THE Australasian College of Pharmacy has just launched a short training course for pharmacy assistants to support the Queensland Community Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot.
Developed in partnership with the Queensland branch of The Pharmacy Guild of Australia, the new course covers information about the pilot and its services, patient eligibility and consent and how assistants can support community pharmacists.
"The College understands that for community pharmacy to become the primary healthcare destination for patients, expansion in scope of practice is needed for both pharmacists and pharmacy assistants," commented Melanie Hunt, CEO at the Australasian College of Pharmacy.
"For Queensland community pharmacists to be able to provide expanded healthcare services to their patients, pharmacy assistants need to be able to do more to support their pharmacist colleagues to deliver the primary healthcare services provided within the Queensland pilot."
The College is the only Australasian pharmacy education provider offering the course for assistants in the state, Hunt added.
"The College recognised the need to upskill pharmacy assistants to ensure the Queensland Pilot's success for patients," said Hunt.
On completion of the course, assistants will understand the importance of maintaining patient privacy and confidentiality and the process of obtaining the three different patient consents.
Further, assistants should be able to summarise the fee structure for a patient consultation and describe the role of a pharmacy assistant in the delivery of the services.
The mandatory course is accredited for QCPP refresher training and costs $99 per pharmacy assistant to complete.
It is available online via the College's CPD Library.
Community pharmacies in Queensland with more than three assistants interested in signing up for the course may be eligible for a group enrolment offer and should directly contact the College.
According to a statement from the College, the course may extend to other states and territories in the future, as the pharmacy scope of practice continues to expand.
To learn more CLICK HERE. JHM
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 13 Mar 24
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 13 Mar 24
