Kirstie Galbraith

Developing and recognising advanced practitioners in australia: An opportunity for a maturing profession?

The need to ensure patient safety through assured professional competence needs little justification. The National Competency Standards Framework for Pharmacists in Australia (NCSFPA) outlines the key competencies required by registered pharmacists to successfully practice to the desired minimum standard. Professional development is clearly a necessary requirement for continued competence, which in turn is essential to ensure sustained and effective performance. The use of competency standards together with practitioner development tools (such as the General Level Framework) can significantly improve the consistency of a pharmacists performance..

Pharmacy student views on preceptorship during rural placements

Aims: To identify factors that undergraduate pharmacy students valued most highly in a rural clinical placement experience. Methods: Pharmacy students from four universities were invited to participate in a survey and/or focus group. A 42 item questionnaire was used in which students were asked to rate various aspects of their rural placement on a five point Likert scale. During the focus groups students were invited to explore positive and negative aspects of their rural placement and to make suggestions for future placements. Results: About 108 students responded to the questionnaire and 26 participated in the focus groups. Students rated most highly the role of the preceptor in making their rural placement a success. Two themes emerged from the focus groups which highlighted the relationship between preceptorship and learning. Conclusion: Students valued their placements highly when they were in a supportive learning environment, with an organised structure and adequately supported by the universities.

Improving influenza vaccination among hospitalised patients in General Medicine and Emergency Short Stay units - a pharmacist-led approach

Patients admitted to General Medical Units (GMU) and Emergency Short Stay Units (ESSU) are often elderly with multiple comorbidities and the majority are considered to be at high risk of complications from influenza. The aim of this study was to assess the practice of including a pharmacist assessment of appropriateness and charting of influenza vaccination in a partnered pharmacist charting model in a GMU and ESSU.