Second year Master of Pharmacy student Shanae Hancey has won the Western Australian Pharmacy Student of the Year Award, which was announced by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA). Shanae will now travel to the PSA15 Conference in Sydney to compete in the national final in July and August.
The awards are an opportunity for Curtin’s pharmacy students to showcase their abilities to the pharmacy profession, while also giving them a chance to apply their skills and be judged on them.
In a role-play in a mock pharmacy setting, Shanae was required to interact with a pregnant customer who had been experiencing constipation. To assess the situation Shanae questioned her regarding her current symptoms, duration, medication history and whether she had attempted to resolve the issue already.
From there, Shanae was able to recommend a medication and explain how to take it, taking care to make sure her customer understood what side effects it might have. Shanae was also able to recommend a few dietary changes that could also help alleviate the condition.
Teresa Di Franco of WA PSA said Shanae had been a standout among the finalists for her communication skills and her clinical knowledge.
“She was very confident and impressed the judges with her deep understanding and ability,” Teresa says.
Shanae was delighted that her skills were recognised and the competition proved she was becoming an effective practitioner.
“It has been wonderful to have my hard work and dedication to the profession recognised within the pharmacy community,” Shanae says.
“It is often hard to judge how well you truly are doing, and whether you have the knowledge it takes to be a great pharmacist. This competition has taught me to be more confident in myself and my recommendations, and that one day I will emerge as the successful pharmacist I have worked so hard to become.”
