The AJP Podcast

About The AJP Podcast

The podcast by pharmacists, for pharmacists, brought to you by the AJP. Each episode, join a diverse panel of pharmacists from all settings and experience levels discussing topics that affect pharmacists in day to day practice – such as ability & gender diversity in pharmacy, and medicinal cannabis.

Publisher

Australian Journal of Pharmacy

Category

business · health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

31 Mar 2019

Latest episode

7 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

163 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Oct 2026

   Do ECPs need ‘Odyssey’ years?

   FIP early career pharmacist group president Yi Ling Ng talks to Carlene McMaugh about how pharmacy is changing in Malaysia and internationally – including paid professional services “When I first joined community pharmacy, I also asked myself, ‘Is it possible to maintain professionalism while ensuring the pharmacy remains sustainable?’ Ng says. “And my answer is now yes, it is entirely possible. So one of the examples is our vitamin D screening service. “At the beginning, we assumed the service had to be free, otherwise people would not come and they would think we have other intentions. “We also assumed that the public in Malaysia may not be willing to pay for a pharmacist-led service, but we were wrong. “Even when the service was offered at its original price of 35 ringgit [AUD$12.28], people are willing to pay and they’re interested to know about their health. “So I believe they were not paying only for the test itself, but they’re also paying for the interpretation, the pharmacist recommendation, the personalised vitamin D dosing advice, and the confidence that someone is helping them to understand what to do next.” Highlights include: 00:59 – About the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP)’s early career pharmaceutical group 02:42 – “I think one of the biggest challenge that early career professionals are facing now is about identity” 04:01 – Advancing pharmacist-led care programs on an international scale 05:36 – Some of Ng’s favourite initiatives 07:48 – The future – and the “Odyssey years” 09:43 – Connecting with global pharmacy bodies 11:22 – A typical day for Ng 13:24 – “In Malaysia, I think one of the biggest opportunities for pharmacist-led care is preventive care” 15:14 – “I think the biggest frustration is recognition” 18:14 – Learnings in financial sustainability 20:01 – How the perception of pharmacists in Malaysia has shifted 21:54 – The most important change the profession could make – and a sad story about a patient Ng wanted to help 25:33 – “I think pharmacist led care programs need to evolve from a standalone pharmacy services into a more integrated primary care pathways” 27:46 – How Ng advocated for unwanted medicines disposal 29:52 – “I think the one piece of advice I would give to early career self or the early career pharmacists around me is to not be afraid of uncertainty and change” 31:13 – Getting involved with FIP 32:29 – What’s next for Ng 33:34 – Stay curious! You can access the full transcript of this podcast here. While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts. These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

2. 

   23 Sept 2026

   ‘We really need some change and we need it urgently’

   Caps on the number of HMRs pharmacists can provide are stifling the profession’s capacity to prevent patients from being hospitalised, the AJP Podcast years Consultant Pharmacist of the Year, Kelly Abbott, tells AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh that caps on the Home Medicines Review (HMR) program are “disincentivising things” Based in one of Australia’s most unhealthy regions, Gippsland, Abbott called on politicians to spend some time with her to see the challenges the current policy creates. ” Last month, 59 referrals from GPs arrived in my inbox,” she said. “I desperately would love to see all of those people, and I have got the time. I work so many other roles to fill my time. Why can’t I turn that time into these positive outcomes, reduce the hospitalisations for these people, focus on making us Australia’s second, then third, then fourth, then one day if I’m magical, least unhealthy area? “I don’t think I’ll ever get there, but I would love to be able to make a difference, and I’m stifled right now because the suggestion is that we can make patients pay for a home medication review. “Sure, some of them can afford it, but some of my regions are just so socioeconomically disadvantaged – this is not a priority for them,” Abbott said. “Our food banks are struggling to keep up with the demand. We’re seeing increased crime because they can’t afford things in our local area. “We need to fund things like this to help them afford their medicines, use the right medicines, and stay out of hospital to get them back into employment if we can. This is so important, this service. We’re not asking for much. We’re asking for reality to be brought into policy.” Our key points include: Recruitment and retention challenges in regional and rural areas (1 minute 32) Practising in the GP setting (4:03) Working alongside community pharmacy (5:10) The La Trobe Valley – Australia’s unhealthiest place (6:44) “I’m choosing to live here because they need people like me” (7:49) GPs are gaining confidence in pharmacists’ advice (8:53) Supporting the general practice team (13:41) Pharmacist prescribing (15:56) “We need to encourage our younger pharmacists to give rural a go” (18:21) Treating heart failure (19:56) What happens when the funding runs out (22:06) You can access the full transcript of this podcast here. While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts. These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

3. 

   8 Sept 2026

   ‘We haven’t allowed rural pharmacy to grow’

   It is nearly impossible to find someone with an understanding of rural pharmacy at the meetings where decisions are made, Heather Volks tells the AJP Podcast AJP Podcast host, Carlene McMaugh, discusses life as a rural pharmacist with Charles Darwin University’s pharmacy lead, Associate Professor Heather Volks. Logistical challenges are hindering pharmacists working in rural and remote areas from sharing their experiences with the profession’s peak bodies, Volks says. “We… as the profession, we haven’t allowed rural pharmacy to grow,” she said. “And I think a lot of that is because our lobbying bodies, our policymakers don’t have active participating rural pharmacists on committees… these people can’t take an hour out of their pharmacy day to join a teleconference. “If they want to go to a face-to-face meeting, they can’t logistically get there, and so to find someone that really understands rural pharmacy at the table at a high level meeting is nearly impossible. “And so we’re not getting a true representation of what people on the ground know they need – that voice is not getting through to people that can actually make a difference.” Other key topics include: Professional isolation (2 minutes 08) Drivers of workforce maldistribution (4:15) Lack of understanding of how well-trained pharmacists are (7:54) Rural pharmacies are often independent stores without back office support (9:01) Pharmacist prescribing would be an amazing boost for rural GPs, but pharmacists need to have the capacity to do it (14:20) Rural pharmacists need funding to deliver on expanded scope of practice (16:34) Student placements (17:52) The rewarding side of rural pharmacy (19:51) Doctor of Pharmacy (28:01) Volk’s four asks: Harmonisation of legislation (21:57) Access to PBS funding for pharmacist prescribing (22:28) Having a practicing rural pharmacist at the table when making policy (23:00) New pay award that recognises the different scopes of practice that pharmacists are now working in (23:40) You can access the full transcript of this podcast here. While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts. These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

Who has been a guest on The AJP Podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Amy Page
• medical professional
• Dr Sarah Dineen-Griffin
• Tom Simpson
• Associate Professor Fei Sim

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 52 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

73

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

81

Contact The AJP Podcast

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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