The AJP Podcast

It is nearly impossible to find someone with an understanding of rural pharmacy at the meetings where decisions are made, Heather Volks tells the AJP Podcast AJP Podcast host, Carlene McMaugh, discusses life as a rural pharmacist with Charles Darwin University’s pharmacy lead, Associate Professor Heather Volks. Logistical challenges are hindering pharmacists working in rural and remote areas from sharing their experiences with the profession’s peak bodies, Volks says. “We… as the profession, we haven’t allowed rural pharmacy to grow,” she said. “And I think a lot of that is because our lobbying bodies, our policymakers don’t have active participating rural pharmacists on committees… these people can’t take an hour out of their pharmacy day to join a teleconference. “If they want to go to a face-to-face meeting, they can’t logistically get there, and so to find someone that really understands rural pharmacy at the table at a high level meeting is nearly impossible. “And so we’re not getting a true representation of what people on the ground know they need – that voice is not getting through to people that can actually make a difference.” Other key topics include: Professional isolation (2 minutes 08) Drivers of workforce maldistribution (4:15) Lack of understanding of how well-trained pharmacists are (7:54) Rural pharmacies are often independent stores without back office support (9:01) Pharmacist prescribing would be an amazing boost for rural GPs, but pharmacists need to have the capacity to do it (14:20) Rural pharmacists need funding to deliver on expanded scope of practice (16:34) Student placements (17:52) The rewarding side of rural pharmacy (19:51) Doctor of Pharmacy (28:01) Volk’s four asks: Harmonisation of legislation (21:57) Access to PBS funding for pharmacist prescribing (22:28) Having a practicing rural pharmacist at the table when making policy (23:00) New pay award that recognises the different scopes of practice that pharmacists are now working in (23:40) You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts . These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

Digital innovations will be “useful tools” for pharmacists going into the future, but the ability to think critically will help cement the profession’s role in healthcare, Paul Tait tells the AJP Podcast AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh discusses key skills pharmacists will need going into the future, their role in palliative care and more, with the 2026 Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Pharmacist of the Year, Paul Tait. With more than three decades of experience across multiple settings, Tait, said he was humbled to be recognised by his peers, noting the “pharmacy has been an amazing driver… to understand big parts of the health system”. The South Australian clinician researcher noted that the profession has evolved over the years, providing new funded services including home medication reviews and playing a bigger role within multidisciplinary care teams. Looking to the future with the emergence of AI, Tait said that “critical thinking is an important skill to have” “I think that’s very important from where we are heading as a profession,” he told McMaugh. “I would argue that critical thinking element is something that we can bring to the table that will help to cement us in the healthcare ecosystem. “A good example is … [in] the research aspect of my role currently, I will look at the data and that data might be numbers of how many patients did a certain activity, or it might be words of what people’s thoughts and feelings are about an issue. “But actually, I think with critical thinking, what you do is you actually stop and you think about, well, what are the tensions in the system?” Other key topics include: The skills pharmacists bring to the palliative care team (5 minutes 25) PBS-funded ‘pharmacist bag’ to improve access to palliative care medicines (7:41) Hurdles hindering access to specialisted pharmacist end of life care (10:04) The role of pharmacists in supporting carers (12:25) Use of virtual care to bridge the gap for rural and isolated patients (15:45) Pharmacists input to multidisciplinary care (18:05) Digital health and end of life care (20:48) The “Tait legacy” (27:05) You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts . These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

