Aung Du
Runner-up 2017 MIMS/Guild Intern of the Year
Pharmacist and runner-up in the 2017 MIMS/Intern of the Year, Aung Du reflects upon his intern year and the impact it had on the development of his future pharmacy career.
My transition from being a casual student to full-time intern was challenging but rewarding.
I moved from a discount-model pharmacy to a service-based model and felt as if life behind the dispensary as I knew it had completely changed.
I was lucky to complete my intern year at the 2016 Guild Pharmacy of the Year, Pharmacy 777 Nollamara, where patient and community engagement were of chief importance.
These values are exemplified through pharmacist consultations, professional services and community events.
Adapting to this service-based model required me to improve in many aspects, but the team at Nollamara supported me every step of the way.
The team consisted of five pharmacists, two interns including myself, a counsellor and pharmacy assistants — all bringing experience, talent and character to the team.
They taught me many lessons and continuously gave me feedback, which allowed me to reflect and improve on areas of need.
Working at the 2016 Guild Pharmacy of the Year, there was a high level of expectation to be met as an intern, but my colleagues continuously encouraged and pushed me to do better, making 2017 an integral year to my development as a pharmacist.
My passion for pharmacy stems from being able to influence and engage with people from all walks of life.
The World Health Organisation states that health is a ‘complete state of wellbeing, rather than a mere absence of disease,’ which regards quality of life of utmost importance and I aim to exemplify this very definition in everything that I do.
The role of a pharmacist is critical — we have the skills necessary to improve both patients’ disease management and quality of life.
Through medication management and providing education, pharmacists are able to assist with patients’ disease state management and reduce hospitalisation rates.
By adapting a holistic approach to healthcare, we are also able to ensure patients achieve maximal wellbeing.
I have a number of interests in the community, with my main health interest being in wound care.
At Pharmacy 777 Shoalwater, where I am now practising, wounds due to skin tears, surgery and skin cancer removals are prevalent amongst the elderly. Hence, I believe proper wound care has a significant impact on improving the health of the Shoalwater community.
To support better outcomes amongst our patients, I have established a wound care clinic in the pharmacy. In addition, having completed Silver Chain’s wound management master class, I can now confidently work with local health professionals to ensure patients get the best possible results when it comes to wound care.
My second interest includes screening for potential mental health conditions in the pharmacy and linking potential patients with support networks.
Throughout my intern year, I was fortunate to be able to work closely with an exceptional counsellor. This experience showed me firsthand the benefits of a counselling service in the management of mental health conditions.
Outcomes such as having self-worth and resilience cannot be achieved through pharmacotherapy alone and I believe that by equipping myself with the skills necessary for primary prevention, I am able to better support and refer patients to appropriate health professionals.
Now that I am registered, being a pharmacist has given me the confidence to make a positive contribution to my community.
Outside of work, I regularly volunteer at the local nursing home, hospital, seniors’ activities centre and the mental health rehab centre.
Having humility and sacrificing my own time for the greater good of the community have allowed me to develop personally and professionally.
As pharmacists are easily accessible health professionals, I believe that if I am able to communicate with and understand people better, I will have a greater impact on influencing patient health outcomes.
I am now in my first year of practice and as I think about what I can do to make a greater impact on the health of communities, there are two goals I would like to achieve.
My first goal is to expand my scope of practice, allowing me to greater assist the community through postgraduate training, such as the diabetes educator course.
My second goal is to increase accessibility of pharmacy services to rural Australians. I grew up in rural Western Australia and have seen firsthand the health disparities Australians face due to their geographical location.
In the town where I grew up, the community lived without timely access to pharmacy services and having experienced these barriers to healthcare, I endeavour to practise in rural Western Australia to help bridge these health inequalities.
Thanks to my intern year and early training with supportive, motivated and community-minded mentors, I truly believe that pharmacists have a great opportunity to positively impact on the health outcomes of everyone in their communities.
I am looking forward to continuing to learn and achieve my goals in pharmacy to better support the communities in which I serve.
For more information about the Guild Intern Training Program visit internpharmacist.org.au.