EDITORIAL

I Am So Tired
NEIL JOHNSTON
Management Consultant Perspective

I wonder if anyone has stopped to think about the culture of pharmacy?
Changes in culture affect people profoundly and may give a reference point as to how pharmacists are thinking and feeling these days.
I am personally experiencing feelings of profound tiredness, which I do not believe are simply derived from the onset of old age.
In disussions with other pharmacists, I have found they are experiencing the same feelings.
All of these pharmacists could be regarded as highly successful in their chosen profession of pharmacy, but they are all espousing uncertainties in the diverse challenges that are arising from multiple sources.
They are all excellent managers, but never before have they had to adapt to the numerous and rapid changes that have been inflicted by government and its agencies, the industry, and the profession itself.

Why Can't They Own a Pharmacy? -
The Need for Honesty
ROLLO MANNING
An Indigenous/Rural/Isolated/Remote Perspective

If you were asked by a person of another culture - and who did not speak good English or understand your ways - what would you answer if they were not a registered pharmacist?
The question arises when discussing with Aboriginal people from remote communities the proposed clause in the (soon to be released) Health Practitioners Bill in the Northern Territory that says only a registered pharmacist can own a pharmacy.

From Despair to Ecstacy- Pharmacist Reminiscences
HEATHER PYM
Division of General Practice Perspective

During the past week talking to and interacting with pharmacists in the course of my Divisional work as the QUM manager I have been aware of despair to near ecstasy as I listen to concerns and tribulations from pharmacists in the field.
On the positive side one of the pharmacists who has embraced the cognitive services in his pharmacy related to me his recent experiences with the Home Medication Reviews he has conducted.

A Roller Coaster Ride?
KEN STAFFORD
Consultant Pharmacist Perspective

In the past three weeks I have feel as though I have been on a roller coaster ride on pharmacist-doctor relations.
Following a number of seminars, workshops C/E nights etc. I still am at a loss to know how things stand.
Are we still separated by impregnable barriers or are we entering an age of co-operation?

See the Roses--Not Just Smell Them!
JAMES DELAHUNTY
Photographic Pharmacist Perspective

Why Australian pharmacists can get part of the digital photo market and grow it - NOW.
OK Rolls of film for processing have been dropping by 3 - 5% for the last two years and will continue for another three or four years, until a balance is reached between images taken on film, and images taken by digital cameras and committed to silver halide photo paper (via either a mini lab or a major lab).
The number of images taken are increasing and will continue to via your phone or PDA etc.
The new measure of your D & P success is by the number of prints you sell.

Natural Healthcare Industry
Celebrates the Wellness Revolution
VAL JOHANSON
Complementary Healthcare Perspective

Over the next few weeks, the natural healthcare industry will be showcasing its commitment to the health and wellbeing of Australian consumers through a range of activities to celebrate Natural Healthcare Month, September 2003.
Kicking off the month will be "Natural Healthcare Week", with consumer-focussed activities planned to promote the use and benefits of natural healthcare.

Pharmacy and Drug Companies-
An Alliance With Some Problems
KARALYN HUXHAGEN
A PSA Councilor Perspective

The recent spate of materials from Boots Healthcare Australia on the impending decision by NDPSC to down schedule ibuprofen has highlighted how 'manipulative' drug companies can be.
A busy pharmacist fast scans most of this material that hits their in-tray on any busy day in community pharmacy and if you did so with some of this material you would be lead to believe that the NDPSC has made its decision and it is all systems go for small packs of ibuprofen to go open.
This is not the case.

I Have a Dream….
LACHLAN ROSE
Student Perspective

Let me say that pharmacy student life has been heating up.
For many in my position, there is only 10 weeks separating student life from working life, as we prepare to complete the Bachelor of Pharmacy.
For some it's a dream come true.
For others it's a nerve wrecking concept.
I can't seem to make up my mind.

Just in Time--Is Not in Time!
JON ALDOUS
Hospital Pharmacist Perspective

By universal agreement of just about everyone in the profession, 2003 so far has been the worst year anyone can recall for product shortages and discontinuations.
The shortages have affected products from across the spectrum, and a fair proportion of them have been off-patent medications.
It seems to be an industry-wide trend and many pharmacists are asking for answers.
While shortages can easily be explained in letters from a product manager at the manufacturer, it is less easily explained at the patient/pharmacist interface.

Hiring Attitude for Survival
NEIL JOHNSTON
Management Consultant Perspective

Prime Minister John Howard probably never thought that he would become a role model when he decided not to stand aside in favour of his Treasurer, Peter Costello, on his 64th birthday.
The obvious vigor involved as he engages in his daily activities (constantly reinforced by television images of his daily walk) has awakened a nation to the fact that retirement, as we know it, need not be inevitable.
This awakening has come through the realisation that our population is aging and that a rapid decline in living standards will be inevitable, if labor shortages, due to retirements, are not able to be replaced.
With Australia's low birth rate, we will not have this replacement capacity.
This also means there will not be a strong enough tax base to levy taxation, sufficient to sustain pensions and healthcare schemes into old age.

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