The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia today launched its new report which describes the current and future roles of pharmacists and fair remuneration for their professional contribution.
PSA ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ President Dr Chris Freeman said that remuneration for Australian pharmacists did not, in the main, reflect their skills, training, expertise or responsibility in the healthcare system, and changing this is the most important issue for PSA members.
“As the complexity of pharmacy practice increases, pharmacists need properly remunerated and supported career pathways,” he said.
“Our new roles and remuneration report provides the pathway to achieve increased remuneration by 2023 – remuneration that reflects the value that pharmacists deliver in patient care.”
In constructing the salary ranges, PSA looked at other health professions with similar training and expertise, here in Australia, and internationally.
It is PSA’s view that the most appropriate mechanism to support increased remuneration for pharmacists is to link remuneration with activity as well as the skills, expertise, and training of the pharmacist.
“The Advanced Practice Framework is the most logical application of this and, while this may take some time to implement, it is clear we need to forge a path that delivers better value for pharmacists – we believe this is the way,” Dr Freeman said.
Dr Freeman said that PSA believed that pharmacists need to be valued appropriately in order to retain the best and brightest in the profession.
“We will therefore continue to advocate for pharmacists – for recognition of their training, expertise and role as custodians of medicine safety – and the reflection of these in remuneration packages,” Dr Freeman said.
“We call on other stakeholder groups and the Australian Government to work together to achieve the necessary changes.”
