Empowering pharmacists in palliative care: PSA’s national training program

An article written by Leah Robinson and Megan Tremlett, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia

As Australia’s population ages and the demand for quality palliative care grows, pharmacists have a vital role to play in supporting compassionate and person-centred care. To prepare the profession to meet this demand, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) has launched the ASPIRE Palliative Care Pharmacist Foundation Training Program, supported by the Australian Government under the National Palliative Care Projects Grant Program.

The program’s goal is clear: to equip Australian pharmacists across all practice settings with the knowledge, skills, and compassion needed to support people receiving palliative care and their carers through the safe and quality use of medicines. While not intended to prepare pharmacists to specialise in palliative care, ASPIRE aims to broadly upskill pharmacists and prepare them to provide patient-centred care with confidence and cultural sensitivity.

Foundation Built on Evidence and Collaboration

The development of this training was both evidence-driven and inclusive. A systematic literature review and extensive stakeholder consultation process were undertaken, revealing that while many pharmacists already support people with palliative care needs, only a small fraction have undertaken formal training.

PSA responded with an evidence-based, well-rounded and practical foundation training program, developed in consultation with palliative care subject matter experts, researchers and patient advocates. The program features eight one-hour, CPD-accredited modules with video interviews from 23 subject matter experts woven throughout the content. It’s hosted on PSA’s learning platform and is available free of charge to all registered pharmacists, interns and students.

Course Modules and Key Themes

Each module features practical information, animation, interviews and interactive case studies to support pharmacists to reflect on their individual practice. Topics include:

Introduction to Palliative Care – Principles, care settings, and disease overviews.
The Pharmacist’s Role in Palliative Care – Ethical considerations, medicine access, and advocacy.
Person-Centred Care – Communication, diverse populations, and trauma-informed care.
Supporting Carers – Recognising carers’ roles and helping them navigate care systems.
Trajectory and Symptoms – Disease progression, symptom identification, and functional decline.
Symptom Management – Medicines, non-pharmacological approaches, and anticipatory prescribing.
Interdisciplinary Palliative Care – Care coordination and effective collaboration among healthcare teams.
Grief, Bereavement and Self-Care – Supporting patients and carers through grief and ensuring pharmacists care for their own wellbeing.

The modules were shaped by input from a team of nine expert authors and reviewers including Dr Paul Tait, Professor Liz Reymond and Penelope Tuffin. PSA engaged Sorry Business Consultant Eliza Munro (Gamilaroi) to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural considerations around death and dying were appropriately included throughout the program.

Turning Learning into Practice: Aspirations to Action

A bespoke feature of the ASPIRE program is a downloadable ‘Aspirations to Action Plan’ which encourages pharmacists to capture their own reflections, identify and save resources and references for later use, consider practical improvements for their practice, map their local palliative care networks and set tangible goals for implementing new knowledge. By linking education to everyday practice, the plan ensures that learning is not only theoretical but practical and actionable.

A Growing Impact

Since the launch of ASPIRE in Mid-May 2025, over 600 pharmacists have already enrolled to undertake the training—an encouraging sign of the profession’s commitment to enhancing care for people at the end of life. This growing community of up skilled pharmacists is helping to embed palliative care capabilities across the country, from metropolitan to regional settings.

To learn more or enrol, visit Training Plan: ASPIRE Palliative Care Foundation Training Program or contact project leads Leah Robinson or Megan Tremlett.

Together, we’re building stronger foundations in palliative care—because every Australian deserves dignity and support at the end of life.