The Australasian College of Pharmacy (ACP) has announced a revised membership structure designed to benefit a wider continuum of industry participants as well as ensure the College continues to deliver value efficiently to existing members.
The revised membership structure is reportedly going to be phased in from February.
The offerings of the new membership structure will include refreshed clinical, leadership and business management-related learning opportunities for established pharmacists, pharmacy students and retired or non-practising pharmacists including pharmacy industry professionals.
ACP CEO Dr Dimitri Kopanakis says the changes respond to increased demand for training that addresses the evolving needs of the pharmacy industry as frontline healthcare providers and as thriving local businesses.
“Our new membership structure and strategy builds on the foundations of the past 40 years to provide training that is relevant and current, not just in content but also in the delivery because how people want to access professional development is very different now,” says Dr Kopanakis.
“We’re giving members more flexible options and we are acknowledging that pharmacy careers can follow different paths.
“Keeping non-practising and retired pharmacists engaged as members and mentors, for example, means we’re tapping into an incredibly deep source of experience and wisdom for the benefit of the next generation of pharmacy leaders.
“At the same time, we’re giving them opportunities to stay up to date with contemporary practice because they want to continue their lifelong learning,” he says.
Reportedly, another key change to the membership structure is the removal of the corporate rate.
This means that all registered pharmacists will be required to pay a tax-deductible individual membership.
“Like recent generations in many other industries, pharmacy graduates are now far more mobile and hungry for a variety of career experiences,” explains Dr Kopanakis.
“Because they tend not to stay with one employer for as long as they used to, pharmacists need to take their membership with them wherever they work, and not lose any benefits they had under a corporate membership when they leave.”
It’s said, the College anticipates that some existing corporate members may choose to continue supporting their employees’ professional development by paying for or subsidising individual memberships.
New services adding value to the benefits schedule will be rolled out over the next few months, including a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal, a podcast, mentoring and networking events, plus additional micro-credentialing modules.
Existing ACP members will receive all the details of the new membership structure and schedule of benefits so they can plan for when their annual membership renewal falls due.
The ACP website will include updated membership package information from February when the phase-in process begins.
