Help shape the pharmacy workforce of the future – PAMELA Workforce survey open now
18 December 2023
The Pharmacy in Australia: Measuring Employment, Labour decisions and Activity (PAMELA) pharmacist workforce survey has been launched this week by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA), with support from The University of Queensland.
The survey captures current and future dynamics of the Australian Pharmacy Workforce, including trends in job history, income, career plan, professional commitment, and job satisfaction to help foster a better understanding of workforce decisions.
In launching the survey, PSA National President Dr Fei Sim FPS encourages all pharmacists, at all career stages and across practice areas, to complete the PAMELA survey.
“Decisions around work patterns are complex, and take into account pay and conditions, but also family and personal circumstances, location and professional roles,” Dr Sim said.
“The results of the PAMELA project will help the sector better understand what is motivating pharmacists to make their work decisions, and how policy change can enhance job satisfaction and promote work-life balance across the profession.
“PSA consistently advocates for a national approach to health workforce planning, including measuring trends and the impact of the pharmacist workforce on health outcomes, to support workforce capacity into the future.
“Ensuring that we can continue to meet the future healthcare needs of our ageing population requires understanding our workforce now, so that we appropriately plan for the future.
Professor Lisa Nissen FPS, part of the University of Queensland’s research team supporting the PAMELA project, said that pharmacy schools are also supporting the survey by alerting alumni to the survey.
“Anyone with a pharmacy degree, even if they are not registered or practising, is invited to participate so that we can better understand why some people choose to leave the profession,” Prof. Nissen said.
“It is just as essential to know why people leave the profession for other opportunities or careers, as why they stay.
“Pharmacy schools are training the pharmacists of the future – we need to better understand workforce trends in order to adapt our curriculum to be relevant to the changing practice of pharmacy.”
The PAMELA survey can be accessed here.
Media contact: Georgia Clarke M: 0480 099 798 E: georgia.clarke@psa.org.au
