Pharmacy Daily | Global pharmacy scholarship announced

A new $100,000 initiative funded under the 7th Community Pharmacy Agreement will pay for an Australian early career pharmacist to work for up to 12 months in an overseas community pharmacy.

Announced this morning by Health Minister Greg Hunt, the World Pharmacy Council Scholarship exchange program is being backed by the Australasian College of Pharmacy, and will also see an overseas pharmacist work in Australia for a year once international travel restrictions are lifted.

Potential World Pharmacy Council exchange countries include Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, the USA or the UK, with the scheme open to pharmacy graduates within their first five years of registration.

Hunt said "staying up to date with world-best practices is important for community pharmacies that are ensuring Australians receive the highest standards of medications and related advice, especially during the COVID-19 recovery and vaccination roll-out".

"Learning first-hand how pharmacy services are administered in other countries will help the scholarship recipients build on their technical, operational and interpersonal skills, and that's going to benefit not only their host pharmacies, but the industry overall," he added.

World Pharmacy Council Vice President, Doug Hoey, who also represents the US National Community Pharmacists Association on the Council, said the program would "facilitate a two-way exchange of skills and knowledge to both import and export experiences at a practical level".

Australasian College of Pharmacy President, Michelle Bou-Samra, said the scholarship was the first of several new opportunities the College would be offering to recent pharmacy graduates that "go beyond the traditional course or seminar experience".

Expressions of interest can be lodged via the College's new website at acp.edu.au, with APP2021 attendees also invited to visit stand 363 this week to find out more about the program.