Introduction: The Advanced Pharmacy Australia (AdPha) Specialty Practice Program was launched in 2017, with an overarching aim to support members’ practice and professional growth at all career stages, by; connecting members with similar interests and facilitating their sharing of knowledge, providing a pathway for members’ expertise and leadership to be developed and recognised, providing opportunities for members to contribute their expertise and influence pharmacy practice while enriching and informing AdPha offerings: CPD program, Standards of Practice, training programs, policy and advocacy submissions, representation in key stakeholder groups, submissions to key national programs, standards and other publications
and thus cultivating lifelong learning.
Methods: Having gauged the initial impact of the Specialty Practice program on members' practice after 12 months, at 5 years post-Specialty-Practice launch, AdPha collated the cumulative offerings supported by the Specialty Practice program and the member expertise it supported, to assess how well the aims had been met.
Results: The strong engagement by members in Specialty Practice and their feedback at 12 months indicated that the Specialty Practice program was supporting their practice. The data collated at 5 years demonstrated the many ways member expertise, harnessed through the Specialty Practice program, had contributed to AdPha offerings and influenced pharmacy practice at state and national levels. The demand for more specialties to be added to the program and the adoption of the Specialty Practice model to support members during the COVID pandemic is further evidence of its value.
Conclusion: AdPha’s Specialty Practice program cultivates lifelong learning by providing pathways for members to share knowledge and be recognised for their expertise and leadership, and providing opportunities to channel member expertise to influence and enhance pharmacy practice at a local, state or national level.

Introduction: The Australian and New Zealand College of Advanced Pharmacy (ANZCAP) was developed to address the need for a structured, consistent way to recognize the professional advancement of pharmacists. Rooted in the principles of life-long learning, ANZCAP aims to create a clear, flexible pathway for pharmacists to demonstrate and be recognized for their advancing practice, offering professional recognition across diverse practice settings.
Method: In 2020, following a comprehensive review of previous credentialing efforts, a collaborative process involving key stakeholders, surveys, and focus groups led to the redesign of the credentialing framework. Central to the redesign were principles of prospective development, flexibility, and simplicity. This culminated in two main pathways: a time-limited foundation program and an ongoing independent pathway. The foundation program opened in late 2023 and provided recognition based on prior professional experience while the independent pathway allows pharmacists to build a portfolio throughout their careers, underpinned by evidence of progressing competencies.
Results: The Foundation program, which concluded in August 2024, has seen significant uptake, with 2,395 pharmacists recognized in its first year, across Australia and New Zealand. Most recognitions were at Pharmacist Consultant level, with specialties such as Leadership & Management, Cancer Medicine, and Medication Safety being most selected. Feedback indicates that the program has been well received, with pharmacists citing both personal and professional value. Additionally, ANZCAP has integrated existing workplace-based training programs to allow candidates to gain recognition at earlier career stages.
Conclusion: The first year of ANZCAP has demonstrated significant success in recognizing and supporting advanced pharmacy practice. Ongoing work is required to embed the program within the professional landscape, extend recognition to pharmacy technicians, and continue refining the program based on feedback and research. The future of ANZCAP holds promise for further advancing the role of pharmacists in healthcare delivery across Australia and New Zealand.

Introduction: In 2019, the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA) introduced Australia’s first Registrar Training Program (previously referred to as Advanced Training Residency Programs) for hospital pharmacists.
Unlike Foundation Residencies which are generalist and aim to support early career pharmacist development, the 2-year Registrar Training Program (Reg-TP) aims to support the development of practitioners who are further along the practice continuum and contribute more expert patient care in a defined practice area.
SHPA have developed a common framework and 16 specialist area frameworks which outline the workplace-based assessments, knowledge and skills required to enable pharmacists to reach the requisite practice level by the end of the program.
Methods: The adoption of the training program has expanded since its conception and an overall review of the program was conducted to better understand the contribution of Reg-TPs to professional development, gauge the Registrar candidates’ attitude to the program, determine nation-wide uptake and identify areas for improvement. The review incorporated a survey of candidates as well as an internal assessment of site accreditation and candidate enrolment over the past 5 years.
Results: Site uptake has seen a consistent expansion over the years which aligns with Registrar candidate enrolment. From the initial four sites accredited in 2019, the program currently has 21 sites accredited to undertake the program over 22 different practice areas. Across these sites there is a total of 60 Registrar candidates currently enrolled.
Conclusion: Reviewing patterns of candidate enrolment and site accreditation has allowed the organisation to identify further opportunities for Reg-TP accreditation at new sites, expansion into new practice areas and how better to support candidates completing the program.
Incorporating formal recognition of program completion through the newly launched Australian and New Zealand College of Advanced Pharmacy is also expected to enhance the uptake of the program.

