The AJP Podcast

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The podcast by pharmacists, for pharmacists, brought to you by the AJP. Each episode, join a diverse panel of pharmacists from all settings and experience levels discussing topics that affect pharmacists in day to day practice – such as ability & gender diversity in pharmacy, and medicinal cannabis.

Australian Journal of Pharmacy


    • Aug 31, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 32m AVG DURATION
    • 132 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from The AJP Podcast

    ‘Hold that needle and don’t drop it'

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2025 Transcription Available


    A leading aged care pharmacist discusses how pharmacy has changed over the years – and his passion welcoming those changes The AJP Podcast talks to the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia's inaugural Aged Care Pharmacist of the Year – Neil Petrie, who has been working primarily in aged care, undertaking medication reviews for the past 25 years. He has also owned his own community pharmacy in the past and semi-retired into aged care onsite pharmacy under the ACOP program. With a father and uncle who were pharmacists, he says he remembers being about six or seven years old, “and going to the pharmacy after hours with my dad to make up an APC mixture, if I remember rightly, which was aspirin, phenacetin, and caffeine in it”. “And I vividly remember my father saying, hold that needle and don't drop it. And what did I do? I dropped it onto the footpath, didn't I? “So pharmacy’s been in my blood for a long time and I did have my own pharmacy for about 13 years, but I realised I wanted to do something a little bit different and when I had my pharmacy, I started servicing some hostels at that point in time and I really enjoyed that work.” Petrie was one of Australia's first pharmacists accredited to conduct medication reviews in 1998 – and ever since, his motto has been change. He says ACOP will only increase in time, and “highlights our impact on direct resident care, medication safety, the quality use of medicines, and really system-wide improvements to medication procedures. So it really showcases us as pharmacists as a valued integral part of the care team.” This is also highlighted, he says, by the sheer need for pharmacists' services; discussing the most common medication-related problems in aged care facilities, given the amount of polypharmacy – and more importantly, inappropriate polypharmacy – underway. Highlights include: 01:13 – Neil's introduction to pharmacy 03:42 – Aged care: a changing environment 05:11 – RMMRs and lack of rural and remote support: a disillusioning moment 06:14 – The responsibility of promoting ACOP 07:39 – Over 30-plus years in the field, what has changed the most? 09:29 – “How one person within the organisation can change an organisation overnight” 10:40 – The most common medication-related problems in ACFs 11:46 – Beginning an antibiotic stewardship program 13:11 – Taking the workload off the nurses 15:09 – “We have to get to a point where society says wherever medication is involved in therapy, there’s a pharmacist involved.” 17:11 – Thoughts on deprescribing 18:36 – The role of interdisciplinary team-based care 20: 54 – “How do you approach educating both residents and their families about their medications?” 22:07 – Practical strategies 23: 58 – “Polypharmacy is challenging.” 25: 06 – Neil's vision for the future 29:26 – How can technology help? 32:18 – What advice would you give young pharmacists? 42:07 – A passion for antimicrobial use You can access the full transcript of this podcast here. While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts. These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify 

    Be Risk Ready – a PDL Podcast: The art of saying sorry

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2025 27:21 Transcription Available


    “Saying sorry seems like such a simple, inherent notion, but it can also be a minefield,” PDL professional development pharmacist and Be Risk Ready host, Amy Minion says  Meridian Lawyers' Chandrika Darroch joins PDL Podcast host, Amy Minion, and pharmacist, Georgina Woods, to discuss how to apologise when incidents occur.  This episode of the Be Risk Ready PDL Podcast looks at how to apologise for an incident, and what to do and not do.   The topics covered include:  “It's important to normalise adverse events” (2 minutes 36).  Make sure the patient feels heard (3:54).  “Apologies are a very important component of incident and complaint management, and the regulators generally have quite a poor view of practitioners who are neither apologetic or reflective” (7:24).  Open disclosure (9:17).  “It’s important to keep in mind that no one is infallible” 10:08.  Apology laws and how to actually say sorry (15:49).  “Matters escalate when there’s been a failure to acknowledge that something’s gone wrong” (18:48).  “You can and you should express sympathy, regret or concern” (20:18).  Resources available for pharmacists (21:31).  You can access the full transcript of this podcast here. While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts. These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify 

    Undervaluing pharmacy ‘has to stop'

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2025 36:39 Transcription Available