Australia’s first Indigenous pharmacist, Professor Faye McMillan, speaks with AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh about her journey in pharmacy, the profession’s role in Closing the Gap, racism and more Wiradjuri woman, Faye McMillan, tells the AJP Podcast that she was inspired to pursue a career as a pharmacist after working at a dispensing assistant in her local pharmacy in Trangie, NSW. “[I] saw the contribution that the pharmacist made to the community, and the community held him in such high regard, in the sense of relationally regarded,” she said. “It really gave me a sense of ‘in service’, and what it meant to be in service with your community… that’s why I wanted to do it – I wanted to be in service, I wanted to – at the time – go back home after studying and be the local pharmacists, which didn’t happen.” Reflecting on becoming the first pharmacist of Aboriginal heritage, McMillan said “when somebody gets to say that they were the first, there’s a lot of things that we don’t fully appreciate until the distance of time”. “So, to experience being the first, there was no safety net in the sense of who can I go to ask questions? What’s been the experience? How do we navigate this? Why aren’t we learning so more about indigenous peoples? Why aren’t we understanding the pharmacology of indigenous plants? Why aren’t we doing all these things? “It was so Western and biomedical that it was a struggle, but in hindsight, one that I think certainly crafted who I am, the relationship I have to the profession, and also the relationship I have to my family.” McMillan told the AJP Podcast that after completing her training she faced challenges in finding opportunities where she could be both an Indigenous person and a pharmacist. “There were doors that were open if I just wanted to be Aboriginal, or there were doors that opened if I just wanted to be pharmacist, but very few doors that opened that allowed me to be both, that allowed me to be who I was,” she said. An opportunity to embrace both side of her identity came when Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) chief executive, Bronwyn Clark, invited McMillan to work with the APC. “It was I think that moment of acceptance that I could be both an Aboriginal woman as well as a pharmacist, and I bring knowledge of both of those systems. “And so it started a relationship with APC that continues to this day.” While McMillan said she has found opportunities to be here authentic self, she noted that racism remains an issue in Australia. “You can’t be an Indigenous business owner and be successful because that doesn’t fit the stereotype of what being a business owner should look,” she said. “Or you only get to a position because you’re Black or because they pull the race card and we have quotas that organisations want to fill. “It’s not like I have done a master’s; I have done a doctoral qualification; I have postdoctoral qualifications. I am qualified to do the job as well as bringing that other unique set of diverse lens. “I think the challenge for us is understanding why we’re so afraid of difference and why we want to have conforming ideas.” Other key topics include: Perceptions of pharmacies being retailers are holding the profession back from playing a greater role in Closing the Gap for Indigenous patients (21 minutes 35) New guidelines for supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with medicines management (24:58) Cultural safety in pharmacy (28:11) Attracting more First Nations people to pursue careers in pharmacy (30:23) You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts . These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

This PDL podcast seeks to demystify a stressful subject: what can pharmacists do when they receive a regulatory notification? Ahpra acting executive director of Health Regulation, Monica Lambley; PDL lead pharmacist education and professional development and host of the Be Risk Ready Podcast Amy Minion; and PDL Professional Officer and chair of the Victorian Local Advisory Committee Naomi Lim discuss how important it is to understand the notification process. Minion says that “in this episode, we’ll break down what a regulatory notification is and what it isn’t,” as well as some common reasons why notifications are made – and tips for navigating the process. And does a notification always mean that a pharmacist has made an error, or something has gone wrong? PDL takes an in-depth look… Highlights include: 02:36 – What is a notification? 03:29 – Statistics on notifications 04:24 – “The first struggle is almost always emotional.” 06:36 – What a notification doesn’t mean 07:26 – What regulators are looking for in their assessment of a notification 08:52 – “This is a learning.” 10:39 – When a pharmacist reaches out to PDL 12:35 – How do practitioners show accountability and insight? 13:49 – Looking after your own wellbeing 16:24 – Why notifications do not define a practitioner 18:12 – “A really high proportion of the information that we receive relates to a miscommunication or a misunderstanding.” 20:09 – Staying ahead of risk 22:47 – The importance of seeking information You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts . These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify

What’s going to change with the replacement of QCPP with QSPP? The AJP Podcast asks the questions AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh chats with Natalie Willis, senior vice president of the Pharmacy Guild in WA, national councillor and chair of the Guild’s clinical governance committee, about the new Quality and Safety in Pharmacy Program (QSPP) framework. There’s two major themes, says Willis: what’s changing, and how. “What we’ve changed is around clinical governance and patient engagement,” she says. “The how is around the way that we’ll be assessing the program going forward.” Highlights include: 01:00 – What’s actually changing? 03:47 – How can pharmacists prepare for the change? 05:11 – “The biggest challenges in making it happen were just going through the process in a different way.” 07:23 – What feedback has the Guild received? 08:34 – “Obviously there is some trepidation out there.” 09:01 – The most frequently asked questions 10:38 – A lower administrative burden 12:44 – A goal of reducing anxiety 15:01 – “Everything is still evolving and it’s designed not to be a static process.” 16:11 – Are dedicated compliance staff needed? 18:40 – What happens to pharmacies which aren’t ready? 21:18 – What the outcome should look like 23:23 – What does the community pharmacy of 2030 look like? 25:46 – What to do now 28:31 – How to know a QSPP assessment is coming You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts . These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

