What is AdPha Connect?

AdPha Connect is a professional networking and mentoring platform built exclusively for members.

Co-designed by members of AdPha’s Rural and  Remote Leadership Committee, AdPha Connect is a secure online space where pharmacists, pharmacy interns, students, and technicians can build meaningful professional connections, find mentors and mentees, and showcase who they are - both professionally and personally.

Unlike open online networks or social media, AdPha Connect safely encourages more detailed and personal profiles and is backed by a powerful member search tool, enabling you to choose from more than 150 tags connect directly with people who understand your work, your challenges and your aspirations.

What can I do on AdPha Connect?

AdPha Connect lets you:

• Create a rich personal profile that showcases your career, specialties, skills, and personality.

• Search for and connect with pharmacists across Australia, filtered by location, specialty, career stage, workplace, mentoring interest, and more

• Opt in as a mentor, a mentee, both (or neither) and describe the kind of mentoring relationship you're looking for.

• Send direct messages to your connections.

• Control exactly what information is visible on your profile.

• Manage your connections list and communication preferences.

How is AdPha Connect different from LinkedIn or other professional networks?

AdPha Connect is designed specifically for the Australian pharmacy community, which means:

• Every member is a real AdPha member: No fake accounts, recruiters, or irrelevant connections

• Mentoring flags: The optional mentoring descriptors are purpose-built for pharmacy, making it easy to find the right mentor or mentee based on specialty, career stage, and goals.

• Personal touch: As a closed online space, you are encouraged to share more about who you are as a ‘human in pharmacy’.

• Professional flavour:  Your AdPha membership credentials, ANZCAP post-nominals, and Specialty Practice recognition is displayed on your profile automatically.

• Protected network: It's a private, supportive community with community guidelines tailored to professional pharmacy conduct.

• Future integration: Jump to a member’s profile from Communities; this will be integrated in a future AdPha digital project.

• No hidden costs: Access to AdPha Connect is included in your AdPha membership.

Think of it as your professional pharmacy community - a place to connect with peers.

Who is AdPha Connect designed for?

AdPha Connect is for all AdPha members - including practising pharmacists, pharmacy interns, students, technicians, academics, and researchers.

Whether you're an early career pharmacist looking for a mentor, a seasoned Fellow wanting to give back, or simply someone who wants to expand their professional network beyond their immediate workplace, AdPha Connect is designed for you.

Is AdPha Connect included in my member benefits?

Yes. AdPha Connect is included as part of your AdPha membership. If you're not yet an AdPha member, visit adpha.au/membership to find out about joining.

Do I need to be an AdPha member to join?

Yes. AdPha Connect is a members-only platform. You need a current AdPha membership to create a profile and access the community. If your membership lapses, your profile will be temporarily hidden until your membership is renewed. Your profile data and connections are preserved - you won't lose anything.

Please note: access to AdPha Connect can take up to 24 hours after joining AdPha to become active.

How do I join AdPha Connect?

If you're a current AdPha member, you already have access.

Visit connect.adpha.au and enter the email address linked to your AdPha membership - there's no separate registration required.

You'll be guided through a simple profile setup when you first log in.

Please note: access to AdPha Connect can take up to 24 hours after joining AdPha to become active.

I'm already an AdPha member - do I need to create a new account?

No. AdPha Connect uses the email address linked to your AdPha membership.

Some of your profile information will already be pre-filled from your account, saving you time during setup.

How long does it take to set up a profile? Do I need to do it all at once?

A basic profile can be set up in a few minutes. A fuller profile – filling open text fields as well as using quick labels – could take up to 15 to 20 minutes.

You don't need to complete everything at once. Your progress is automatically saved, and you can return to add or refine sections at any time.

What information do I need to set up my profile? Why is some information already there?

AdPha Connect will pre-fill what it can from your membership record.

Some information, including your name, membership type and active ANZCAP postnominal, is pulled automatically from your AdPha account. These fields are read-only in AdPha Connect - if they are incorrect, update them via your member dashboard at adpha.au/dashboard (note: changes may take up to 24 hours to replicate in AdPha Connect).

Beyond that, you can add as much or as little as you like. At a minimum, you'll need to:

• Accept the Terms and Conditions and Respect and Safety Guidelines
• Review your basic identity details (name, preferred name, pronouns)

Optional sections include your bio, personal life and passions, professional interests and career stage, workplace details and mentoring preferences.

The more you add, the easier it is for the right people to find, connect with, and get to know you.

Can I join AdPha Connect if I'm a pharmacy student or intern?

Yes. Students and interns who are current AdPha members are welcome on AdPha Connect.

The platform is designed to support members at all career stages, and connecting with more experienced practitioners early in your career can be particularly valuable. Students and interns can also opt in as mentees to find a mentor who can support their professional development.

How do I find and connect with other pharmacists and technicians?

Once your profile is published, navigate to the Find screen from in the left-hand menu.

You can search by name using the search bar, or use the filters to discover members by location, specialty, personal interest, career stage, mentoring interest, or workplace.

When you find someone you'd like to connect with, select Connect, add a short personalised note (optional), and send your request. If they accept, you'll both be added to each other's connections and can start direct messaging.

Can I search for pharmacists by specialty, location, or career stage?

