The 2006 PSA Pharmacy Student of the Year award is underway again, and later this year we’ll know who is Australia’s top pharmacy student.

Aimed at final year pharmacy students, the PSA Pharmacy Student of the Year award has counselling as its focus. The award recognises the importance of communication and counselling skills in best pharmacy practice.

NAPSA President, Georgina Lippis encourages students to participate in the Pharmacy Student of the Year award. She said, "The award is an ideal chance for students to put their counselling skills and pharmacy knowledge to the test against their peers on a national stage, with the added benefit of winning some considerable travel prizes. But perhaps most importantly, the award offers students a vital opportunity to add a significant award to their CV."

PSA National President, Brian Grogan said, "The Pharmacy Student of the Year award is a tremendously popular competition and provides an ideal opportunity for pharmacy students to demonstrate to our profession the high level of counselling skills they possess. Each year, I am impressed with the students’ counselling abilities, and the selection of an overall winner is always an extremely challenging task. I’m sure we’ll see a similar high standard in 2006."

The valuable support from Alphapharm, one of Australia’s leading pharmaceutical companies, allows PSA to provide the PSA Pharmacy Student of the Year State Finalists with an Alphapharm State Travel Prize valued at $1400 each, and the National Finalist with the Alphapharm National Travel Prize valued at $6500.

As the exclusive sponsor of this prestigious award, Alphapharm CEO John Montgomery said, "As part of Alphapharm’s continuing support for the future of Pharmacy, we look forward to seeing the upcoming leaders of our profession in action at the final counselling session. The PSA Student of the Year Award confirms that the future of the profession is in good hands."

There are two main stages to the award process:

1. Each PSA Branch identifies a State Finalist, who will receive the Alphapharm State Travel Prize of an expenses paid trip to PSA’s premier education calendar event, Pharmacy Australia Congress (PAC) to be held in Cairns from 6–8 October.
   
2. At PAC State finalists will compete for the title of 2006 PSA Pharmacy Student of the Year at the national counselling event on the afternoon of Friday October 6. The National Winner will be announced at the PAC Gala Dinner on Saturday 7 October, receiving the Alphapharm National Travel Prize for pharmacy-specific education.

Kristen Anderson, winner of the 2005 PSA Pharmacy Student of the Year, will use her Alphapharm National Travel Prize to attend the 52nd IPSF Congress in Cairns later this year. This years’ winner can look forward to attending the IPSF conference in Taipei, Taiwan in August 2007.

For more information on the 2006 PSA Pharmacy Student of the Year contact the Head of any of the University Pharmacy Schools or the local PSA Branch on 1300 369 772, or visit www.psa.org.au/psoty