Congratulations to our Amcal Pharmacist of the Year, Rowan Lowe of Amcal Donnybrook Pharmacy who also won the Pharmacist of the Year – Leadership award at the recent Sigma Pharmacist Summit!
Rowan has been at the helm of Donnybrook Pharmacy for 12 years, transitioning the business from a retail model to a health services-focused approach through a partnership with Amcal. His career began on the Gold Coast and included experiences in Perth before seizing the opportunity in Donnybrook, WA.
He attributes his success to investing in team development, fostering a positive workplace culture, and enhancing patient access to health services. Rowan said, “The biggest lessons I’ve learned over the years have been in people management. I am continually learning how to be an effective leader, and to empower and engage my team to best set us up for professional satisfaction and success. One of the biggest rewards has been to watch the team thrive.”
So what makes Amcal Donnybrook Pharmacy stand out?
Eight years ago, they introduced health services and have adopted an increasingly structured and professional approach to delivering these services. To accommodate current and future growth in healthcare services, they built three large clinic rooms and established robust systems for managing booking and health services workflows. With the expansion of Western Australian pharmacists’ scope of practice, Amcal Donnybrook are able to easily incorporate new services such as UTI consultations and increased scope of vaccinations and will be ready for pharmacist prescribing when it comes to WA. The pharmacy offers a wide range of professional services including a Sleep Clinic, Diabetes Clinic, Hearing Screening Clinics, oral contraceptive resupply consultations and prescribing, natural health consultations, travel health consultations, vaccinations, medication packing and reviews, cholesterol checks, and myDNA checks.
Through its diverse health services offering, Amcal Donnybrook attracts customers from within their regional farming town and surrounding towns. Customers hear about the pharmacy through word-of-mouth, promotional activities and healthcare provider referrals. Rowan said, “The development of the pharmacy from a traditional country town pharmacy with stock spinners everywhere, into a healthcare destination has definitely been a career highlight.”
This year the pharmacy will be offering a Wound Care Clinic which has been on Rowan’s list of services to offer the community for some time. Farmers who dislike seeing a doctor often come in with wounds, to have them treated initially or for ongoing assessment. By having an accessible clinic, Rowan hopes locals will feel comfortable coming to the pharmacy for wound assistance. His team is excited about launching a new service and is working collaboratively to design team training and service resources.
Rowan expressed deep gratitude for his recent win at the Summit, emphasising how special it was to be honoured for his role as a pharmacist, noting “I feel very motivated to keep moving forward, working towards further improvements and contributing to change in our profession”.
We are so grateful to have Rowan as part of our Amcal family and congratulate him on this well-deserved win!
