As the pharmacy profession in Australia embraces pharmacists practising at full scope, it is no surprise that APP2023 will dedicate two sessions with guest international speaker Mark Burdon to address this key topic which will be held 23-26 March on the Gold Coast.
The first session, which is taking place during Thursday’s Alan Russell Oration and titled ‘Pharmacists practising at full scope – lessons from World Pharmacy Council member countries’ will be presented by Mark Burdon, a highly qualified pharmacist in the United Kingdom and current Secretary General of the World Pharmacy Council.
Mr Burdon, a pharmacy-owner who has been a prescriber for many years, has been advocating tirelessly for community pharmacists and representing the sector across various committees in the UK. During his session, Mr Burdon will share valuable insights and lessons learnt that will guild Australian pharmacists in understanding professional autonomy, which is enabled by independent prescribing.
Following on from Mr Burdon’s presentation will be a panel session titled, ‘Full scope – what it means for your business’ on Saturday afternoon. Facilitated by APP Conference Convenor, Kos Sclavos AM and featuring a panel of Guild State Branch Presidents and Vice Presidents, the session will bring pharmacists, pharmacy managers and pharmacy staff up-to-date with programs across Australia and will enable the pharmacy sector to prepare for this opportunity in 2023.
“With more states and territories in Australia commencing the journey to pharmacist full scope of practice, I’m encouraging all our delegates to join this session and learn how international jurisdictions prepared for practising at full scope. These valuable insights into how pharmacists embraced the opportunity for greater patient healthcare outcomes will better equip Australia’s extensive network of highly trained pharmacists.
“It is vital where pharmacy pilots take place in Australia that we document the benefits that pharmacists facilitate and these initiatives become embedded into permanent community pharmacy practice. APP2023 is a great opportunity for community pharmacists to learn more and get involved,” Mr Sclavos said.
In addition to the above sessions, APP2023 offers a range of diverse presentations from clinical and product updates, business and innovation sessions, to early career pharmacist, rural and indigenous health, harm minimisation and cultural awareness streams.
With APP2023 fast approaching, pharmacists planning on attending Australia’s largest annual pharmacy event are encouraged to make the most of the early bird registration with delegates saving up to $120 on full registration by booking before Tuesday 31 January 2023.
