Emma Larouche
14 August 2024: The University of Canberra’s fourth-year Bachelor of Pharmacy student Hayden Scott was named People’s Choice winner in the 2024 PSA Viatris Pharmacy Student of the Year (PSOTY) competition. The award was one of several categories at this year’s Pharmaceutical Society of Australia National Conference (PSA24), held earlier this month.
Mr Scott represented the ACT in the Student of the Year category. The finalists were required to complete a mock scenario in front of a live audience, as a pharmacist assisting a customer coming into a community pharmacy setting.
“During the scenario you have five minutes to figure out why someone has come into the pharmacy and how you might be able to help them,” Mr Scott said.
“You need to identify any medication problems, provide advice, recommend a drug or other pharmacy product if needed, and provide any other relevant information relating to their enquiry.”
While there was a judging panel who decided on the top prize, it was the audience vote that secured recognition for Mr Scott at the national event.
“I feel honoured to have been recognised and to also have had the opportunity to attend the conference, which is an invaluable experience for professional networking, learning new things about the industry and being able to socialise with other students, pharmacists and industry leaders from around the country,” he said.
Growing up in Canberra, Mr Scott said he always knew he wanted to work in healthcare. He is due to graduate with a Bachelor of Pharmacy and undertake an internship year in 2025.
“I love pharmacy because it’s an accessible way to help people and it is a profession that is constantly evolving,” he said.
“Pharmacists are always learning about new medicines and the management of medicines for consumers, and we’ve seen the evolution of vaccination and prescribing trials being delivered through pharmacies.”
Alongside the PSA conference and his award, Mr Scott sees clinical placements as another major highlight of his time at the University.
“I’ve really enjoyed the rural placements, where I did a hospital placement in Burnie, Tasmania and I worked in community pharmacy settings in Broken Hill, NSW and Mount Isa in Queensland,” he said.
“I love the tight-knit communities, and you feel like you’ve really made a difference in those small towns.”
The University was well-represented in the PSA awards, with Bachelor of Pharmacy alumna Jackie Lockley taking out the 2024 Early Career Pharmacist of the Year award.
After graduating in 2019, Ms Lockley has spent the last four years working in community pharmacy in the ACT. She is passionate about pharmacogenomics (how genes affect a person's response to drugs), addressed the stigma around self-harm through establishing Self-Harmers Anonymous Australia and volunteers with the Salvation Army to help inform people about their health, different medicines and access to support services.
“I love my job and I just want to help others,” Ms Lockley said.
“I believe that the majority of us pharmacists genuinely care about the health of our community, and everything I do is just my way of giving back to the profession I love.”