Pharmacy students moving into the workforce as practising pharmacists have until 24 January 2011 to enrol in the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia's National Intern Training Program (NITP), the pre-eminent program that helps to equip students for their working career after years of study.

Such is the status of the PSA program that it has been granted accreditation by the Australian Pharmacy Council, the independent accreditation body for the Pharmacy Board of Australia which has been tasked with the accreditation of Intern Training Program (ITP) providers following the implementation of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme on 1 July last year.

A great strength of the program is that it is delivered by the PSA, the professional organisation representing the professional interests of Australia's 23,000 pharmacists and the practice of pharmacy wherever pharmacists work in supporting the Australian health-care system.

This gives it a credibility and depth of knowledge and experience that is second to none and which helps students make the often-difficult move from university endeavour to the working life of a pharmacist.

The PSA program has been developed after consultation with students and early career pharmacists and has a special focus on workplace relevance, with topics and presentations designed to increase the applicability and practical use of pharmacists' skills and knowledge.

The PSA NITP incorporates discussion on national and state-based issues to take into account the NRAS changes and, being a national program, enables interaction between interns and pharmacists across Australia, thereby broadening their knowledge of the profession.

In developing the NITP, PSA has incorporated the advice, experience and skills of a wide range of experts to produce a program that helps new graduates apply their knowledge in a range of workplace situations, and to become valuable team members in any pharmacy.

With a combination of interactive workshops and workplace-based activities, the NITP course is not just an extension of university, but a specifically developed program with a focus on the workplace and the full and practical utilisation of pharmacists' skills and knowledge in practice.

Source:
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia