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Think back to when you were a student, brimming with ideas and a spring in your step, wondering, “Why won’t they just listen to us? We’re the ones living it every day.”
For education to stay relevant and responsive to evolving needs, it is essential to embed student perspectives in what is taught at Australian universities and the development of the accreditation standards that impact education. The pharmacy profession is evolving, and students are at the heart of its future. The Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) has a long history of student engagement - now formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding with National Australian Pharmacy Students Association (NAPSA).
We sat down with the Chief Executive Officer of APC, Bronwyn Clark, and NAPSA President, Sebastian Harper, to discuss the newly implemented MOU, formalising our shared commitment to student voice and equity.
Sebastian: Pharmacy students value quality education. The input of students into the process is invaluable, as we are on the ground actively learning and experiencing pharmacy programs as they exist now. We know what's working, and what isn't, and how these programs can better adapt to a rapidly changing environment - be it the professional expectations of a graduate, a shifting digital landscape, or the progressive nature of newer generations seeking greater equity and inclusion.
Prior to 2024, NAPSA did not have a formal agreement with the APC, and such an agreement was identified by our Board as an untapped opportunity for students to get further involved in the wider profession. Only 6 months since its signing, the MoU between NAPSA and the APC has already shown what we can achieve with greater inter-organisational collaboration.
Bronwyn: We have a strong student body in the pharmacy sector, and the importance of their perspective cannot be overstated. Their inclusion ensures our processes are not only robust, but inclusive and grounded in real-world experience. With a dedicated student member now appointed to our Accreditation Committee for a three-year term, we’re committing to more than representation - we’re enabling meaningful, ongoing contributions to decision-making.
It is important that any involvement is not just tokenism or lip service. As Adam Fletcher describes in his Ladder of Student Involvement engagement with students should be meaningful. With APC, students will actively participate in committee discussions, join site visits, and provide feedback that directly informs program improvements. Their voices bring depth and authenticity to our reviews, helping ensure education providers stay aligned with the expectations and lived experiences of students.
This level of engagement also gives students insight into the structures that shape their education and empowers them to influence improvements for future cohorts. It supports leadership development and fosters a deeper understanding of the profession’s standards and governance.
Bronwyn: After NAPSA advocated for one of their Indigenous pharmacy students to join APC’s Indigenous Health Strategy Group and we listened and made it happen.
Through NAPSA's advocacy and our shared commitment to Indigenous representation, we worked together to support the inclusion of one of their Indigenous pharmacy students in the APC Indigenous Health Strategy Group
Students have a unique strength - they see what needs to change and have the fire to speak up. We should listen. By creating a position for an Indigenous student on our wholly- Indigenous Strategy Group, we’re not only offering a seat at the table where decisions are made, we’re also fostering meaningful relationships with key First Nations leaders in pharmacy and supporting the next generation of change-makers.
Sebastian: In May, with the support of APC, over 20 First Nations students gathered in Melbourne for our inaugural Deadly Future Pharmacists Leadership Summit. These students workshopped what they want to see change from the profession, government, their universities, and NAPSA. True self-determination for our identifying students is the goal, and through this event and the next steps for our Indigenous Committee, we are on track for a more equitable profession.
Sebastian: There are a range of annual conferences and professional events available that keeps pharmacists and other industry leaders busy beyond their daily jobs serving the patients of Australia. However, for many students, these events are financially inaccessible particularly during a cost-of-living crisis. Having the opportunity to attend these events help create new generations of leaders. When students attend, they are listened to, and given opportunities that their degree alone could not.
Organisations like the APC are offering many opportunities for students to attend professional events, through reduced registration costs and perhaps most importantly, scholarships. In just one year, the student attendance at the APC's IPE Colloquium more than doubled, and those students by their own words have a reinforced sense of hope and excitement within their profession. NAPSA is of course excited by this momentum in the student space, and all pharmacy organisations should be too.
Bronwyn: Student participation and presence strengthens our events and fosters valuable networking opportunities, motivating them to stay engaged with the profession. We are committed to doing everything we can to support building a strong and collaborative future pharmacy workforce. The more we connect to the student community, the more opportunities we (as a whole) have to listen, to adapt and to impact change.
Our IPE Colloquium event this year saw a record turnout from the student community, where their contributions added enormous value to the event. Hearing from them often brings a reality check - a reminder of what matters most. The feedback we received about student participation at the IPE Colloquium has been overwhelmingly positive.
In 2022, we also signed a Statement of Intent alongside the Council of Deans of Nursing and Midwifery, the Council of Pharmacy Schools, and NAPSA, affirming that students are essential to the future of our professions. It’s vital that registered practitioners value students during placements and take the time to mentor them meaningfully.
Bronwyn: Students are powerful ambassadors for the pharmacy profession. Their enthusiasm and lived experience can help inspire future pharmacists and contribute to interprofessional collaboration from the ground up.
NAPSA is really leading the way in fostering interprofessional collaboration among students. They’ve recently established the Health Students Alliance - a group advocating for placement payments.
Through this Alliance, pharmacy students are now meeting and connecting with students from other health disciplines like physiotherapy. That’s a big step forward, because while most professions have their own student bodies in their universities, many don’t have a national body like NAPSA. It’s the national, interprofessional structure that has the potential to drive real change.
The benefits of student-led interprofessional collaboration are enormous. As the World Health Organisation puts it, health professionals should learn ‘with, from, and about’ each other. The earlier that pharmacy students learn alongside peers from other health disciplines, the better prepared they’ll be to work collaboratively when they enter the workforce. There’s so much to gain from understanding each other’s perspectives and approaches and this kind of early engagement lays the foundation for stronger, more connected healthcare teams.
Sebastian: This collaboration is showing students that the pharmacy profession is incredibly varied, and there are so many moving pieces in the rapid changes we're seeing in the sector. Developments in full scope for example don't just happen overnight. They represent years of work by our profession's leaders to develop policy and advocate to government that pharmacy is key to addressing a struggling healthcare system. Students are becoming more aware that they can play a role beyond their day job and be the next generation of leaders perhaps earlier than they expected.
Bronwyn: Student voices make our systems more inclusive, responsive, and our profession future-ready. APC is proud to walk alongside student leaders as they shape the future of pharmacy. Let’s not only make space for them but elevate them.