Terri Bakker from Terry White Chemmart Rosny Park in Tasmania has been named the Pharmacy Guild of Australia/Maxigesic 2022 Pharmacy Assistant of Year (PATY).
The PATY Award is the premier award for pharmacy assistants in Australia and recognises pharmacy assistants who go the extra mile to help patients and who are proactive in developing their own careers.
Ms Bakker was awarded as the National Winner from more than 170 PATY Award entries, 64 finalists, and eight State and Territory winners.
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia’s National President, Professor Trent Twomey, congratulated Ms Bakker saying: Terri should be incredibly proud of this achievement. Terri is a visionary! It was clear during the national workshop that Terri is articulate, confident and has the capacity to take on big tasks, which is a pre-requisite of the PATY winner as they become the ambassador for pharmacy assistants across the country.”
As the 2022 PATY Award winner, Ms Bakker receives more than $10,000 worth of prizes, including a custom glass trophy; a cash prize of $5,000; a Guild Training package; and return flights, accommodation, and registration to the Australian Pharmacy Professional Conference (APP2023) on the Gold Coast and the Pharmacy Assistant National Conference in 2023.
She is also invited to be a judge at the 2023 PATY National Workshop.
Bianca Busby from St James Newstart Pharmacy in Western Australia was crowned as the National Glucojel Super Star Award which recognises outstanding customer service amongst the PATY State Winners.
Calvin MacKenzie, PATY judge and representative from major sponsor AFT Pharmaceuticals, also congratulated the winner.
“Maxigesic would like to congratulate Terri Bakker as the 2022 Pharmacy Assistant of the Year and Bianca Busby as the Glucojel Super Star Award recipient,” Mr MacKenzie said.
“Maxigesic recognises the vital role of Pharmacy Assistants within community pharmacy across Australia and this is why we are proud to be the major sponsor of this prestigious award.
“This year the quality of candidates was exceptional, showing a level of customer service that sets the benchmark across the country.”
