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P.O Box 297.
Alstonville. 2477
NSW Australia

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I was desperately looking forward to getting out of University life, and the associated decision making processes that seemed to be bureaucratically based.
But it appears that for many of the pharmacy graduates, it was a case of out of the pan and into the fire.
On February 18th, all NSW pharmacy graduates must attend a compulsory introductory lecture to the pharmacy graduate training course.

The event is held on a Monday morning, beginning at 9:30am.
Like a few of my fellow Sydney University graduates, and many of the Charles Sturt graduates, I have chosen to do my registration in a pharmacy that is not located within the confines of Newcastle, Wollongong or Sydney, where approximately 90% of NSW pharmacies are located.
Yet I must make a three and a half hour journey, at my own expense, to attend a speech which I have already heard twice.
Three of my colleagues also must make a three and a half hour journey solely for this lecture.
Having moved to Darwin though, their journey will be by plane, and will also be at their own expense.
I understand that graduates from Broken Hill will also be flying in; graduates from Albury will be driving for six solid hours; and a couple of cars will also be departing from Lismore.
I am by no means denying the necessity of the presentation.
But in this day and age of technology, I thought that some form of video link up, downloadable presentation, or old fashioned posted material would have sufficed.
It is the practicality that is causing problems.
The same practicality issues arise with Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE) points for rural based pharmacists, and one solution formed was videotaping CPE presentations and allowing rural based pharmacists access to these presentations in order to gain required points, and yet apparently the same system will not suffice.
Scholarships are also available for rural based pharmacists to attend CPE seminars which help to offset travel and accommodation costs.
Subsidised travel and CPE video tapes were established to help pharmacists in rural locations stay abreast of the latest in their profession; to ensure that there would always be enough pharmacists and pharmacies in rural locations.
Many of the graduates are disillusioned, and many have a long drive to help them think about the merits of staying in a rural location to practise if this is how the profession beholds them.
Still, I guess they knew what they were getting themselves into when they rejected capital city employment.

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