125 stories for 125 years

The college's commitment to rural pharmacy

There is a shortage of pharmacists in Australia. Hardest hit are rural areas suffering from chronic understaffing in both hospital and community pharmacies. Over the years the college has introduced several measures to address this shortage. Some are aimed at increasing the number of graduates who are likely to practise in rural areas, others at assisting pharmacists already in these locations. The measures include increasing the coverage of rural issues within the Bachelor of Pharmacy program, compulsory rural placements, the Bachelor of Pharmacy Rural Entry Scheme, academic pharmacist staff in rural areas and the pharmacy 'branch' of the Rural Practice Association ‘WILDFIRE’ (Working In Leading Development For Indigenous and Rural Education ). Students who are living and completing their VCE in a rural or isolated area of Australia may also be eligible to apply for the Monash University Pharmacy scholarship.

There have been five recipients of the Pharmacy Rural Scholarship since its inception in 2004 – Sarah Lum from Holbrook, New South Wales; Elizabeth McBrearty from Wendouree; Elise Kearns from Hamilton, Eleanor Van Dyk from Horsham and Gemma Lay, from the small town of Creswick, 15 minutes from Ballarat. On receipt of the scholarship, Sarah said, ‘I found that the college would not only give me the opportunity to study and live in the city, but it places an excellent focus on rural pharmacy.’

All pharmacy students at the college undertake a rural practice placement in third or fourth year. The three-week placement is one of four Advanced Practical Experiences (APEs) in the Bachelor of Pharmacy program. For most students this is the first time they have been exposed to life in a rural community. According to Professor Roger Nation, Head of the Department of Pharmacy Practice, the feedback from students is overwhelmingly positive. ‘Many of the students indicate that prior to the placement they had not even thought of rural practice as an option,’ he said. ‘After the placement, many are keen to consider it.’ While on placement, students spend the majority of time in the pharmacy with their preceptor. In addition, they complete a range of activities that provide greater insight into the issues that affect rural pharmacies and their communities. Visits to emergency services, rural health centres, pharmacy depots, other health professionals and even veterinary surgeons play a part in the rural placement program. All activities – both inside and outside the rural pharmacy – are designed to allow the students to experience the benefits, diversity and challenges of rural practice.

Jamiee Anderson is just one of 18 students studying in Monash’s pre-registration program who have elected to do their pre-registration training in a rural area in 2007. She is testament to the college’s commitment to rural pharmacy. Jamiee is following an established trend of people raised in rural areas returning to work in rural areas. She was offered her pre-registrant position as a result of her compulsory rural APE placement. ‘The pharmacy where I did my rural placement was one of five pharmacies in a small group and I broached the idea of doing my traineeship in one of them,’ Jamiee explained. ‘The Bairnsdale pharmacy was able to take on a trainee, so at the end of my three weeks in Sale I introduced myself to the Bairnsdale owner and was offered a job.’

Another program aimed at increasing the number of pharmacists on the ground in rural areas is the Bachelor of Pharmacy Rural Entry Scheme. Launched in 2003, the scheme aims to encourage more students from rural areas to enter the Bachelor of Pharmacy course, knowing from research that these students are more likely to return to rural areas upon graduation. Under the Rural Entry Scheme, rural students who are in good academic standing will have an enhanced opportunity for selection into the Bachelor of Pharmacy course.

The WILDFIRE group encourages and supports rural students studying health courses across Monash campuses and urban students who have an interest in rural health and rural practice. It began in 1993. Membership initially comprised pre-clinical medical students and has grown to include medical, pharmacy, psychology and nursing students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. WILDFIRE was founded, and continues to be supported, by the Monash University School of Rural Health.

The college is also working hard to understand the special needs of rural pharmacists and has programs to foster rural pharmacy research. A number of research projects have been conducted into aspects of rural pharmacy practice, including the provision of medication reviews in small rural communities and the impact of a shortage of pharmacists on the provision of clinical pharmacy services in rural hospitals.

To help address rural issues the college has academic pharmacist staff in rural areas – Anne Leversha, based in Traralgon and Kevin McNamara, formerly based at the Deakin and Flinders University Department of Rural Health in Warrnambool and now at the college’s Department of Pharmacy Practice. Anne has been responsible for the rural curriculum at the college. She continues to work as the Director of Pharmacy at LaTrobe Regional Hospital. Both Kevin and Anne have been working to further improve the rural placement program.