    One multi-award-winning pharmacist talks to the AJP Podcast about why we need to value the services available in pharmacy – and pay for them The Capital Chemist Charnwood is in the news again: 11 years after being named Guild Pharmacy of the Year, it has again taken home two of the final awards in the competition, being recognised for excellence in Community Engagement and Excellence in Harm Minimisation at APP25. Co-owner Samantha Kourtis told AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh that government decisions, made without input from pharmacy, were a strong influence on her implementing a fee-for-service model. “From the early days, I’ve been a huge advocate for charging [for] things,” Kourtis says. “And 13 years ago I walked into this pharmacy. Everything was free, free blood pressure, free home delivery, free Webster packs, free consult with the baby nurse, free everything. “And early on I was like, well, this has to stop.” It simply wasn't a viable business model, she realised – perhaps counter-intuitive given that Charnwood is one of Canberra's lowest socioeconomic demographics, but as it turned out, customers are happy to pay what pharmacist expertise is worth. She pointed out that she bought into the business in March 2010 – and that in October that year, the federal government announced accelerated price disclosure. “I was in a real position where my business loan could have crashed and burned. The bank could have come in and taken it away because overnight the value of our businesses went down… “And we’ve seen this happen several times over the last 10 years with what the government's done. “So it was my commitment to valuing the work that a registered healthcare professional did and my commitment to stopping the of services in pharmacy and then the financial pressure on me as a brand new young business owner that had to go, okay, well, I don't want to pay my pharmacist award wage. I want to pay them well, because they do a really great job. “So if someone wants to sit down with a pharmacist for a blood pressure check, they'll pay for it. And that has gained momentum from then. And we were charging $15, 13 years ago, for a wound consult fee.” Highlights include: 01:40 – Becoming an award-winning pharmacy through the ups and downs 05:01 – What did winning the awards mean for staff and the community? 06:59 – Talking about harm minimisation in schools 08:07 – What it takes to being an award-winning pharmacy in this space 11:11 – Engaging with the community 13:22 – The viable business model 16:11 – Why $10 for a consult is “such a joke that is so disrespectful to our profession”. 17:01 – “Nobody complains really about the price.” 18:29 – What does being unsurprised in pharmacy mean to you? 21:10 – “I could not believe that the leaders in our country thought that [disparaging pharmacists over 60-day dispensing] was a good idea.” 22: 31 – “Actually, it doesn't matter what I think. Doesn't matter how I practise, doesn't matter how much I care, things are going to happen. And that was quite freeing.” 24:11 – On being part of the scope trials 28:38 – What are the core values of your pharmacy? 31:35 – A challenge for pharmacists: be unsurprised 34:36 – A “vulnerable time” for pharmacy You can access the full transcript of this podcast here. While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts. These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify 

    Deprescribing: it's a shared decision

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2025 18:25 Transcription Available


    Deprescribing is “about working together to make sure that the medication someone is taking still fit with the current health goals, the values and their needs at that point in ...

    ‘You need to be able to understand why they're doing that'

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2025 50:34 Transcription Available


    There's far more to First Nations health than filling Close The Gap scripts – one Wiradjuri pharmacy student tells the AJP why early dispensing can be vital, why knowing about ...

    ‘It can feel like it’s an enormous commitment’

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2025 28:03 Transcription Available


    The University of Western Australia’s new Doctor of Pharmacy Practice course has been designed with the demands of busy pharmacists in mind, Amy Page tells the AJP Podcast “We know ...

    ‘I think it’s really cool to have a stethoscope and to be able to use it'

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2025 27:49 Transcription Available


    “My piece of advice if you're going through the training or considering the training is just get your stethoscope on as many lungs as many hearts and just really start ...

    ‘People my age were actually getting excited'

    Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2025 27:46 Transcription Available


    Pharmacy veteran George Tambassis expected young pharmacists to be excited about full scope of practice – and was delighted to see that pharmacists of all ages and situations are keen ...

    ‘Those sorts of interactions can really just beat down at your ego'

    Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2025 34:18 Transcription Available


    “From systemic erasure in medical education to outright discrimination in our care settings” – LGBTQIA+ patients face a lot of barriers to care and medicines access, says one pharmacist advocating ...

    Fund pharmacists to ‘do the job well': Sim

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2025 34:47 Transcription Available


    Election special podcast: Health is high up on the agenda this federal election – we find out what one group's key priorities are when it comes to pharmacy AJP Podcast ...

    ‘I hid it very well'

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2025 42:33 Transcription Available


    Many Australians struggle with feeling lonely – and the most affected cohort may not be who you think, says one expert AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh spoke to Jenny Kirschner, ...

    ‘I was being bullied relentlessly every day’

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2025 38:32 Transcription Available


    Pharmacy coach and influencer Emily Griffin proudly balances a number of roles, including consultant, hospital pharmacist, rural pharmacist liaison officer and training program developer “I love sharing my skills and ...

    ‘Today 75% of pharmacies are in the red’

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2025 61:04 Transcription Available


    Former community pharmacy manager Olivier Picard has been a long-time critic of the UK funding model, which he says has put many pharmacies on the brink of collapse “Pharmacy funding ...

