Western Health

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Western Health is the largest healthcare provider to one of the fastest growing and most diverse regions in Australia. We care for more than one million people with complex care needs ranging from neonates to geriatrics.

We provide services from four acute public hospitals: Sunshine Hospital (including Joan Kirner Women's and Children's), Footscray Hospital, Williamstown Hospital and Bacchus Marsh & Melton Hospital. We also operate Sunbury Community Hospital, Boollam Boollam in Williamstown, Melton Health and Community Services, Bacchus Marsh Community Health Centre, Caroline Springs Community Health Centre, Grant Lodge Residential Aged Care in Bacchus Marsh, and the new Mental Health and Wellbeing Centre in Sunshine.

Western Health is fast becoming known as a vibrant, progressive organisation with a focus on achieving excellence in education, research and providing an extensive range of clinical services.

We encourage innovations in patient care, staff professional development and research activities. Our clinicians, nurses and allied health professionals are involved in a diverse range of activities that have received recognition at local, national and international levels. Western Health has links with The University of Melbourne, La Trobe University and Victoria University of Technology.

The Western Health Pharmacy Department consists of over 200 pharmacists and support staff providing a range of clinical, operational and other support services to emergency, inpatients, specialist outpatients’ clinics and home therapies.

Intern program information

About the hospital’s pharmacy intern program information - CLICK HERE

7 intern positions are available (five government-funded, plus two hospital-funded).

Pharmacy interns at Western Health start in the first week of January and are required to have provisional AHPRA registration. The seven interns undertake two-week intensive orientation and introduction to the overall department. Our intern program offers a variety of rotations across Sunshine and Footscray campuses that include:

Operational

  • Manufacturing ​​(Non-sterile)
  • Dispensary (Inpatient and Outpatient)

Clinical

  • General Surgery
  • General Medicine​
  • Gastroenterology
  • Infectious Disease
  • Respiratory​
  • Cardiology​
  • Maternity
  • Aged Care
  • Orthopaedics
  • Neurology​
  • Electives: Emergency, Paediatrics, Mental Health, Clinical Trials

Quality

  • Medication Safety
  • Medicines Information​

Other activities

  • Antimicrobial Stewardship Ward Rounds​
  • Acute Pain Management Service Ward Rounds​
  • Hospital Outreach Medication Reviews​
  • Quality Improvement Projects (IFP)

Interns are also included on our weekend roster (one shift every seven weeks) which contribute to the total number of supervised practice hours.

Throughout the program, interns are provided supervision by experienced pharmacists during each rotation while developing appropriate levels of competencies and responsibilities as outlined in our in-house competency framework. As the year progresses, interns will be given a larger patient load to manage while still under pharmacist supervision. Interns are expected to develop their skillset so that by the end of their program, they meet the national entry level pharmacist competencies.

We provide weekly tutorials that cover a range of clinical, primary care and legislative topics. These are designed not only to prepare the interns for their exams but prepares them to become competent pharmacists. Several practice exams are conducted under exam conditions.

Each pharmacy intern is allocated a mentor pharmacist for additional support and guidance throughout their intern year.

We support the Monash Intern Training Program (ITP) and Monash Intern Foundation Program (IFP). Western Health is an accredited site for the AdPha Resident Training Program.

Contacts

Ms Julie Vi and Ms Kathy Phan (Senior Education Pharmacists)

Email: julie.vi@wh.org.au or kathy.phan@wh.org.au

T: 0466 377 535/ 8345 7349

Intern positions

7 total (5 DHHS funded, 2 hospital funded)

Other resources

Online information session - dates TBC.