Pharmacy

Make it about Education

Education is a priority in the Western Health Pharmacy Department, we foster a supportive learning environment for students, interns and Pharmacists. The Pharmacy intern program is diverse, with the program offering a broad range clinical Pharmacy experiences on specialty wards and also operational rotations. We have also been approved to offer the SHPA Pharmacy residency program from 2021.

Make it about Teamwork

We have a strong focus on teamwork, within the department and also collaboration within a multidisciplinary team which includes doctors, nurses and allied health professionals.

Make it about the Future

Western Health is responsible for roughly 800,000 people in the Western region of Melbourne, one of the most diverse and rapidly growing areas. Construction has begun on the new Footscray Hospital site due for completion 2025, providing further opportunities for Pharmacy Department growth.

Make it about Opportunity

The scope of Hospital Pharmacy is dynamic and diverse and Western Health supports the continual development and expansion of the role of a Hospital Pharmacist.

Make it about Pride

Be part of a Pharmacy Department that prides itself on prioritising patient centred care and is passionate about incorporating the Western Health CARES values (C-Compassion, A-Accountability, R-Respect, E-Excellence, S-Safety) into their everyday practice.

Western Health is committed to providing high quality undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and research.

The health service encourages innovations in patient care, staff professional development and research activities. Our clinicians, nurses and allied health professionals are involved in a diverse range of activities that have received recognition at a local, national and international level. Western Health has links with The University of Melbourne, La Trobe University and Victoria University of Technology.

Intern program information

Six intern positions are available (four government-funded, plus two hospital-funded).

The Pharmacy Interns at Western Health start in the first week of January and required to have provisional registration. The interns partake in rotations across a variety of clinical (medical and surgical), manufacturing and dispensary areas. The six interns will rotate between Footscray and Sunshine campuses gaining exposure to different environments and staff. Interns are also included on our weekend roster (1 shift every 6 weeks) which contribute to the total number of supervised practice hours. Interns are expected to develop their skillset, such that by the end of the program they meet the national entry level pharmacist competencies.

As the year progresses, interns will be given a larger patient load to self-manage while still under pharmacist supervision. Throughout the program, interns are provided supervision by experienced pharmacists during all rotations while developing an appropriate level of competencies and responsibilities as outlined in our in-house competency framework.

Weekly tutorials cover a range of clinical, over the counter, and law topics designed, not only to prepare the interns for their exams but became competent pharmacists. Prior to the final oral exam, several practice exams are conducted under exam conditions.

The Pharmacy Interns are allocated their own individual mentor, usually a pharmacist who has completed their intern year within the last 2 years. Interns are expected to be enthusiastic, hardworking and willing to engage with the Western Health Intern Program and Western Health core values.

We accept interns enrolled in either the Monash or PSA intern training programs although the Monash University Intern Foundation Program is highly recommended.