Page 35 - Demo

By Brianne Lowe, 2019 Pharmacy Guild of Australia/Maxigesic Pharmacy Assistant of the Year. APP2020 proved that where there’s a will, there’s a way. With less than one week’s notice, the events team at the Pharmacy Guild of Australia were able to deliver three days of amazing online content from 19 to 21 March to help us navigate our way through the current trading environment and coronavirus pandemic. As mentioned in my April article ‘Conferences: what’s all the fuss about?’, as a rule, I try to take away three main insights from a conference or training event, in these areas: • Professional development. What have I learnt that I could put into practice to provide better health outcomes for my customers? • Personal development. How can I do things better? • Return on investment for my employer or company. What can I take back to my company to add value, increase customer traffic, GP or profitability? I managed to fill these criteria through APP Online. Our responsibility in pharmacy: return on investment The opening plenary discussion with APP Chair Kos Sclavos about COVID-19 broke down how we will be affected in the pharmacy industry and the changes we need to implement to protect our staff. One of the reasons this panel was able to offer some insight was that the panellists had been in regular discussion with our international counterparts, who had been dealing with the outbreak for several weeks previously. This session, on Thursday 18 March, AND A WAY APP ONLINE: helped me realise that the risk we’re facing is very real and that we need to act now. By now, most pharmacies have adopted the suggestions made by the panel about social distancing, hygiene and safety protocols. The Pharmacy Guild has also released a set of community guidelines to assist pharmacies in implementing necessary changes. The overall message for this session was: look after yourself, look after your staff, don’t panic, and be aware that help and resources are available. Other impacts on our local community: professional development The Ann Dalton Address by Rosie Batty, who became a crusader against domestic violence after her son was killed by his father, was another session that grabbed my attention. I hadn’t yet considered the risks associated with families facing isolation during the coronavirus pandemic. Family violence is a real problem we face every day in Australia. We, as pharmacy assistants, are playing an important role in offering support and referral as we remain trading as an essential service. If you’re directly affected by family violence or suspect domestic abuse, please phone 1800 RESPECT for support and advice. Mental health is another important aspect of the crisis we’re facing. I wrote some notes while listening to this session – about initiating a quick mental health check with customers during my usual ‘what, stop, go’ questioning process. This could be as simple as ‘how are things at home?’ or ‘how are you feeling within yourself considering everything that’s happening?’ It may not seem like much, but this offer of support can make a world of difference to someone who may be self-isolating, with you the only human contact they have for that week. Nothing has meaning except for the meaning we give it: personal development Nicky Miklos-Woodley from Evergreen Coaching yet again grabbed my attention with her, ‘Why selling for your customers is caring for your customers’ session. I learnt that the negative beliefs I attached to words such as ‘selling’ are restricting me from providing a total solution for my customers. We need to take a step back and look at the situation we’re facing, to think about how we can offer further support to our customers. I made this a personal development insight because I began to think about other words or actions I attached negative beliefs to in my personal life. I considered ‘isolation’. While self- isolation isn’t ideal, it will only have the meaning I allow myself to give it. I instead choose to give it a positive spin. I decided that this is the time to get my bottom into gear, assign myself some goals and save some money. Overall, I think APP Online was a raging success. I can’t wait to see all those involved, in person, in 2021. PATY 2019 WINNER 33 A WILL “The overall message for this session was: look after yourself, look after your staff, don’t panic, and be aware that help and resources are available.” RETAIL PHARMACY ASSISTANTS • MAY 2020