    ‘I would love to have females in every single senior position in pharmacy organisations'

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2025 35:43


    Award-winning consultant pharmacist, ACOP pharmacist, academic and researcher Anna Barwick reflects on how things have changed for women in pharmacy – and how much work there still is to do ...

    ‘What can we do to lift each other up?'

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2025 63:53 Transcription Available


    “Make sure when you see something in a woman who's younger than you, you back them,” NSW Guild vice president Catherine Bronger says on our latest podcast AJP Podcast presenter ...

    ‘No, we are not doing enough'

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2025 32:32 Transcription Available


    Is pharmacy flexible enough as a profession? How does working outside the traditional model help women balance the daily juggle of motherhood, work and everything else? The AJP Podcast's Carlene ...

    ‘Pharmacists should also stand shoulder to shoulder in the healthcare team'

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2025 27:14 Transcription Available


    What are the jobs and education outlook for pharmacy students with the implementation of the PharmD – and why was it needed? Professor Andrew McLachlan, Head of School and Dean ...

    ‘We often assume a lot about others'

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2025 30:15 Transcription Available


    How can pharmacists working across all sectors collaborate more effectively for better patient outcomes, asks a former SHPA president? Director of pharmacy at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne Professor Michael ...

    ‘People are ready to work and willing to get jobs'

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2025 Transcription Available


    Demand and supply for locums has changed “drastically” as more pharmacists choose this type of work – and locums are becoming “more vigilant” about their role, one expert says AJP ...

    ‘We're on a fantastic trajectory in terms of scope'

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 15, 2025 26:25 Transcription Available


    “Australia's really making significant progress in advancing scope of pharmacy practice,” NSW pharmacy trials chief investigator, Dr Sarah Dineen-Griffin says on our latest podcast  AJP Podcast presenter Carlene McMaugh discusses ...

    Reflecting on 2024

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2024 31:58 Transcription Available


    AJP editor, Chris Brooker, looks back on the year in pharmacy in our latest podcast  Speaking with Carlene McMaugh the host of the AJP Podcast, Chris Brooker reflects on the ...

    ‘You can walk backwards in those footsteps'

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2024 29:55 Transcription Available


    Pharmacist prescribing has rapidly become a “totally mainstream” concept, says AdPha's national president, Tom Simpson Speaking with AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh, Simpson says that “Whilst it's a hot topic ...

    From uncertainty to success

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 18, 2024 35:38 Transcription Available


    PSA national president Associate Professor Fei Sim reflects on the profession’s achievements in 2024 and looks forward to another 12 months of change in 2025, with the AJP Podcast Speaking ...

    ‘Oh well, you just do hospital'

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2024 28:44 Transcription Available


    How does identity affect whether groups of pharmacists have a voice? Advanced Pharmacy Australia (AdPha's) national president, Tom Simpson, and vice president, Kate O'Hara, chat with AJP Podcast host Carlene ...

    Moving beyond the standard route

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2024 25:55 Transcription Available


    “Not being afraid of being wrong”: AJP podcast host Carlene McMaugh speaks to Adam Livori about the lessons from his varied career in pharmacy, covering nuclear pharmacy and research, running ...

    ACOP: An opportunity with challenges

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2024 44:37


    It's vital to keep your finger on the pulse when it comes to consultant pharmacy, especially with changes to aged care, says one sector veteran – and what about pay? ...

    Compounding: reducing the risk

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2024 41:49 Transcription Available


    In the first of a series of podcasts co-produced by AJP and PDL, we take a look at risk awareness and management when compounding In this podcast, Kylie Neville, PDL ...

    Pharmacy done differently

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2024 40:25 Transcription Available


    Complete Care Pharmacy in Rosny Park, Tasmania, co-owner Kristina Fox talks about taking a new approach to community pharmacy in our latest podcast  AJP Podcast presenter Carlene McMaugh discusses the ...

    ‘That person who's requesting naloxone could be requesting it for a whole range of reasons'

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2024 24:47 Transcription Available


    AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh interviews Dr Suzanne Nielsen about opioid safety and naloxone Professor, pharmacist and current acting director of the Monash Addiction Research Centre Suzanne Nielsen says it’s ...

    ‘A lot of countries can learn from our model'

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2024 30:44 Transcription Available


    Australia's new pharmacy agreements provide model for others to follow, International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) president, Paul Sinclair, tells our latest podcast  AJP Podcast presenter Carlene McMaugh discusses the Eight Community Pharmacy ...

    No downside to 8CPA

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2024 29:45 Transcription Available


    “Winners never quit, and quitters never win,” Anthony Tassone tells our latest podcast that the Guild's 8CPA negotiating team was relentless in its pursuit of a sustainable deal for the ...

