Ms Meiklejohn said she was in “absolute disbelief” at receiving the national award.

She said it was nice to have her efforts appreciated, recognised and rewarded. 

“I take a lot of pride in what I do and in the connection I make with the customers,” she said. 

Ms Meiklejohn was selected for the national competition after she won the state-level award. 

She said there were initially 630 nominations, which were narrowed down to the top 20 in each state. From there Ms Meiklejohn said she competed against the other state winners for the national title. 

“It was a long and intense process where we were judged by managers from pharmaceutical companies and high members of the guild,” she said. 

“The workshop were they accessed the winner included an open discussion and we had to submit a written article and do a presentation on collaboration with other professionals in our area.”  

She said she noticed during the process that majority of the state winners were from metropolitan areas. 

“Now that I have won the award I want to spend the next 12 months trying to get the same education and connection opportunities for rural areas,” she said. 

“I feel that I have a connection with the guild now, which can make it easier for me to achieve this.”