Congratulations Zoe Robinson
RBWH’s very own pharmacy assistant Zoe Robinson has been awarded the title of Pharmacy Student of the Year at the 2021 Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Awards Night.
Each year a pharmacy student from every state across Australia is chosen to compete for the national award, which focuses on the importance of communication and the clinical decision-making skills required to become a successful pharmacist.
In her final year of study at Queensland University of Technology, Zoe was surprised to be chosen as the state’s champion, and again when she took home the national award.
“It was such an honour to be chosen as Queensland’s representative, and then to have won. I still can’t believe it,” Zoe said.
“Knowing that my lecturers and tutors, as well as my colleagues at RBWH were watching and supporting me, made it even more special.”
One of the big highlights for Zoe was being able to chat to and discuss ideas with her fellow competitors.
“The competition itself was nerve-racking. All of the competitors brought different skill-sets and fresh perspectives,” Zoe said.
“Each state runs their university program a little differently, so it was great to be able to discuss those differences and learn about the other styles that were brought to the competition.
“Moving forward I hope to apply this new knowledge to my own clinical practice, with the hope of increasing positive outcomes for our patients.”
Zoe decided to pursue her undergraduate degree after having worked in the industry for almost nine years.
“I began working in a community pharmacy when I was still in high school, I fell in love with the work, and just never left,” Zoe said.
“I like that I can be there to help patients with their medication needs and provide support for them when they’re at their most vulnerable.
“I have been at RBWH for almost a year now and am constantly amazed by the invaluable insights I’ve gained whilst working in this multi-disciplinary team environment.”
As the winner of the national award, Zoe has received a $5,000 travel prize for pharmacy-specific education, with the hopes of using it to fly her to a US conference in the not-too-distant future.
Amazing efforts, Zoe!