Yes. The ‘Find’ screen includes structured filters for:

• Location: filter by Australian state/territory or overseas
• Personal: filter by labels covering lifestyle, interests and traits
• Professional: filter by specialty practice, career stage, leadership or research interest and work behaviours
• Mentoring: apply the mentor flag, mentee flag, both (or neither)
• Workplace: filter by organisation or practice setting

You can combine filters to find exactly the kind of connection you're looking for; there are a total of 167 labels across the five categories you can select.

What is a mutual connection?

A mutual connection is someone who is in both your connections list and another member's connections list. When browsing member cards, you'll see a mutual connections indicator showing how many people you have in common. You can select this to see exactly who you share - a great conversation starter!

Can I see who has viewed my profile?

No. AdPha Connect does not show members who has viewed their profile.

This is intentional - it keeps the platform focused on genuine connections rather than profile-browsing metrics, and protects the privacy of members who want to explore the community without pressure.

What is the mentoring feature and how does it work?

The mentoring feature allows you to place blue and teal flags on your profile card, a signal you have opted in as a potential mentor or mentee partner, or both, and to describe what you’re looking for in a mentoring relationship.

Mentors can share what they can offer: particularly expertise, guidance or experience. Mentees can describe what they're hoping to gain: career advice, specialty knowledge, leadership skills, or anything else.

AdPha Connect enables self-directed mentoring: apply the search filters to find members whose mentoring profile matches what you're looking for, then reach out via a connection request. There's no algorithm that assigns mentors - you are free to build choose the relationship that feels right for you.

Can I be both a mentor and a mentee?

Absolutely. Many experienced pharmacists are themselves still learning and growing in certain areas while being well-placed to support others in other areas. You can select both Mentor and Mentee when setting up your mentoring profile, and your profile will display both availabilities.

How do I find a mentor through AdPha Connect?

In the Find screen, use the Mentoring filter and select Mentor to browse members who have indicated they are available as mentors. You can combine this with other filters - for example, to find a mentor who specialises in a particular area, or is based in your state.

When you find someone whose profile resonates, send a connection request with a personalised note explaining what you're looking for. If they accept, you can start a conversation via direct messaging.

Is there a formal mentoring program, or is it self-directed?

Mentoring partnerships enabled through AdPha Connect are informal and self-managed, to ensure the greatest flexibility and opportunity for the most participants.

It is up to each pairing to define the nature and frequency of their mentoring relationship, allowing you to seek and build the kind of mentoring relationship that works for your life and your goals, rather than following a prescribed structure.

As AdPha Connect develops, structured mentoring assistance will be available.

What if I'm not ready to commit to mentoring - can I join AdPha Connect without it?

Yes, absolutely. Mentoring is entirely optional. You can join AdPha Connect, build a full profile, and make connections without displaying any mentoring flags. If you change your mind later, you can add mentoring interest to your profile at any time via Edit Profile.

Who can see my AdPha Connect profile?

Your profile is only visible to other AdPha members who have a published profile. It is not visible to members who are yet to publish a profile, non-members, the general public, or external search engines.

You also have granular control over which sections of your profile are visible, so you can choose to show or hide specific information such as your workplace, personal interests, or mentoring availabilities and preferences.

Can I control what information appears on my profile?

Yes. AdPha Connect gives you detailed visibility controls.

From your profile's visibility settings, you can turn individual sections and fields on or off - including your photo, pronouns, years of experience, LinkedIn URL, workplace location, and more. You are always in control of your profile, and changes take effect immediately.

How does AdPha protect my personal information?

AdPha takes member privacy extremely seriously.

Your data is stored securely and is only used to provide the platform's features. It is not shared with third parties or advertisers. For full details on how AdPha handles your data, please read the AdPha Connect Privacy Policy, available via the platform's Help Centre or at adpha.au/privacy.

What happens if someone behaves inappropriately on the platform?

To access AdPha Connect you must first agree to the Respect and Safety Guidelines.

If you experience or witness conduct that violates these guidelines - including harassment, inappropriate messaging, or any behaviour that makes the community feel unsafe - you can:

• Block the member immediately to prevent further contact
• Report the behaviour to AdPha via the ‘Request Assistance’ option in the Help Centre

The AdPha team will review all reports confidentially and take appropriate action, which may include removal from the platform.

Can I leave AdPha Connect at any time?

Yes. You can unpublish your profile at any time, which immediately hides it from other members and removes it from search results. Your data and connections are preserved if you want to return later.

Which devices and browsers does AdPha Connect work on?

AdPha Connect is a web-based platform that works on any modern device with an internet connection - desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. It is compatible with current versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari. For the best experience, we recommend keeping your browser up to date.

Is there a mobile app for AdPha Connect?

AdPha Connect is currently available as a mobile-responsive website, meaning it works well on smartphones and tablets through your mobile browser.

You can add AdPha Connect to your phone's home screen from your mobile browser for quick access.

I'm having trouble logging in - what should I do?

AdPha Connect uses your AdPha membership email address to log in by sending you a special link. If you're having trouble logging in:

• Check you're using the email address associated with your AdPha membership
• Make sure your AdPha membership is current - if your membership has lapsed, you may not be able to log in until it is renewed
• Check your email’s junk or spam folder for your login link, just in case!

If you're still having trouble after trying the above, contact AdPha directly via membership@adpha.au.