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Supporting breastfeeding is important but…..we don’t make enough money that way. That’s why we think alternatives are important.
Wouldn’t it be great if the undergrad pharmaceutical degree included some basic breastfeeding information about supply and demand, mastitis etc. Often pharmacists may receive their infant feeding knowledge from formula reps…not sure how useful this is for women who would like to breastfeed. But so glad to see you included contact information for the Australian Breastfeeding Association. When women come into pharmacies they are often looking for help not just a tin a formula. Please see the recently completed World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative assessment of Australia which looks at the status of Health Professional education in Australia (Indicator 5) https://wbtiaus.com/2018/05/24/australia-report-card-2018/ I would love to chat if you have time, thank you, Naomi 😉
G’day Naomi
You know a lot about breastfeeding, but nothing (it seems) about pharmacist training
Jarrod, I don’t understand how your reply is adding to the conversation. It is true that breastfeeding struggles to find a place in the curriculum, and that currently pharmacists are generally underprepared to advise women seeking help. This is a space in which we could make a real impact on public health if we were educated to do more than simply make formula recommendations.
What do you feel that we should know about pharmacist training that would alter the content of Naomi’s comment?
Does breastfeeding struggle to find a place in the curriculum?
It was in my degree when we studies physiology, again when we studied nutrition. That was 20 years ago…. but from my observations the degrees haven’t dropped content.
in addition, there are many CPD modules available on breastfeeding from multiple providers that pharmacists have access to. I am familiar with pharmacists who have created novel services specifically to assist new mothers with breast feeding, or provide access to breast pump hire.
The point I find most egregious here is that there is an implication that pharmacists training in this area is provided by reps of companies selling formula. This is a gross generalisation, and in fact I don’t think I have ever spoken with a “formula rep” in 20 years of practice.