PEAK pharmacy bodies are calling on the Australian Government to extend the new Commonwealth Prac Payment to pharmacy students, citing the challenges of "placement poverty" in unpaid practical placements.
Pharmacy Daily spoke to Sebastian Harper, Board Director and Treasurer of the National Australian Pharmacy Students' Association (NAPSA), who emphasised the severity of the issue.
"During a cost-of-living crisis, pharmacy students are forced to take at times unpaid leave from work to complete mandatory placements," said Harper.
"Combined with the costs of travel, accommodation, and supporting themselves while on placement, the financial burden is astronomical; and in a country like Australia, students shouldn't be struggling to put food on the table."
The Commonwealth Prac Payment, designed to ease the financial burden on students, offers $319.50 per week to those studying teaching, nursing, midwifery, or social work.
However, it excludes pharmacy students, who still face significant expenses while completing mandatory clinical placements.
National President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Trent Twomey, welcomed the initiative but called for its extension to the next generation of pharmacists.
"This payment will help many young students across the country, but it's vital that our young pharmacists aren't forgotten," commented Twomey.
"Being excluded means additional pressure is placed on a workforce that is already under significant strain," he added.
NAPSA President Bano Serhan reiterated the urgency of the issue, noting that many students are experiencing extreme financial hardship due to unpaid placements.
"The government has acknowledged that placement poverty deeply affects students, and this is no different for our members," Serhan said.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) echoed the concerns, with National President A/ Prof Fei Sim urging the Federal Government to revisit the policy and also provide support to pharmacy students.
"I see first-hand the pressure unpaid placements put on our students with them forced to give up paid work, struggle to make ends meet, and worryingly, drop out of their degrees altogether."
Funding is also not given to placement sites or pharmacy preceptors to host students.
"Pharmacy students and the profession require support to continue to meet the growing future health needs of Australians, and that must start now," Sim said.
She added students undertaking compulsory unpaid placements, including "all pharmacy students, deserve access to govt support". JG
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