Are you an outstanding pharmacy assistant? If not, can you think of a colleague, friend, family member, or community member who is?
Now is the time to jump online and nominate them for the 2020 Pharmacy Guild of Australia /Maxigesic Pharmacy Assistant of the Year Award (PATY).
This year, due to COVID-19, the annual Pharmacy Assistant of the Year Award will move entirely online for the first time in the event’s 14-year history, and has been dubbed Virtual PATY.
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia national president, George Tambassis, said that now, more than ever, we needed to recognise and celebrate our top achievers in pharmacy.
“PATY is the premier award for approximately 35,000 pharmacy assistants nationally,” he said.
“It provides a public platform to recognise the high value pharmacy assistants contribute to their pharmacies, the community and the industry.”
Mr Tambassis said the coronavirus pandemic “won’t stop us from acknowledging and celebrating the great work that pharmacy assistants do for the community on a daily basis”.
“This year we had to be a little more innovative and bring the award fully online.”
Nominees will be able to submit a video as part of the nomination process, which will be run through the Pharmacy Guild Queensland Branch’s new Cloud Assess LMS platform.
“The 2020 selection criteria has been amended so nominees can include examples of their frontlineleadership and skills developed during the coronavirus pandemic,” he said.
“State workshops and the national judging workshop will be conducted via Zoom, with successfulnominees enjoying catering via an online meal delivery service.”
The 2019 Pharmacy Assistant of the Year winner Brianne Lowe, from HealthSAVE Pharmacy in Charlestown, said taking out the title last year was a dream come true and she encouraged people to start nominating.
“Winning the award has turned out to be one of biggest achievements in life and it all came so naturally,” she said.
“I’m very grateful to the 2019 PATY finalists for supporting and encouraging me the whole way through – if it weren’t for them I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Brianne said since her win, she had been given many fantastic industry opportunities.
“I have been invited to be a part of so many wonderful things – APP, writing articles, podcasts and many more things yet to come,” she said.
“It is also an amazing feeling to have people come to me and ask my advice on how to do things in their pharmacy.”
The virtual Pharmacy Assistant of the Year Award is now open to all Australian pharmacy assistants with a minimum of two years’ industry experience.
Nominees can either self-nominate or be nominated by a third party.
Several great prizes are available, including a $5,000 cash prize and GuildTraining course for the National Winner.
More information is available at http://pharmacyassistants.com/paty