DEVELOPING specialisations in the pharmacy sector could deliver new career paths for graduates, Commonwealth Department of Health Special Advisor and pharmacist, Emeritus Professor Lloyd Sansom AO, believes.
Speaking on a webinar last week, Sansom rejected the idea that the development of specialisations within the profession would fuel elitism.
"Specialisation within a profession like pharmacy is a sign of maturity not a sign of elitism," he said.
"I regard my GP as a specialist in general practice - every trained medical practitioner's family has a GP.
"[The fact] there are specialisations simply reflects the variety and enormity of the material that's now in health.
"I get frustrated by people who say , 'oh the elitists...' they're not the elite, they are people who have a specialisation in an area because that area is now so broad."
Sansom said the introduction of a PharmD program, which the Government and Pharmacy Guild of Australia have pledged to pursue under the Seventh Community Pharmacy Agreement (PD 23 Jun), would help foster specialist career paths for graduates to pursue.
He added that students were graduating with "HDs in commitment", but were being drained of their enthusiasm, because the profession did not provide a platform for them to go to a higher level.
"To think that we are discouraging a [specialist] career path for people is an indictment almost on this profession going forward," he said.
"I'm very sad that we don't develop that career path around that structure.
"It doesn't demean the community pharmacist, at all, they are still specialists in community pharmacy care."
While support of a shift into specialisation, Sansom noted that it could create additional challenges, as "governments don't necessarily like everyone becoming a specialist, because it means everyone gets higher fees".
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