CEO of the Australian Pharmacy Council Bronwyn Clark sits down with AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh to talk about full scope, training, interprofessional collaboration and more “Full scope is obviously super, super important and very exciting time for us here in Australia,” Clark says. “So our role at the APC is to be the national accreditation and standard setting body for education and training for pharmacists. “And so when we are looking at how we can support full scope, it’s really top of mind for us and we’re putting a lot of work and effort into collaborating with people to do this work. “I think the key thing around the challenges with these programs has been around making sure that we have graduates who have the right level of competence and capability to be able to deliver full scope and prescribing regardless of where they are.” Highlights include 01:40 – The biggest challenges in creating agile standards 04:50 – Will accreditation be applied nationally? 06:05 – “It will be a bit like optometry.” 11:10 – Harmonising the standards 15:46 – Could the traditional four-year plus internship model be replaced? 20:46 – Ensuring potential new programs are rigorous 23:21 – A new set of learning models for preceptors and supervisors 26:17 – Changes to the intern written exam 28:22 – “You’re actually assessing someone’s competence as opposed to their ability to remember.” 30:19 – The colloquium and its focus on respectful, inclusive conversations 34:41 – Changes to accreditation for CPD activities 37:35 – Does this shift create uncertainty? 39:19 – “The APC is very committed to this strategy of embedding cultural safety” 42:37 – The APC is nominated as a finalist in the leading tech awards in Australia 45:08 – The workforce crisis You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts . These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

In this episode of the AJP Podcast, Sally Cairnduff explains what it’s like to work for a not-for-profit pharmacy servicing a rural community – and her lessons for the profession As the general manager of not-for-profit Wonthaggi Miners’ Pharmacy in regional Victoria, Sally Cairnduff runs her pharmacy a little bit differently. “Profit is not the goal in itself,” she tells AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh. “Instead, we’re more interested in supporting our community and improving their health and wellbeing. So it’s a little bit different to other pharmacy models where all funds are either reinvested into the pharmacy to improve access and quality of care or donated to community initiatives.” Cairnduff tells McMaugh how else the pharmacy supports locals and how she manages staff shortages in a regional community. Other highlights include: 3.15 – How the pharmacist gives back to the community. 5.45 – Helping patients who are ‘missed’ in the traditional healthcare system. 7.02 – Contributing to the community in other ways, such as supporting the arts scene. 8.12 – The pharmacy’s membership model. 14.22 – How the community reacted to automated dispensing. 20.26 – Investing in pharmacists. You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts . These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

Former PSA national president, Associate Professor Fei Sim, reflects on the society’s evolution during her term, and looks to the future on the latest episode of our podcast AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh sits down with the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s immediate past president, Associate Professor Fei Sim, to discuss her time at the helm, and what the future holds for the organisation. Having broken through the glass ceiling to become the PSA’s first female leader, Sim led the society through a transformative period, securing a heads of agreement for the First Pharmacy Practice Agreement, and the acquisition of the Australasian College of Pharmacy. Highlights include: 1min 28 – A presidency was based on teamwork 2.20 – Succession – Professor Mark Naunton is “the prefect leader… to take the PSA into the next chapter” 4.18 – Predecessors, Dr Chris Freeman and Dr Shane Jackson woke the giant that is the PSA 7.52 – Growing the PSA’s membership 8.54 – The acquisition of the Australasian College of Pharmacy 11.22 – The PSA needs to keep the momentum going to deliver on its strategic priorities 12.33 – Growing pains in the pharmacist/GP relationship 16.24 – Health professions need to support each other to work to the top of their scope of practice 19.56 – Translating leader diversity into better outcomes 22.56 – The First Pharmacy Practice Agreement 29.54 – Breaking the glass ceiling to become the first female president of the PSA 34.11 – Looking to the future in a new role with the AMH 38.32 – Addressing unfinished business. You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts . These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh discusses cybersecurity in 2026 – including why pharmacists need to consider themselves data stewards She sits down with PSA’s digital health lead and pharmacist Jarrod McMaugh to discuss everything from why criminals target small businesses, how to tell the difference between a legitimate communication from a GP or wholesaler and a data theft attempt, and pharmacists’ obligations to their patients when it comes to privacy. The two discuss why the greater amount of data now collected and shared could leave a “back door” open to cyber threats – and why you should never pay a ransom if you’ve been targeted. Highlights include 01:03 – Why is community pharmacy a high-value target for cybercriminals? 02:52 – Protection and prevention 06:25 – The common weak links in pharmacy digital infrastructure 07:58 – Spot the difference: legitimate requests and data theft attempts 10:31 – Pharmacies’ responsibilities under the Australian Privacy Principle 11 13:28 – Legal and professional obligations if a breach occurs 20:34 – “Every health service in the country must have a policy around their access to My Health Records.” 23:33 – Privacy considerations around the Pharmacists Shared Medicines List 27:01 – The top three non-negotiable digital hygiene habits 28:53 – The role of software vendors 31:49 – How do shared records raise privacy and cyber threat concerns? 33:42 – The role of professional indemnity insurers 36:21 – The role of the PSA You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts. These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

Decisions around the adoption of AI in healthcare need input from those who will be using it, hospital pharmacist Ella Shearing says AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh sits down with clinical pharmacist Ella Shearing, of Locumate, to discuss the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in pharmacy. A survey conducted by Shearing at a Sydney hospital found pharmacists were receptive to using the new technology (2 minutes 30), but understanding of AI was mixed (3:26). Shearing noted that while AI is already being used by pharmacists and other health practitioners for administrative tasks (7:03), decisions regarding how it is implemented need to take the views of frontline workers into account (16:13). “Just because we can adopt AI tools doesn’t mean we should,” Shearing told McMaugh (17:12). Highlights include: 3:35 – Environmental costs of AI not well understood 9:25 – Barriers to taking AI into the clinical space 10:41 – Lack of transparency around AI software fuels hesitancy among some pharmacists 13:16 – High costs mean AI is unlikely to replace existing drug interaction software 14:25 – Integrating AI into electronic medical record systems (EMRs) “could be quite useful” 21:15 – AI could be used to generate medication charts for patients to take home and for providing information about Webster pack changes with patients’ community pharmacies 22:15 – The best way to learn about AI is to use it 25:12: Development of guidelines and policies will be key to ensuring the safe and ethical use of AI in healthcare settings 26:14 – Pharmacists currently using AI are conservative about how they use it. You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts . These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

Vaccination will always be the “inaugural proof point for full scope,” says “the Vaccination Pharmacist” In this episode of the AJP Podcast, host Carlene McMaugh sits down with Anna Theophilos, who takes listeners through her journey into an educator on social media – and how to cut through misinformation about vaccines. Discussing the importance of communicating about the risks of influenza, especially for people aged over 50, and RSV, Theophilos says that the public already know and trust pharmacists as vaccinators. “What needs to shift is not necessarily public perception, but it’s the system’s willingness to formally recognise what pharmacists already are, which we are immunisation leaders,” she says – noting that this also means appropriate remuneration and a new look at vaccinating outside community pharmacies. Highlights include 01:23 – Theophilos’ mission 02:10 – From a “very sad Facebook page” to effective social media communication 04:30 – Where Theophilos gets ideas for content 05:45 – “I actually think the public is already ahead of the system on this one.” 09:04 – How she plans to work with the PSA to advocate for legislative change to support pharmacist immunisers 10:10 – System and funding barriers 12:55 – Work in aged care 14:30 – How can a busy community pharmacy integrate high volume vaccination programs without compromising safety or staff wellbeing? 16:49 – Ensuring financial viability 19:38 – High-level discussions 21:40 – Collaborating with local GPs 26:07 – “Vaccination will always be the inaugural proof point for full scope.” 28:19 – Advice for ECPs 30:51 – The most common vaccine myth Theophilos debunks 32:32 – “I’d make every vaccine funded.” 33:27 – A call to action You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts. These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

Do pharmacists have a bigger role to play recognising and supporting patients with mental health concerns? The AJP Podcast discusses the matter with Claire O’Reilly Australia’s pharmacists have a frontline role in triaging patients who are struggling, but more training is needed across the profession, the AJP Podcast has heard. Pharmacist and Associate Professor at the University of Sydney School of Pharmacy, Claire O’Reilly, has been a researching the evolving role of pharmacists in the mental health space for some time. She has become an advocate for further education and training. “I think we do need to really work at improving the communication skills to make people feel comfortable,” she told Carlene McMaugh. “If someone does say that they’re not okay, then what? That’s the critical next step.” Other highlights include: 4.01: A distressing incident that highlighted the need for further education. 5.58: The importance of mental health training. 10.03: Signs or cues someone may be struggling. 15.00: Creating a safe, non-judgmental space. 19.19: Medications management. 21.32: Essential steps pharmacists can take. 23.02: Referral services. 26.00: How pharmacists can manage their own mental health and burnout. Pharmacists can contact the Pharmacists’ Support Service (PSS) on 1300 244 910 for peer support related to the demands of being a pharmacist in Australia. Lifeline is available on 13 11 14. Members can call PDL on 1300 854 838 for support from a professional officer. For urgent assistance or in an emergency please do not hesitate to contact emergency services on 000. You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts. These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

