A new program has recently been launched at the Graduate School of Health, designed for pharmacists wishing to work as integrated members of general practice teams.
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The UTS discipline of Pharmacy has just launched its Graduate Certificate in Advanced Practice (General Practice Pharmacist) to meet the training needs of pharmacists wishing to work as integrated members of general practice teams.
“Embedding a pharmacist within a general practice team can advance patient care in terms of health, economic and clinical outcomes. It improves patient medication management and has the potential to save the healthcare system a significant amount of money in relation to reduced hospitalisations and better medical condition control,” says Dr Helen Benson, Pharmacy Lecturer at the UTS Graduate School of Health (GSH).
“I think we are on the cusp of a nationwide acceptance of pharmacists in general practice and many more roles will be created in the near future.”
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia has long been advocating for pharmacists to work with GPs. There is a similar push internationally. The UK, for example, has a £131 million program underway that aims to have a pharmacist in 40% of GP practices by 2021.
Embedding a pharmacist within a general practice team can advance patient care in terms of health, economic and clinical outcomes.
Dr Helen Benson
Lecturer, Pharmacy
The UK is leading the way with pharmacists working in GP settings. However, it’s a relatively new area and there is a need for more education and training in Australia for pharmacists wanting to go into general practices.
The UTS Graduate Certificate in Advanced Pharmacy Practice addresses this gap for pharmacists who want to become part of general practice teams and prepares them for roles in the areas of aged care and primary care.
With the schedule of a working pharmacist in mind, the course is delivered part-time over one year. Most of the learning activities are completed in an online format. There is a one-week campus component which is held at the Graduate School of Health’s purpose-built education and research facility in Sydney and clinical placements are undertaken in general practice settings sourced by UTS.
Relevance and real-world content play an essential role in all of the courses offered by the Graduate School of Health. The Graduate Certificate in Advanced Practice was designed with strong links to the pharmacy profession and primary health networks and includes guest lecturers and practitioner teachers.