Study Pharmaceutical Public Health

“I wanted to do a postgraduate course, but I wasn’t sure what would be best for me. Then I found the Master of Pharmaceutical Public Health at James Cook University,” Amanda said.

“It was unique, interesting and different from all the other courses offered by other universities. It was also an aspect of pharmacy that I hadn’t thought of before.

“Deciding to study a Master’s degree wasn’t a decision I took lightly, but I realised this course would be perfect for me.”

As a hospital-based pharmacist, Amanda focussed on the clinical aspects of the profession.

She believes the course exposed her to another side of pharmacy.

“Pharmaceutical public health is looking at pharmacy in the community. As pharmacists, we usually deal with the clinical side with individual patients. With the Master of Pharmaceutical Public Health, we were tackling community health as a whole and looking at how we could improve that.”

“We covered clinical information as well as community and public health information and management. I quickly realised I could incorporate this into my day to day work.

“The content enhanced my knowledge. My patients benefited from my ability to better understand their conditions and to get them out of the hospital and back into the community.”

“The other thing I loved about the course was its flexibility and the approachability of lecturers.”

Amanda admits the idea of raising a young family while juggling work and study was daunting.

She decided the best approach was to combine the two part-time, which turned out to be much more manageable than she’d anticipated.

“I was a little intimidated when I first started the course, wondering how I was going to fit it in with young children and home life. But it all worked well. I found the flexibility of the course and the online delivery helped me manage my time,” she said.

“I could pace myself depending on what was going on with my family. I could always get a bit ahead if I knew I had a birthday party or something like that coming up. I’d make sure I had lots of work done and when the event came around I could take the week off. That approach worked well for me.”

Not only did completing the course build her skills, but it also gave her a great sense of achievement.

“It enhanced me as a pharmacist. I found my knowledge of clinical and community problems improved and I could communicate better with my patients.

“It also gave me confidence in all parts of my life. It was an amazing feeling when I graduated. To know that I had done all that while working and looking after my family. It was very satisfying.”

Find out more about studying a Master of Pharmaceutical Public Health at James Cook University.