The importance of pharmacy assistants to the pharmacy profession is being recognized in special weekend presentations for assistants at the Pharmacy Australia Congress in Sydney this year.

Pharmacy assistants outnumber pharmacists by a ratio of more than five-to-one and it is estimated there are currently more than 27,000 pharmacy assistants working across the nation.

The President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, Warwick Plunkett, said the value and importance that pharmacy assistants played could not be over-stated.

"These assistants are often the first person that a consumer meets when they come into a pharmacy to ask for advice," Mr Plunkett said. "Their role is a critical part of the profession of pharmacy and their knowledge and skills are essential to the health and wellbeing of Australians.

"In recognition of this, PAC is running two mornings of presentations developed specifically for pharmacy assistants."

The PAC09 Pharmacy Assistants Program runs from 9.30am on both Saturday 17 October and Sunday 18 October.

Topics to be covered include:

- coping with the complexities of quit smoking strategies
- selling sun protection for the fashion conscious customer
- increasing confidence in the baby care business
- effective over the counter treatments for urinary tract infections
- winning the battle against brittle bones
- hayfever - how to help with the very latest treatments.

As an added incentive for pharmacy assistants, the presentations are free of charge if the pharmacy assistant is a staff member of full delegates to PAC.

The presentations are among the highlights of PAC09, the pre-eminent pharmacy event of the year being held at the Sydney Hilton from 15-18 October under the primary theme of Securing Your Practice Advantage.

Full details of PAC and the Pharmacy Assistants Program can be found at pac2009.au.

Source
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia