Introduction: Pharmacists are valued for their broad knowledge about the safe use of medicines and their ability to communicate this expertise to patients and other healthcare providers. However, if pharmacists and the public view the profession merely as medicines suppliers this view might impede professional progress and impact patient outcomes. This poster presentation illustrates three leverage points to support change in the professional identity of pharmacists from medicines supplier to clinical decision-maker.
Methods: Building on previous studies focused on clinical decision-making, a conceptual analysis was performed to identify potential influences on the professional identity formation of pharmacists.
Results: Three leverage points were identified: workplace culture, terminology, and pharmacy education. Workplace culture is a dominant force that shapes the everyday practice of pharmacists. Change will require policies, procedures, and colleagues that support pharmacists to assume direct responsibility for drug therapy decisions. Regarding terminology, greater consensus is required for pharmacy. This consensus includes common names to describe, teach, learn, study, and legislate the processes that pharmacists use when making decisions about drug therapy. In pharmacy education, educators are ideally placed to support future pharmacists to mobilize foundation knowledge and skills about drug therapy and become leaders for people that require complex medicines therapy.
Conclusion: There are likely other leverage points that can be acted upon to facilitate change in the pharmacy profession. In other health professions, practitioners and educators also may be encountering a need to develop new roles to keep pace with advances in healthcare, shifting landscapes in education and training, growing needs of patients, and changing expectations of people in our communities.

Introduction: The transition from pharmacy education to professional practice is fraught with communication challenges that can hinder effective professional development and integration. This workshop utilises the Crucial Conversations framework – a communication strategy for managing high-stakes interactions – aiding professional development and promote a culture of lifelong learning among pharmacists.
Methods: Using "Crucial Conversations" framework by Patterson et al, a face-to-face workshop was designed for pre-registered pharmacists. It integrated theoretical concepts, guided discussions and interactive role-playing activities to explore communication barriers and enablers. This aimed to equip participants with skills to navigate complex scenarios, fostering meaningful and constructive conversations supporting professional growth and adaptability. A facilitator guide was developed supporting delivery of the training. It outlined the framework, key discussion points, and scenarios for role plays. Facilitator training was delivered via pre-recorded video to ensure consistency and thorough understanding of the content.
Results: Participants improved their understanding of crucial conversation techniques, highlighted by one participant, “This is exactly what we need at this point of registration to engage effectively with our supervisors”. The workshop enhanced their confidence in handling complex communications and fostered the development of personalised action plans. It promoted open dialogue, reflective thinking, and confidence in communication skills. Mastering these skills allows pre-registered pharmacists to better meet the healthcare demands, enhancing their adaptability in Australia’s dynamic pharmacy landscape.
Conclusion: Effective management of crucial conversations is essential for pre-registered pharmacists transitioning to professional roles. This workshop refines communication skills, instills a proactive approach to lifelong learning, and builds confidence through continuous reflection and open dialogue. By integrating these techniques into daily practice, participants enhance their engagement in professional interactions, contributing significantly to healthcare. The structured workshop approach provides tools to transform challenges into opportunities for development, benefiting patient care and team dynamics.

Introduction: Around 40% of pregnancies in Australia are unintended, with women living in rural and remote areas being 1.4 times more likely to experience unwanted pregnancy, associated with social disadvantage and reduced availability and access to reproductive healthcare. (Rowe et al., 2016; Shankar et al., 2023) In Australia, emergency contraceptive pills (ECP) first became available without prescription in 2004, and currently two types of ECP are available over the counter in Australian pharmacies. Pharmacists’ lack of knowledge has been reported to impact their practice and thus customer outcomes. (Nona et al., 2024) Recommendations are that knowledge of current and future pharmacists should be addressed in relation to changing demands on time and scope of practice. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge and practices of Australian community pharmacists in the provision of over-the-counter ECP.
Methods: This study applied data gathered though semi structured interviews conducted with Australian community pharmacists engaged in the supply of over-the-counter emergency hormonal contraception. Exploration of their knowledge, experiences in practice provided qualitative data that was inductively and deductively coded and themed against a modified Theoretical Domains Framework.
Results: Seventeen pharmacists, practicing in all regions from metropolitan to very remote locations across Australia participated. Analysis highlighted themes including benefit v risk, choice of ECP, guideline use and underprepared for ECP. Participants described a lack of current ECP knowledge which they correlated with limited time and resource access, alongside complacency and the reliance on acquired knowledge and professional judgement. They also acknowledged minimal updates in their education since their university studies.
Conclusion: Pharmacists recognise gaps in their knowledge of ECP, impacted by the failure to appreciate the need for ongoing professional development. Future research into pharmacists’ practices and guidelines to inform that practice is recommended.

Introduction: The workplace experience is a critical aspect of developing an engaged workforce. In response, the Pharmacy Workforce Wellbeing Initiative (PWWI) implemented a sustainable workforce wellbeing strategy that consists of:
1. Asking “What Matters to You?”
2. Reflective Practice Program
3. Wellbeing Champions
Methods: What Matters to You (WMTY) conversations come from the IHI framework for Improving Joy in Work. The IHI framework provides a source of timely, candid feedback, specific to the Pharmacy Program. Improvement science principles are used to address challenges identified.
Reflective practice is an opportunity to develop self-awareness. The program is run in collaboration with the psychology team and based on the professional supervision model used in psychology. Participants are paired with a supervisor who is not a peer or line manager and meet to reflect on the experience of working in healthcare.
The PWWI team convene the Wellbeing Committee, with membership from across the Pharmacy Program tasked with local implementation of initiatives.
Results: The first WMTY conversations were conducted in 2022 with 73% of staff participating. In 2024, 40% of the Pharmacy team participated. WMTY conversations have identified many suggestions for improvements ranging from immediate to more complex. “What Matters to You?” has become part of the lexicon of the Pharmacy Department.
Results from the pilot Reflective Practice program (n=12) are promising. 90% of participants rated the program as “somewhat” or “extremely” useful. Measures of wellbeing have improved and scores of relationship quality were high.
Activities of the Wellbeing Committee centre on the themes from staff surveys. In addition, a calendar of events runs including the Wellbeing Week, “Non-scrub Days” and shared morning teas.
Conclusion: Pharmacy practice continues to respond to the demands of contemporary healthcare. This requires a focus on creating an environment people are drawn to work within. The PWWI addresses wellbeing sustainably.

Introduction: Poor dietary habits contribute to the development and progression of non-communicable diseases worldwide. Counselling on diet and lifestyle forms part of first-line prevention/treatment for several conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, with pharmacists being part of the primary healthcare workforce that delivers this important health promotion service. Here, we explored if Australian pharmacists felt adequately equipped to provide advice on diet as well as vitamin and mineral supplementation to patients.
Methods: Australian pharmacists, recruited via professional networks and social media, participated in an online survey to evaluate whether their pharmacy education provided adequate training in general nutrition. They were also asked if nutrition education should be included in pharmacy training, and if so, in what format. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted to further explore the adequacy of nutrition training and to identify specific dietary topics for which patients commonly seek information from pharmacists.
Results: Of the 107 registered pharmacists who completed the online survey, 80% reported insufficient training in general nutrition, while 67% felt that it should be a core subject in pharmacy education. Semi-structured interviews with 21 pharmacists revealed that the lack of nutrition education hindered their ability to provide nutrition counselling to patients. The topics for which patients were seeking nutritional information were diverse and extended beyond common non-communicable diseases. Additionally, pharmacists indicated that they often pursue self-education in general nutrition to improve their knowledge and skills in this area.
Conclusion: Australian pharmacists indicated that their nutrition education as provided through their pharmacy training was insufficient. Incorporation of more in-depth nutrition education in pharmacy training is required to meet this important public health need.