Suzanna Calder from PharmaSave Casuarina in Northern Territory has been chosen as the Northern Territory State Winner of the 2019 Pharmacy Guild of Australia / Maxigesic Pharmacy Assistant of the Year Award (PATY).
Suzanna will now represent Northern Territory during the National Finals, to be held at the Pharmacy Assistant National Conference (PA2019) in October later this year.
We sat down with Suzanna to find out more about her PATY journey so far.
How does it feel to be the State Winner? What was your reaction?
It feels amazing! I was over the moon and completely honoured because I didn’t expect it at all.
Can you give me a brief overview of your career in pharmacy?
I started when I was 16 in Perth at Hay Street Mall Pharmacy. I left to do another job for nine months and came back. I had children so I was off work for five years and now I’ve come back into it. My kids are now seven and eight.
What qualifications do you have and who did you complete your training with?
I have my Certificate IV in dispensing and I’m about to do my clinic training. I have also done my Certificate II and Certificate III, and completed my training mostly through the Guild.
What was the PATY workshop day like?
It was amazing – I loved it. It was a lot of fun and to meet the other pharmacy assistants was really nice. The facilitators make the workshops really fun which is really good.
What have you gained from PATY so far? What are you most looking forward to?
Confidence has been the key thing I’ve gained. I’ve learnt to be confident in who I am, as well as how to sell yourself and be the person you are in pharmacy. Also, I’ve become more confident in knowing our products, knowing our shop, knowing our staff… knowing everything!
I’m really looking forward to meeting the other State Winners and learning from them, as well as doing the National Finals workshop at the Pharmacy Assistant National Conference in Brisbane.
Why would you encourage someone to nominate a person for PATY?
It’s such a good Award and it’s great to be recognised for your hard effort and good work. That was a big thing for me – I’ve been in pharmacy for so many years and to be recognised for something that you do is really nice, and it’s good for the community, especially community pharmacy.
Why would you encourage a pharmacy assistant to nominate themselves or participate in PATY?
It’s nice to be recognised and you can get so much from the Award, such as more learning experiences and meeting other like-minded peers. There are so many benefits from the whole experience to gain, so it’s not going to hurt to apply and see how far you can go.
Will Suzanna be the 2019 PATY Winner? Find out at PA2019 and learn from all the State Winners at the conference. Register now at www.pharmacyassistants.com.