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30 April 2025
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30 May 2025EXPERIENCE New Zealand university trio stationed in regional NSW to learn pharmacy skills
An ‘incredible opportunity’ for students
THREE pharmacy students from the University of Otago in New Zealand have come to Dubbo to learn about regional Australia pharmacy.
Hosted by Life Pharmacy Group as part of a Pharmacy Phusion initiative, the month-long program places students Aisling Casey, Jonah Smith, and Zandra Hinton in some of the group’s busiest pharmacies, including Dubbo’s Orana Mall Pharmacy – to get first-hand experience in Australian rural pharmacy practice.
For Aisling Casey, the experience has been a long time coming.
“We have been here for 5 days so far, one day in Sydney and the remainder in Dubbo and have found it wonderful. I was pleasantly surprised by the town and all the fun things it could offer,” he said.
“I have always loved rural pharmacy, and it seemed like such an incredible opportunity to experience rural pharmacy in Australia, which we don’t get taught in NZ,” she said.
“I attended the NAPSA congress earlier this year in Brisbane, and so I wanted to learn more about the expanding scope of pharmacist practice, and this seemed like the perfect program to get that experience.”
Ms Casey, who lived in NSW as a child, said it felt natural to return – and that the team at Life Pharmacy Group has made the transition easy.
“I’ve loved it! Life Pharmacy Group really take care of their employees, and everyone has been so lovely and welcoming and patient with us as we learn more about Australian Pharmacy practice,” she said.
What’s stood out to her most, however, are the conversations she’s had across all stages of the pharmacy profession.
“It has been great getting to talk to people at different stages of their career in Pharmacy, from students to interns, early career pharmacists, and even pharmacists with incredible experience,” she said.
“As we approach the transition from student to intern, the conversations I’ve had have been so valuable.”
Jonah Smith echoed that sentiment, sharing that he came into the program with an eye on possibly moving to Australia for his internship year.
“I have been to Australia a number of times in my life and have always enjoyed it here and have been considering doing my internship year next year here in Australia,” he said.
“This opportunity to come to Australia for pharmacy experience felt perfect for me… I always enjoy a good adventure away from home and new experiences.”
Mr Smith described Dubbo as warm and welcoming – both literally and figuratively.
“We have been here for 5 days so far, one day in Sydney and the remainder in Dubbo and have found it wonderful. I was pleasantly surprised by the town and all the fun things it could offer,” he said.
“I have found the people here to be very friendly and good for a laugh. The weather has also been phenomenal although I have been told we’ve been lucky on that account.”
Technology in the pharmacy setting has also left an impression on the visiting students. Mr Smith noticed how different it felt from the systems they’re used to in New Zealand.
“The pharmacy that we’ve been working at, the Orana Mall Pharmacy, has been surprisingly more technologically advanced than any New Zealand pharmacy I have worked in,” he said.
“With quite different systems to working in New Zealand that I have found very attractive and intuitive.”
Fellow student Zandra Hinton said she was especially excited to learn about Australian medicine use and regulations.
“While in Australia I am keen to understand the similarities and differences in clinical protocols, medicine use and regulatory practices between Australia and NZ,” she said.
“I decided to take part in this program as I have always liked the idea of rural pharmacy and additionally, I saw it as a great opportunity to learn about Australian pharmacy practice.”
Outside the pharmacy walls, all three have enjoyed the regional lifestyle and sights – particularly the famous Taronga Western Plains Zoo and local walking trails.
“Dubbo is a lovely little town, which we have enjoyed exploring, including walking along the trail by the river and exploring the well-known Dubbo Zoo,” Ms Hinton said.
Otago Students Jonah Smith, Aisling Casey and Zandra Hinton
Ms Casey said Dubbo was much bigger than she thought it would be, but loved that it still had a ‘small town’ feel.
One unexpected highlight has been working alongside Uzair Qamar, a pharmacist at Orana Mall who – like them – studied at Otago.
“Of course – we are so lucky that Uzair also went to the University of Otago and underwent his internship here,” Ms Casey said.
“He has been so helpful in answering all our questions and showing us around Dubbo.”
Mr Smith said Mr Qamar understands the differences between practice in Australia and New Zealand and has helped to guide them through the first couple of days.
“In the coming month we will be meeting up with a few more students who I personally knew a lot more, so of course am always looking forward to seeing friends,” he said.
All three students say they’re looking forward to what the rest of the month brings.
“It has already been such an incredible experience getting to tour around the different pharmacies with Life Pharmacy Group,” Ms Casey said.
“Thank you to everyone who has been involved – even the Dubbo locals that I’ve had the privilege of chatting to while here.”
(BY) Clara Bastow
Daily Liberal
Published 14 May 2025
