Viki

Clinical Pharmacist, Box Hill Hospital
Bachelor of Pharmacy 2007

"While I'd hoped to work in a hospital pharmacy after I graduated, being able to use my skills and contribute to public health in a developing country was a real thrill.

I recently volunteered as a public health pharmacist in Fiji. There I looked at the rational use of antibiotics in hospitals and helped put together standard procedure manuals and medicine use policies. The greatest challenge was applying pharmacy in a developing context. Cultural barriers were a big issue too.

Back home at the hospital, it's my responsibility to ensure timely, accurate supplies of medicines to patients on wards, give evidence based advice on the appropriate use and prescribing of medications, review medication charts, optimise medication use, monitor therapeutic drugs, and provide discharge medication counselling to assist with patient understanding of newly prescribed medicines. 

I particularly like the multidisciplinary aspect of hospital pharmacy, the direct patient contact and positive impact that I can have on patients' understanding of their health and medications. In the future, I hope to complete a Masters in Public Health with an interest in pharmacoeconomics and international health."