Pharmaceutical Society of Australia

From Freepedia

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia or PSA is the professional organisation of Australian pharmacists. PSA is the body that represents the entire pharmacy profession in Australia, though it is often overshadowed by the more widely known Pharmacy Guild of Australia. PSA is a leading provider of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and practice support programs for Australian pharmacists, and also organises various pharmacy events including the Pharmacy Australia Congress (PAC) and the Clinical Pharmacy Exposition. PSA publishes the Australian Pharmaceutical Formulary, the Australian Pharmacist journal, and various other pharmacy publications.

Members of PSA are entitled to use the postnominal MPS, while Fellows of the Society are entitled to use FPS.

Structure and history

PSA was formed in 1977 and is a federation of the six state pharmaceutical societies, several of which were in existence before Federation. The Western Australian branch is the only one which retains a regulatory role, similar to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, whereas the other branches are incorporated societies.

PSA is currently moving towards a unified national structure, formerly known as the Towards One Pharmaceutical Society (TOPS) initiative. During 2005, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Transitional Authority (PSATA) was formed as a national decision-making body with the power to make binding decisions on branches.

The six state societies are: