Page 21 - RPA Magazine December 2020

While the Pharmacy Assistant of the Year award went virtual this year due to Covid-19, the experience was nonetheless very rewarding for everyone involved – an experience that, as editor of Retail Pharmacy Assistants magazine, I’m so glad to have been a part of this year. By Margaret Mielczarek. y the time this magazine goes live, it will be three months since I enjoyed one of the most enlightening and rewarding experiences of my time as editor of Retail Pharmacy Assistants magazine to date: being part of the judging panel of the Pharmacy Assistant of the Year (PATY) award. I joined Pharmacy Guild Queensland Branch Training Manager Alison Hope, representatives from AFT Pharmaceuticals, branch judges from each state and territory, and previous PATY state and territory winners for a busy but extremely rewarding two weeks. The PATY awards were planned to be held in person. However, as with most other events in 2020, Covid-19 threw a spanner in the works and the PATY awards became virtual events held online via Teams and Zoom. Kicking off at 9.30am each day, we, the judging panel, made our way virtually around the country, meeting a cohort of some very talented pharmacy assistants, who each shared their knowledge, expertise, experience and stories from working in their communities. Naturally, there was some nervousness and excited tension, but it soon became evident that the calibre of candidates was strong. After a brief introduction, the judging panel was tasked with asking each candidate a set of questions (one per judge). Qualities we were looking for were drive; passion; confidence; humility; willingness to learn, grow and develop; effective, concise communication skills; and the ability to be industry ambassadors not only for the community pharmacy that each candidate represented, but also for the entire industry of present and future pharmacy assistants, nationwide. We were also looking for a customer service superstar, a standout pharmacy assistant who displayed clear passion for his/her customers, someone willing to go that extra mile to make a difference in the lives of their customers. From early on there were some strong displays of ambassadorship and customer service. It was soon clear that judging was not going to be an easy task, with some very strong candidates to assess. While the choice was sometimes difficult and required some deliberation, ultimately we chose those we thought were standouts: the assistants who would best represent the industry. I’m proud of the 2020 PATY state and territory winners we chose, and of Benjamin King, our 2020 PATY national winner. I’m certain and can confidently say that they all qualify as outstanding ambassadors for the industry and will make a big difference to their communities and to the industry as a whole in the year to come. As editor of Retail Pharmacy Assistants magazine, I’m excited about working with all our winners over the next 12 months. What did I learn from this process? While I gained an understanding of how much extensive knowledge you, as pharmacy assistants, all have in healthcare, retail and dispensing, I discovered how much you’re all hungry to know more. This is great to see, as I truly believe you should never stop learning. I also learnt about the sort of information you need and are looking for to continue developing professionally. So, I’m hoping to take these insights and reflect them in the pages of the magazine moving into 2021. For me, not only was PATY 2020 a great way to virtually network and to connect with you all, it was an opportunity to make sure that we tailor the magazine and its features and stories each month to your needs. After all, this is why we’re here: to help you so that you can help your customers. 2020 PATY AWARDS 19 Recognising the outstanding achievement that is being part of the PATY awards process, this year Dermal Therapy (Nice Pak Products) has generously presented Benjamin King with a Dermal Therapy gift pack to help him as he begins his role as our 2020 PATY national winner. Congratulations, Ben! We wish you all the best as you begin your 12-month journey as Pharmacy Assistant of the Year for 2020. The Dermal Therapy (Nice Pak) gift pack presented to 2020 PATY award national winner Benjamin King of Alice Springs Pharmacy in the Northern Territory. RETAIL PHARMACY ASSISTANTS • DEC 2020