Maria Santos, 11 January, 2023
Travelling for pharmacy placements allowed Maria Santos to make connections and explore different communities while studying.
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Why did you choose pharmacy?
I wasn’t sure what I would end up studying, but towards the end of Year 12 I met a pharmacist at my local pharmacy who ultimately changed my life within a short interaction. She shared her love for the job as it allowed her to build connections with patients and be part of their healthcare journey, which helped me discover what was important to me. From that day onwards, I knew what I valued most: helping people and making an impact in someone’s life no matter how big or small. Pharmacy became my calling.
What’s it like studying pharmacy at QUT?
I did a lot of research into universities. QUT’s course structure appealed to me—it was comforting to know that I wouldn’t be thrown in the deep end fresh out of high school. Students are supported by teaching staff with diverse professional backgrounds.
There’s a strong emphasis on clinical placements, more than 400 hours over the entire course. This means that I can put what I learn into practice to better prepare myself for the workforce. You also get to choose where you want to go! This has allowed me to explore the many different facets that pharmacy has to offer, find a niche, and most importantly, build meaningful connections with people from all walks of life.
What have you been able to do on placement?
My pharmacy placements have been the most rewarding experience in my studies. Initially I learnt the basics of community pharmacy and went to my local pharmacy where it all began. I then travelled to rural Goondiwindi, four hours west of Brisbane. There I undertook my placement with Allen's Pharmacy and had the oppoturnity to go to home visits for home medicines reviews. It was on this placement that I fell in love with the rural culture.
Yeppoon, northeast of Rockhampton, was my next destination and offered me another taste of rural life while on placement with LiveLife Pharmacy at Keppel Bay Plaza.
Followed that I travelled to Charleville, eight hours west of Brisbane, for a hospital placement with a unique demographic. In my last year I decided to stay within Brisbane and went to Hummingbird House, Queensland’s only paediatric palliative care hospice. I was their first ever pharmacy placement student. It was a beautiful experience that I will treasure forever.
Finally, I finished off my clinical placements at the Gold Coast Interdisciplinary Persistent Pain Centre in Robina where I got to meet patients with chronic pain. These placements have given me so many learning opportunities which would not have been possible with the supportive Work Integrated Learning staff at QUT.
How have you balanced the cost of going on rural placements?
I applied for and received several grants from QUT Rural Pharmacy Workforce Program and Australian Healthcare Associates that provided financial assistance while undertaking rural clinical placements. These grants helped immensely with travel costs and accommodation while I was unable to work during placement, which was a common concern for many of my colleagues.
Something else that really helped me was the affordable student accommodation in Charleville provided by Southern Queensland Rural Health. It isn’t exactly a grant or scholarship, but accommodation support definitely helps manage the cost of going on a rural placement.
How have your placements helped you prepare for your future career?
The relationships that QUT has with placement sites enabled me to make connections with people in industry and professional bodies, who I remain in contact with to this day. Many of my placement sites have generously offered me job opportunities for my internship, as well as invitations to interstate conferences to present my research.
My passion for rural health continues to grow as I embark on my graduate rural internship at Murgon Amcal Pharmacy in 2023.