Introduction: Continuing professional development (CPD), a self-directed, intentional, and outcomes-focused approach to lifelong learning, represents a strategy utilized world-wide for practitioners to develop and maintain professional competence. The CPD model fosters lifelong learning, promotes professional identity formation, and ensures learners are prepared for engaging in life-long professional competence maintenance.
Methods: The Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University recognizes the importance of incorporating CPD into the current pharmacy curriculum to ensure graduates are prepared for contemporary pharmacy practice. A CPD documentation form has been developed an incorporated into an eight-semester longitudinal professional development course sequence. Each fall semester, students self-reflect on learning goals and needs and in the spring, revisit accomplishments and receive feedback from faculty advisors; this documentation additionally houses reflections on the student’s co-curricular achievements.
Results: In this small group session, participants will explore the emergence and evolution of CPD as a model for life-long learning, including a case-based discussion of strategies of how schools and colleges of pharmacy might incorporate CPD for students within current coursework and curricula.
Conclusion: Pharmacy educators from around the world are encouraged to consider how to introduce and prepare learners for implementation and utilization of a personal CPD process upon graduation, to ensure learners are able to analyze professional competency, evaluate goals and personal learning needs, and to ensure readiness to meet these expectations in the workplace.

Introduction: The Pharmacy Administration & Leadership (PAL) Job Analysis, a completed role delineation study in the United States, defines the roles and responsibilities of pharmacy administrators and leaders across various settings, including hospitals and community pharmacies. This comprehensive analysis identifies key domains, tasks, and competencies necessary for effective practice within the profession. By seeking global perspectives on pharmacy leadership, this workshop aims to foster lifelong learning and enhance educational opportunities for future pharmacy leaders, addressing both current needs and emerging trends.
Methods: The workshop will begin with a 30-minute presentation summarising the PAL Job Analysis findings, covering five major domains: Strategic Planning & Advancement, Clinical & Operational Practice Management, Financial Management, Medication Safety, Policy, Quality, & Regulatory Compliance, and People Management. Participants will break into groups by WHO region, utilising a nominal group technique to review job analysis results, identify regional similarities and discrepancies, and generate ideas for potential additions or removals. Each group will reach a consensus on the importance and frequency of tasks within the identified domains and rank them based on their perceived importance to practice in their region.
Results: Expected outcomes include a deeper understanding of the PAL Job Analysis and its implications for training pharmacy leaders globally. Participants will gain insights into regional differences in pharmacy leadership roles, contributing to the identification of tasks essential for effective practice. This collaborative approach enhances lifelong learning by allowing participants to actively engage with peers, share experiences, and reflect on the evolving landscape of pharmacy administration and leadership challenges.
Conclusion: This workshop provides a vital platform for exploring global perspectives on pharmacy leadership, emphasising continuous professional development and the alignment of training programmes with the needs of pharmacy administrators and leaders worldwide. By contributing to these discussions, participants will promote lifelong learning and excellence in the pharmacy profession.

Introduction: Failure to refer to evidence-based clinical guidelines, up to date educational resources, and maintain current knowledge potentially exposes customers seeking emergency contraceptive pills (ECP) to misinformation, (Mill et al., 2021; Garrett et al., 2018) and risking unwanted pregnancies. Pharmacists’ lack of application, and poor interpretation of guidelines has reduced access to ECP. (Nona et al., 2024) Disparity exists between the information in guidelines and what occurs in practice, resulting in a failure of pharmacists to adhere or refer to these guidelines. (Nona et al., 2024). Australian pharmacists relate poor guideline utilisation to limited time, resource access and ambiguity. Focus areas of concern included age of supply, choice of ECP, consent, transgender customers, and advanced supply. Therefore, the aim of this study was to use the Delphi technique to achieve consensus about the content of a guideline, developed to enhance ECP provision in pharmacy practice.
Methods: Data from preceding qualitative interviews with practicing pharmacists, alongside international guideline comparison, informed development of a draft guideline. A sequential two-stage Delphi process was conducted with a panel of experts, invited from the interviewed practicing pharmacists. Over two Delphi rounds participants were supplied with sections of the revised guidelines and asked to record their reaction using a 5-point Likert scale and justify their decisions in a free text response.
Results: The Delphi process produced reflective feedback on six main elements of the guidelines including: use of unambiguous language, accuracy of content workflow, visual appeal, key components, incorporation of new evidence-based best practices and usability in current clinical practice.
Conclusion: The use of the Delphi process allowed for the development of an explicit, patient centred, and easy to navigate guideline suitable for use in Australian pharmacy practice. Future research into international ECP guideline utilisation and interpretation is recommended.