    ‘Once you’re pregnant people kind of write you off’

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2024 26:36 Transcription Available


    Despite pharmacy’s highly feminised workforce, pregnancy and maternity status remain a significant barrier to working in the profession, British pharmacist Amandeep Doll says AJP Podcast presenter Carlene McMaugh talks with ...

    The importance of connection

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2024 29:36 Transcription Available


    Curtis Ruhnau talks in our 100th podcast about supporting your staff and colleagues, the renewed sense of optimism in community pharmacy and why credentialed pharmacists need adequate remuneration In this ...

    Resilient profession gets its reward

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2024 42:20


    Australia's pharmacy sector is set to benefit from the extraordinary certainty over the course of the Eighth Community Pharmacy Agreement (8CPA), a business advisor tells our latest podcast  AJP Podcast ...

    ‘Don’t expect instant returns’

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2024 29:47


    Pharmacy ownership requires a lot of sacrifice, and aspiring owners need to be “hands-on in all aspects” of the business, Gordon Ngan tells our podcast AJP Podcast presenter Carlene McMaugh ...

    A portfolio career

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2024 35:22


    Why has it been tricky getting into general practice to date? How does a pharmacist juggling many balls know which ones can and cannot be dropped? And what does the ...

    ‘This is a very successful outcome’

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2024 34:41


    The Eighth Community Pharmacy Agreement will provide the profession with opportunities to play a greater role in the provision of healthcare, Bruce Annabel says AJP Podcast presenter Carlene McMaugh talks ...

    ‘We're still learning' on pharmacy agreements

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2024 26:54


    Does the 8CPA mean that community pharmacy is out of the 60-day dispensing woods? And how will scope of practice change how pharmacists work – and how owners manage resources? ...

    A revolutionary change for pharmacy programs

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2024 37:20


    Dr Fei Sim, PSA national president, talks about the first ever agreement with the government on pharmacist’s professional practice programs, and what this means for the profession In this special ...

    ‘I really love the business side of pharmacy'

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2024 28:56


    “I love the blend of caring for patients but also having to run a business at the same time,” pharmacy entrepreneur Pasquale DeMaria tells our podcast “I love the hustle ...

    Mitigating the impact

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2024 34:59


    Judith Singleton talks about what pharmacists, and pharmacies, can do to reduce their impact on the environment, and reduce the impact of pharmaceuticals In this episode of the AJP podcast, ...

    Managing medicinal cannabis risk

    Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2024 36:53


    PDL professional officer Kylie Neville discusses the issues pharmacists face when it comes to medicinal cannabis, with our podcast In the latest edition of the AJP podcast, our host, Carlene ...

    Pharmacists key to improving Indigenous health

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2024 29:57


    Funding pharmacists to play a bigger role in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s healthcare could deliver improved outcomes while saving money, pharmacist Atinuke Abraham from the Victorian Aboriginal Health ...

    Why is 60-day dispensing like digital cameras?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2024 53:24


    Pharmacy is a resilient sector, Blake Hedley tells the AJP Podcast's Carlene McMaugh – with plenty of valuable advice for those worried about the future, and their role within it ...

    ‘Pharmacies are going to struggle to stay open'

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2024 22:50


    “We're in a messy phase,” as rural pharmacies are overwhelmed by shortages —of staff and medicines—and dealing with uncertainty thanks to the 8CPA “limbo”, says locum  Echuca pharmacist in charge ...

    Trial offer opportunities for pharmacy

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2024 28:02


    Dr Amy Page, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s (PSA’s) Victorian branch president, talks about the state’s pharmacy pilot and the opportunities it provides pharmacists In the latest edition of the ...

    ‘They will care if they lose their seat'

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2024 43:54


    “This is how we are going to apply the pressure,” CAPS spokespeople tell the AJP Podcast, explaining why the group has moved away from political rallies and towards influencing elections ...

    Can we embrace the future?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2024 45:21


    A UK pharmacy leader talks about the ‘paradigm shift’ of independent prescribing and what it means for the profession’s future As the countdown nears for the graduation of the UKs ...

    On top of the world

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2024 29:31


    Paul Sinclair, the first Australian president of the International Pharmacy Federation (FIP) talks about the future of the profession and the changes he sees impacting pharmacy  In the latest edition ...

    Readers show ‘fear over the future of pharmacy in general'

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2024 24:59


    A sense that pharmacists would be at least recognised for their hard work during the pandemic and natural disasters was sharply reversed last year, AJP editor Chris Brooker tells our ...

    A look at a ‘monumental year'

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2024 27:50


    PSA's Fei Sim looks back over the events of 2023, which rocked every facet of the profession in Australia “I really think that when we look back in history, 2023 ...

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