“Legislation and practice aren’t necessarily keeping up with the universities,” says a leading pharmacy student, discussing the future of the sector Sebastian Harper, national president at the National Australian Pharmacy Students’ Association (NAPSA), chats with AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh about scope of practice, the importance of making pharmacy friends and placement poverty. Harper says that universities are already ahead of the game when it comes to expansion of pharmacy practice. “I think things like legislation and practise aren’t necessarily keeping up with the universities,” he says. “The unis are pretty much almost there with having graduates ready to get out there and adapt to the new scope of practice for pharmacists, but it’s the legislation, it’s the scope of practice programs.” While some states are ahead of others, “some are falling a bit behind,” he warns. “And it’s actually, I think, students that are really ready to undertake these services. Obviously, we do need that extra training, but compared to the pharmacists who graduated 20 years ago, not as much extra training and not as much extra knowledge and skill with what we’re learning. “It’s really about the profession actually continuing to push the government, continuing to push each other to make sure that practise actually is adapting to what students are ready to do from graduation and from when they finish internship.” Highlights include: 00:56 – Discussing placement poverty with decision-makers 02:45 – Talking to patients in full scope consultations 05:42 – Skill gaps between study and practice 07:21 – Stories from NAPSA Congress 09:14 – The surprise changes of 2025 11:00 – NAPSA goals 14:23 – “Students don’t necessarily realise the power that they have in their profession.” 17:28 – Core competencies needed for future success 21:29 – NAPSA’s long-term vision 25:32 – The most-needed skill in 2026 26:55 – A deeper look at placement poverty 29:21 – Key questions when interviewing for an internship 32:31 – Staying centred during internship 34:48 – “Get involved in NAPSA.” You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts . These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

PSA’s new president flags changes to the profession, with priorities including the negotiation of the pharmacy programs agreement, the new Code of Ethics and the College transition AJP podcast host Carlene McMaugh sits down for a chat with Pharmaceutical Society of Australia national president Mark Naunton, who says that he has “great confidence” in how the agreement’s negotiations are taking place. “There’s a number of things that we’ll be advocating strongly for, and our credentialed pharmacist need to know that they are at the forefront of our minds. “When we are doing these negotiations, our credentialed pharmacists have a great impact in trying to improve patient safety, which is, as medicine safety is as national health priority area, all pharmacists have a responsibility to do this, but under the first PPA, our credentialed pharmacist, those pharmacists doing HMRs, RMMRs, they do need special attention. “There’s been years where they’ve had no increase in their pay. They’re limited by the amount of work they can do, and we know that they do great work, but not all patients are getting benefit from these because there’s caps, for example, on the amount of HMRs that they can do. “So we’ll be strongly advocating for things like removal of caps, indexation of payments, back pay for programs that have not had increases in pay over the last five or six years.’ Highlights include: 01:36 – The sector’s biggest recent achievement 03:36 – How is PSA supporting upskilling as scope expands? 08:36 – Unifying the profession 11:12 – The impact of work on focus areas like palliative care, mental health first aid and vaping reform 14:18 – The Code of Ethics review 17:13 – Advocating for the funding of professional services 21:43 – Key goals for career pathways 24:02 – Naunton’s plans for his first term 28: 23 – PSA’s 2025 achievements 31:02 – What does 2026 hold in store for pharmacists and the PSA? You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts. These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

