Stawell has the right chemistry for Tara
25 September 2024
Grampians Health Stawell’s first permanent pharmacist is loving both her role and her new home.
Tara Hosseinkhani’s life interests centre around food, festivals and travelling so she sees Stawell as an ideal location to entertain her indulgences. But more importantly, her new role is exactly what she wanted.
Tara studied pharmacy in Brisbane and worked for several years at City clinics and regional centres but she had always wanted to explore more of Australia.
“I’ve travelled Australia on holidays but you get to experience a place more when you live and work there and I wanted to see as much as possible,” Tara said.
“So I joined a locum agency and requested work interstate. I mainly worked in Queensland but also Victoria and Western Australia.
“My very first locum job was at Ballarat Base Hospital in August 2022. While I was there, I was chatting with one of the other locums about places of interest and she suggested I should try working at the Horsham campus because she enjoyed it there.
“I eventually got a contract at Horsham and when that finished, I was offered Ararat or Stawell. I didn’t mind which one so I let the agency decide and they arranged for me to start at Stawell.”
Tara said she had never heard of Stawell previously and was mispronouncing it when she arrived.
“I hadn’t even heard of the Stawell Gift and yet it is clearly a national icon. But it didn’t take me long before I was loving being here,” she said.
“I kept renewing my agency contract and after several months I decided this was where I wanted to be.
“Stawell is very different to every other hospital I’ve worked. It’s very unique in lots of ways.
“I’ve now worked at all Grampians Health campuses with pharmacies but this is the only campus where you are the sole pharmacist on site and you have all the responsibilities.
“Those responsibilities are complex and challenging but in a good way. You learn a lot on the job and I wanted to have that experience for my own professional growth. It’s a good feeling when you overcome a challenge and you achieve a good outcome.
“The other big reason I wanted to stay at Stawell is that the Grampians Health pharmacy team I work with is very supportive and inspiring, both at Horsham and Ballarat and I’ve really enjoyed working with them.
“I learn something new every day and the hospital here has many good people that I enjoy working with each day. I also love the area because my passions are food, fashion and festivals. I have really embraced the lifestyle of small town living especially in Stawell. I’ve never lived in a town with no traffic lights.
“I like the community feel and the close proximity to everything and the town has plenty of good people. I enjoyed the Grape Escape and the region has plenty of nice wineries.”
Regional Director/Hospitals Carolyn Robertson said having a permanent pharmacist was a great coup for the Stawell campus.
“Tara’s appointment is a great example of how Grampians Health is providing greater access and increasing services to our region,” Ms Robertson said.
“She is a fantastic addition to the Grampians Health Stawell community and contributes to the whole hospital with things such as DOS and accreditation.
“We are lucky to have her.”