixture in your community, you truly make a difference. That's why I love community pharmacy."
Brown, who since high school knew she wanted to be a pharmacist, will share her passion for community pharmacy and hopes to inspire people looking at pharmacy as a career option by passing on her experiences.
"You'd be amazed how many people come to our pharmacy on placement and go 'wow, I've never seen this at another pharmacy before'.
"I love it when students do come, whether they're in high school or university, and see the potential of community pharmacy, and that we are not just a script factory."
Brown's interest in the Careers Summit was sparked by a feeling that "we need to really develop our students in high school so that they understand what an opportunity pharmacy is.
"The beauty of pharmacy is that there are so many channels that you can go down.
"Some, like myself, stay in the one channel their whole career, while others move between hospital, community or industry.
"There's also not too many events out there for students, or for those pharmacists in the system who are a little bit lost," Brown explained.
"So I think it appeals to all of them to attend, as when they realise exactly what you can do as a pharmacist, they're blown away."
The virtual Summit is the first event whose sole purpose has been to focus purely on the career journeys of pharmacists from high school through every stage of their career, and is supported by all the peak Pharmacy bodies in Australia.
Through an extensive program of conference sessions in the Auditorium, the Summit brings together universities, peak industry member bodies, hospitals, pharmacy retail banner groups and industry for discussions, insights and actionable steps to grow your career.
Learn more or register HERE.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 25 May 23
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