Is AI likely to result in a dystopian future for health professionals and patients – or could it be used to free up more hours in the day for pharmacists to do their jobs? AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh sits down with Michael Bakker, chief pharmacy information officer for SA Pharmacy, about the barriers to digital transformation for pharmacists, overcoming resistance to change, and what the future might look like. The pair discuss common misconceptions about AI – including that it could replace key health workers such as pharmacists. “We’re not talking about robo pharmacists, right?” says Bakker. “There’s tasks and processes that will be impacted by the advent of AI, but they could also happen with non-AI things. “If we took one task and process just to kind of put it under the microscope, a hospital pharmacy service spends probably about a third of their clinical workforce time on performing medication histories. “And so you could go, ‘well, there’s many different ways that digitally, we could do that a lot better now if we just had better linked data or atomic data around medicines where it’s easy to go, oh, this person’s on perindopril five milligrams once a day, and it’s easy to convert that over to your hospital system. “And you can see the dispensing record for the patient, and if we had all of the dispensing records and prescribing records going up to My Health Record, it’s pretty easy to conceptualise a way where you go, ‘well, I can see that they’re on that regularly. I’m just going to convert that to their hospital medicine and just continue that there’. “That could be done without any AI. “The technology is not the barrier there. It’s the investment and the prioritisation of that development work that needs to be there and having the high quality data sitting in my health record to be able to reutilise it. “They might sound like big things, but they’re quite small. It’s not like we’re waiting for some technology to come along that doesn’t exist yet. “The AI ones that I think scare people is around the decision making and to be able to decide what to do, and the door’s starting to open there as to what that future state might look like to my network.” Bakker told McMaugh he had recently posted to LinkedIn about the United States having opened the policy door to having AI agents being able to prescribe for patients. “It’s just a very interesting concept that it’s not an automated thing that they can do this, they need to undergo all of their approvals through the FDA.” While he is not aware of this happening in practice, Bakker says it poses the question: what would this look like? “Is that going to be an AI agent is taking an action on behalf of say a prescriber when they’re talking to their patient. So they’re saying, ‘I’m going to give you amoxicillin 500mg four times a day’ and then it’s just going to generate the prescription. “And so that’s kind of minimally invasive and risky. You have to prove quality and things like that so that it’s not going to mistake the drug name or anything; or is it going to be far more dystopian where it’s going to diagnose and take action to prescribe a recommended therapy for a patient, which is a little bit more scary? “So not everything is a one or a zero or a yes and a no. “There’s lots of gradients in between in there, and so I think people get very alarmed and rightfully so as to what the really crazy dystopian future might look like and what’s my role going to be in that if these things come about. “But there’s a lot of work in between where we can just see the chipping away at tasks and processes through better technology, that are things that take an enormous amount of time, as good as the pharmacy workforce is at doing these types of things thoroughly… “If we were reviewing information that was presented to us that was kind of curated so that we don’t have to go and do a preliminary history for a patient, then go into the patient room and validate it with them, then come out, reconcile it with what they’re actually on and then get it changed, we can walk straight in going, ‘well, I can see what you’re normally taking, but can you help me understand how you’re actually using these on a day to day?’ “You could be saving an hour a day for a clinical pharmacist that can be redirected into other tasks.” Highlights include: 00:56 – “Digital maturity can mean lots of things.” 02:24 – Getting started 03:27 – Barriers to digital transformation 06:44 – Insights from developing the Australian practice standard for pharmacy informatics 10:03 – How is AI currently being used to manage medicine safety, especially in rural or remote areas? 13:43 – No robo pharmacists 19:22 – How can pharmacists who are not tech experts start to build their digital literacy and become effective champions for changing their workplaces? 22:23 – Retaining the human touch 25:44 – Encouraging buy-in, including from pharmacists who have concerns 28:20 – “Soft skills are crucial.” 29:51 – Using AI to build a strong business case for new initiatives 32:56 – The most exciting emerging AI and digital trends 34:53 – As pharmacy workflows become more digitalised, what new types of dispensing and prescribing errors are we seeing and how can we mitigate them? 37:51 – “Get great at pharmacy first at all areas of pharmacy.” 39:27 – How could pharmacy look in 10 to 15 years? 41:46 – Learning from other sectors You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts. These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

