Prescribing pioneer

One of Australia’s first pharmacist prescribers, Therese Lambert MPS is on the lookout for ways to help pharmacists fill healthcare gaps.

What made you choose pharmacy as a career?

I started working in a pharmacy in my local town, Sarina, south of Mackay in Queensland. As a junior at 15 years old, I loved it from the get-go. Most of all, I enjoyed being able to help others. Wanting to work in a medical field but not wanting the pressure of becoming a doctor, I decided to pursue pharmacy as a career.

Why did you decide to become one of the very first pharmacist prescribers?

As a rural pharmacist, I was getting frustrated when patients would come in for advice for minor ailments – especially after hours – when unable to get an appointment with a GP.

We were forced to send them to the local emergency department (ED) when referral to a doctor was required, only for them to come back with a prescription for exactly what I would have prescribed, if able. So, when the opportunity came up for the expansion of pharmacy scope via the Queensland Community Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot, I was all for it. I thought it was a great idea to help to reduce the burden on the healthcare system and help our community.

Is the pharmacist prescribing training onerous? 

The training was the hardest part of my career thus far, but also the most rewarding. When I was at university, I didn’t have three children, a husband or a pharmacy to run – so it was difficult to manage it all. But if I can do it, anyone can if they put their mind to it! I learnt so much and the training significantly expanded my skills so I can be a better pharmacist
to my community.

What do you teach your pharmacy students at JCU?

When James Cook University (JCU) opened up its pharmacy degree in 2021 to include students studying at the Mackay campus, I jumped on board to help out – hoping that we could encourage more pharmacists to stay in the area within the profession to help out with healthcare shortages.

I help tutor pharmacy students locally and support them through their studies and also teach areas of compounding, clinical dispensing and pharmacology.

Last year, I was proud to receive the 2023 JCU Sessional Teaching Award for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning. This was an honour but a surprise, as I just enjoy working with students to support them and hopefully show them how rewarding a career in community pharmacy can be.

What further scope can pharmacists aim for outside the Queensland pilots?

I really hope the government can see how pharmacists on the ground can help our current crumbling healthcare system. Ambulance ramping and emergency wait times are out of control, and more and more people are presenting to EDs for minor ailments – with GP appointment wait times up to 3 weeks in our local area.

Pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare professionals in Australia, so it makes sense that we should be further utilised to help reduce the burden and pressure on fellow healthcare colleagues.

In the future, it would be ideal if pharmacists had Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme prescribing rights and access to the Medicare Benefits Schedule so more patients would be able to access our services.

If an opportunity arose, would you encourage a career in rural pharmacy?

Rural pharmacy is very rewarding, so yes! The rapport you build with your patients and colleagues is amazing and I love the rural community to raise my children in. My rural town is my village.

What advice would you give your younger self and early career pharmacists today?

Be kind to yourself and ensure you have a good work-life balance.

A career in pharmacy can be very rewarding and there are now more and more options and specialities that you can expand into as a pharmacist as our scope of practice continues to evolve.