Almost all Australians will need medication at some point in their lives. For pharmacist Paige Stansfield, it’s therefore absolutely essential it is appropriate, safe and effective.
Problem solving what works best for each individual patient and their condition is a challenging and collaborative effort as “every body is a different body,” she said.
A former Sarina State High School student, Paige is now fully qualified and works at Mackay Base Hospital after completing her internship at Mackay Hospital and Health Service last year.
“I always knew I wanted a career in healthcare and allied health is a stream where you spend a lot of time interacting with patients,” Paige said.
“I’ve always wanted to help people and serve my community and healthcare obviously has such an impact on people’s lives, particularly in rural and regional areas.”
When her family moved to Barcaldine after she graduated high school, Paige took the opportunity to take a gap year and work as a pharmacy assistant out west. It solidified her decision to study pharmacy.
After four years of study at QUT, she applied for an internship in Mackay last year and is now enjoying exploring all sides of pharmacy from general through to surgical.
“Mackay has a broad range of cases presenting due to the size of the hospital and health service,” Paige said.
“You are exposed to a lot more conditions here as well as different pharmacy specialities like renal and oncology.”
“I really love interacting with both the clinicians and patients and reconciling the impact of medications. In the pharmacy, we work closely with other health professionals too including speech therapists and I really enjoy the connectedness here at MHHS and the multi-disciplinary approach.”
Paige relishes the sense of community which comes with living in a regional centre and would encourage health professionals to consider rural positions.
“Rural or regional healthcare facilities are also an awesome place to learn as you get more one-on- one time with supervisors and there is a broad section of experienced pharmacists with varied specialities available to you,” she said.
“You see a lot of interesting cases, you get more time with patients so you get to know them and what’s important to them so we can align our goals of medication which is important,” she said.
“We also help them understand why medications have been prescribed and manage their expectations.”
“It’s a great team here in Mackay and one which encourages good work/life balance.”
“I really feel when I come to work each day that I’m making a difference here and having an impact on people’s lives.”