FIP president pays tribute to Australia’s pharmacy practice model, as international jurisdictions champion pharmacist scope Paul Sinclair, the first Australian president of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) sat down with AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh to talk about the pharmacy workforce, challenges like antimicrobial resistance and how best to use AI in health care. There are many positives boosting the sector right now, Sinclair said, including how the pandemic improved pharmacy’s visibility and moves towards full scope of practice. When McMaugh asked Sinclair whether he saw elements of the Australian model – such as expanded scope under the Community Pharmacy Agreement – being eyed by other countries, he replied, “Absolutely”. “As recently as two months ago, the Irish government signed a pharmacy agreement with the Irish Pharmacy Union on behalf of Irish pharmacy to give certainty of remuneration for dispensing and provision of professional services,” Sinclair said. “That very much is in line with the community pharmacy agreements that we have had so successfully implemented here in Australia. “In fact, the PBS, as it operates in Australia, is regarded as the best model for a public private partnership to provide pharmaceutical benefits to the population. “We see across the globe, services such as medication reviews, medication management services, webster packing, pharmacist delivered vaccination, and minor ailment schemes being delivered and funded through community pharmacy. “This is now happening through all of the major developed pharmacy marketplaces, and we are seeing also in FIP’s role, the advocacy of an increased role for pharmacists in emerging pharmacy markets as well in low to middle income countries.” Sinclair said that Australia is “very fortunate” to have a public-private partnership with the government, instead of a fully managed healthcare system as seen in the USA. There, he said, “the payer, normally an insurance company, is focused only on cost rather than health outcomes”. “So the model we have is acknowledged as being world-class, and we are seeing across particularly developed marketplaces where the payer tends to be the government rather than insurance company, models like the community pharmacy agreement being advocated for and being implemented.” Highlights include: 01:03 – “At the moment, the depressing issue is certainly workforce shortages.” 03:43 – The positive outcomes of Covid 05:15 – AMR: a major issue 07:33 – The beauty of the Australian pharmacy practice model 09:20 – FIP’s Global Observatory data 11:26 – “AI is the two letters on everyone’s lips at the moment.” 13:31 – “FIP’s work is centred on creating positive practise environments, safe staffing, fair scheduling, career development, recognition, including mental health support, anti-harassment policies, and psychologically safe spaces.” 15:36 – Integrating pharmacy into diverse global settings 17:08 – Barriers to scope: “It is definitely legislative.” 18:43 – Equity in medicines access and digital health 23:36 – Financial recognition for professional services 25:10 – “The total reliance on the supply model will not sustain our industry going forward.” 31:03 – Advice for young pharmacists 33:11 – FIP’s development goals 34:37 – Hopes for FIP achievement in 2026 37:42 – A legacy for FIP 39:23 – A look back at a “huge” 2025 42:15 – War, conflict and pharmacy – as well as scope and recognition 44:15 – A thank you to pharmacists You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts. These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

Almost every HMR can make a difference, says consultant pharmacist of the year Angus Thompson The AJP Podcast’s Carlene McMaugh sits down with award-winning consultant pharmacist Angus Thompson, who tells her about how he builds rapport with his patients and helps them get the most out of their consultation. “We are not there to interfere and make changes for changes’ sake,” he explains. “We’re there to help them get the best outcome. I will invariably ask the patient what do they want to get out of the consultation and what’s important to them because I try to keep everything about the patient and align with their priorities and preferences. “Some patients may say, ‘I want to take less medicines’, some people may say, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing. I feel confused’. “So you try and tailor what you do, what you say to reassure them.” And health literacy is a “huge challenge” for many patients, he says – and tells a tale of one man who had Type 2 diabetes. “He’d misunderstood instructions from everybody else he’d ever seen,” Thompson says. “He saw pretty much everybody that a person with diabetes will see: an educator, obviously GP, community pharmacy, dietitian… “He said something about his insulin. I said, ‘just talk me through how you use your insulin’. “And he was using one pen for one injection. He was on 10 units of glargine, giving himself 10 units and then throwing away the remaining 290 units. “And this was simply because somebody had said to him, use a new needle for each injection. “To him, a new needle was a new pen. So he was visiting his pharmacy every 25 days and costing Medicare over $4,000 a year more than was necessary. “It is just the way people understand what we say. It’s really important that we check back that they have understood it in the way we want them to.” Highlights include: 02:22 – Building rapport with patients 05:55 – “Different strategies for different patients.” 07:26 – The impact of HMRs – and the man with Type 2 diabetes 09:05 – A patient Thompson had just helped reassure about her medicines 11:13 – Involving the patient in their own decision-making 14:38 – Misconceptions about HMRs 15:42 – “Very rarely are people taking what we think they’re taking.” 17:29 – When patients are reluctant to change 21:49 – HMRs and vulnerable patients 25:14 – Keeping up-to-date 32:07 – Why the cap needs to go 34:32 – New technologies 38:28 – “Transitions of care are such a flashpoint for medication misadventure.” 40:31 – The HMR workforce You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts. These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

Community pharmacist and owner of MedWest Medical Dispensary, Keegan Wong, says his passion lies in merging evidence-based medicine with a holistic model of health. Speaking to host Carlene McMaugh of the AJP Podcast , Wong shared his journey to co-founding MedWest Medical Dispensary in Western Australia, and his his practice and perspective has evolved. “Back when I was working in community pharmacy, I was starting to see more and more patients coming in with prescriptions for medicinal cannabis,” he said. “You think ‘Oh, I haven’t really learned much of this at uni’. “The feedback that I’ve received over time was really eye-opening,” he continued. “People were dealing with chronic pain, sleep issues and anxiety… many of them actually find real relief.” Other highlights include: 4.39: Keegan’s holistic approach. 7.07: The supply challenges in Western Australia. 9.20: Common misconceptions about medicinal cannabis. 16.49: Regulatory concerns and how pharmacists are managing them. You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts. These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

