Talented intern pharmacist Ayomide (Mide) Ogundipe is the winner of the 2019 PSA MIMS Intern Pharmacist of the Year Award.
Presented at PSA's flagship conference PSA19 today, the award recognises intern pharmacists who demonstrate outstanding performance in their development as professional pharmacists, acting as role models amongst Early Career Pharmacists (ECP).
Ms Ogundipe completed her internship at Pharmacy 777 in Perth in 2018.
During her intern year she was actively involved in PSA's ECP Working Group in WA, was Executive Director of Public Relations at the National Australian Pharmacy Students' Association (NAPSA), and played a significant role in driving the International Pharmaceutical Students' Federation (IPSF) Asia Pacific Regional Office initiatives.
Ms Ogundipe also successfully introduced a number of innovative programs and services to her practice, including Your Health Expo.
In accepting her award, Ms Ogundipe said her greatest learning experience as an intern was deciding her areas of interest and developing her professional practice in a manner that allows her to have a solutions-based outlook. She also provided advice to new pharmacy interns.
"Take ownership of your role and allow yourself to stay teachable – you are a few steps away from your general registration, use the year to consolidate everything you've learnt throughout your studies, build your professional experience and find areas that interest you. There is something to learn from everyone," she said.
MIMS Australia is the leading sponsor of the award and contributed the major prize of $5,000 for the winner to put towards attending any pharmacy or educational conference approved by PSA.
Robert Best, CEO of MIMS Australia and New Zealand said, "For over 55 years, MIMS has been and continues to be, committed to supporting young healthcare professionals from all parts of the healthcare ecosystem.
"It is with immense pleasure that we support community and hospital pharmacists and the interns within them by providing world class medications information that support excellence in patient care and medication management.
"Being able to reward excellence in young innovative people and recognise their outstanding contributions is extremely exciting for the entire team at MIMS. These interns are the future of pharmacy!"