Professional Services Innovation Award winners Bev Mistry-Cable and Zineb Medrek share the secrets of their success with the AJP Podcast – and what’s next “I think everybody’s got a slightly different passion, so it’s trying to work out what drives the pharmacies,” Cooleman Court Pharmacy’s Bev Mistry-Cable told the AJP Podcast’s Carlene McMaugh. The winners of the Professional Services Innovation Award say they have developed a host of programs for different pharmacies to help their local communities. “My colleague, Brad, implemented Men’s Health Down Under, and he basically helps men with post-prostectomy surgery and also things with erectile dysfunction, things like that,” Mistry-Cable said. “We also do vaccination services here very well. So they’ve grown in the last five to 10 years, which has been good to see.” Medrek added: “Everyone that comes through the pharmacy, we check with them where they’re up to.” Other highlights include: 4.03: Cooleman Court Pharmacy’s skincare trial. 5.05: Travel health and UTI consultations. 7.53: The promotion of new services. 11.41: Other considerations in implementing new services into the pharmacy. 13.17: How to measure the value of pharmacies in the healthcare ecosystem. You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts. These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh takes a look back at 2025 with AdPha president Tom Simpson and outgoing vice president Dr Kate O’Hara Speaking during Advanced Pharmacy Australia’s Medicines Management 2025 conference in Melbourne, the three spoke about how residencies can help pharmacists keep getting feedback through their early careers, medicines reconciliation and points of transition, as well as the greater role pharmacists and pharmacy technicians can play in the healthcare system. Simpson explained that “transitions of care is not a problem we have solved in Australia by any measure”. “We did some great work obviously this year partnering with the condition on the practise standards around transitions of care, but we’re also looking at how we expand those collaborative prescribing models at the point of discharge,” he said. “We know discharge summaries and discharge medication lists have a high rate of inaccuracy and there’s hospitals that are already implementing collaborative prescribing models at that point and seeing dramatic reductions, so patients out the door hours quicker with the right medicines. “Our challenge there is that until we have PBS prescribing rights for pharmacists, all the pharmacists can do is write a prescription and ask the doctor to sign it, and that means that you’re still effectively wasting a lot of time because it’s not a value add activity at that step. “If they’ve already agreed the treatment plan, then adding a signature to a page doesn’t add value, but it just takes time.” O’Hara, who has been closely involved in the collaborative prescribing trial in NSW, said that it had been “really exciting this year to see advocacy really pay off”. NSW and WA “are getting collaborative prescribing over the line” in terms of legislation change, she said. “So getting that, working with all of the states to get that through has been a really massive achievement. And in New South Wales, those legislation changes are now fixed in the legislation and they’ve acknowledged that partnered pharmacists prescribing or charting is really key to getting people through the emergency rooms faster and getting those medicines right quicker. “So that’s been a really significant piece of advocacy work that has really paid off for both the profession and for our patients in that space. “So we continue to really advocate for and encourage for pharmacists prescribing to be done in that collaborative way as part of getting pharmacists embedded in multidisciplinary teams to focus on the medicines and give everybody else the time to do what they do best.” Highlights include 01:20 – How have the new practise recognition pathways evolved through 2025? 04:20 – The value of the independent pathway 05:38 – Advancements in empowering pharmacy technicians and assistants 08:09 – The launch of AdPha’s clinical standards 09:33 – How can these changes be scaled nationally to free up pharmacists for higher level clinical duties? 11:42 – The difference between a residency and an internship 16:50 – “Our transitions of care are some of the highest risk points in any patient’s journey.” 20:46 – The NSW collaborative prescribing trial 21:52 – “1.3 billion of wasted expenditure in hospitals” 22:58 – Gaps and loopholes in transitions of care 25:09 – The impact of MedsAware Deprescribing Week 27:23 – How is the integration of electronic prescribing and electronic medical records fundamentally changing the clinical workflow of hospital pharmacists and what digital competencies are now essential for new graduates? 28:38 – “I expect to see digital competencies start to be built into our university degrees.” 32:00 – How is AdPha working with regulatory bodies and health services formally recognised the credential specialist, clinical pharmacists, and to ensure the remuneration and role expansion? 35:05 – “We’ve seen employers as well now asking for ANZCAP recognition as part of applications for jobs.” 36:24 – The gap in seven-day clinical pharmacy services 39:25 – Recruitment, retention and burnout 43:25 – Why are there more vacancies? 44:25 – “One nice trend I’m seeing these days is that there is much more of a portability in the profession.” 46:33 – Hopes and goals for 2026 You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts. These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh