Everything to know about how to beome a pharmacist in Australia

http://www.pharm.usyd.edu.au/documents/presentatin05.pdf

http://www.apec.asn.au/

How to apply

If you are intending to migrate and work as a pharmacist in Australia, you should first contact the nearest Australian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate for information about migration procedures. Information relevant to those applying in the general skilled migration categories is available in the publication The General Skilled Migration Booklet, which can be obtained from Australian overseas posts or from the Australian Skills Recognition Information (ASRI) pages of the website of the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) at www.immi.gov.au/asri.

If you are a permanent resident of Australia, you may contact APC directly for more information.

The assessment fee must accompany the application for assessment form. Please note that an application for an assessment of qualifications determines a person's eligibility to undertake the examination procedure.When a person's eligibility is determined, separate examination application forms are forwarded to the person by APC. These forms should then be returned to APC in time to meet the closing dates for applications. Examination fees must accompany the examination application forms.

You should be aware that APC does not allocate migration points. The Department of Immigration, and Citizenship (DIAC) is the only body with authority to allocate migration points.

Forms
Application for Assessments Form

Agent Authorization Form

Change of Address Form

Procedures for assessment and recognition of overseas qualifications:

Changes to the Stage II Examination Process Effective from 1 September 2007. At a meeting of the Australian Pharmacy Examining Committee (The Examining Committee) on Tuesday 17 April 2007 it was agreed to amend the Stage II Examination process.

As at 1 September 2007 the National Forensic Ethics and Calculations Examination (NFECE) has become a separate examination which may be attempted after completing 25% of supervised practice hours and must be passed before sitting the Stage II Examination. The cost of the NFECE will be AUD$150 per attempt and there will be no limits on the number of attempts at the NFECE.

The Stage II Examination will comprise three parts, i.e. written, practical and oral. The Examination which may be attempted after completing at least 75% of supervised practice hours, although candidates are strongly encouraged to complete all or most of their hours before attempting the Examination. The Stage II Examination fee will remain at AUD$1740.
The NFEC Examination must be undertaken in the state or territory in which most of the supervised practice hours have been completed. Copies of previous examination papers are not available.

Qualifications Gained in Australia: If you obtained your pharmacy qualifications in Australia and are intending to migrate to Australia you will need a formal skills assessment of your qualifications completed by APC.Under Australian migration legislation APC also provides skills assessments for pharmacists who obtain their pharmacy qualifications in Australia and then seek to migrate to Australia. These Australian trained pharmacists are not required to complete either of the APC examination processes (Stream A or Stream B), but must be provided with a skills assessment to submit to Australian migration authorities as part of their migration application. The APC eligibility assessment serves this purpose for this category of applicant.Qualifications Gained Overseas (other than in the UK, Ireland, Canada and the USA)Applicants whose qualifications were not obtained in Australia have two options. The first is to complete an Australian pharmacy degree course at one of the Australian universities listed on the links page of this web site. The qualifications awarded by these institutions satisfy the formal academic requirements for registration by all state and territory pharmacy registering authorities. Individuals who enroll in an award course, may gain credit for their overseas studies. Universities are self-governing and determine their own entry requirements for credit transfers.

The individual will then need to complete a period of supervised practical training - conditions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

The second option is to undertake the examination process (Stream A process) conducted by the Australian Pharmacy Examining Committee (Examining Committee or APEC). The individual will need to formally apply for an assessment to determine their eligibility to undertake the examination process.Qualifications Gained in the UK, Ireland, Canada and the USASome candidates from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada and the United States of America may be entitled to enter the Stream B process which is an alternative process for registration introduced on 1 December 2006. Such candidates should refer to the pages under Information for Holders of Qualifications from the UK, Ireland, Canada and the USA on this website for further information about the Stream B process.

The APC examination procedure is only part of the total assessment by pharmacy registering authorities and you may have to meet other requirements. All pharmacy registering authorities reserve the right to impose additional requirements to those stipulated by APC.Individuals may be eligible to apply for migration after meeting both the English Language requirement and passing the Stage I Examination. If approved for migration at that point, they may continue the APC examination process on arrival in Australia. The satisfactory completion of the entire examination process is required before a candidate may apply for registration as a pharmacist with a relevant registering authority in Australia.In normal circumstances, it should take about 12 to 18 months to complete the overall process, providing applicants do not fail any part of the examination. Candidates have five years to complete the APC Stage II examination process after successfully completing both papers of the Stage II Examination. This 5 year period commences from the date of successful completion of the Stage I Examination (ie when both papers have been passed).

For sample questions for the CAOP and NFEC Examinations, and the flow charts for the Stream B process, please see the Stream B Handbook.
Candidate Information Handbook - Stream B
APC Flow Chart
Media Release

Examination Venues and TimingThe Stage I Examination is held at a number of venues overseas, in Australian state or territory capital cities and some Australian regional centers. Examinations are held in the first week of March and September each year with closing dates of 15 December for the March sessions and 1 July for the September sessions. The Stage II Examination is held at least once each year, only in Australia .
Fees

Assessment Fee
AUD$340
APC Stage I Examination
AUD$1210 (Aust. venues)
AUD$1420 (Overseas venues)
Re-mark fee
AUD$60 per paper
APC Stage II Examination
AUD$1740
Stage II Supplementary Exams APCAT
AUD$250
NFECE
AUD$150
Practical
AUD$500
Oral
AUD$350

Each fee allows one attempt only at each examination. A penalty fee will be incurred when a candidate withdraws from an examination session.
Fees should be made in Australian dollars and made payable to the Australian Pharmacy Council Inc. Payment may be made by Australian cheque or money order or an overseas bank draft payable on an Australian bank.

These fees were current at the time of preparing this document, however, they may change from time to time. Applicants should check this website periodically, and at least before they commence each stage of the process to ensure they submit the correct fee.Appeals and CounsellingCounselling is mandatory throughout the procedure and is provided for candidates living in Australia by members of the Examining Committee.

Candidates are counselled a number of times during the examination process. Formal appeal procedures are in place whereby individual concerns and grievances concerning the examination process may be submitted to APC.APC Certificate When a candidate completes the APC examination procedure they will be eligible for a APC Certificate, which entitles them to apply for registration with any of the Australian pharmacy registering authorities. Once they are registered in Australia they will have the same rights to practise as an Australian trained pharmacist.

The APC Certificate is issued by the APC to candidates who have successfully completed the APC Stream A or Stream B process. It is accepted for application for registration by all state and territory registering authorities in Australia. A certificate will be issued to the successful candidate through the appropriate pharmacy registering authority, indicating that the candidate has satisfied APC's requirements and completed its examination procedure. It is not a registration certificate.

The candidate will be required to satisfactorily complete: a supervised practice period; a pre-registration training program; a pass in all four components of the Stage II Examination and possess a current first aid certificate.
Candidates should note that all registering authorities reserve the right to specify additional requirements (including additional supervised practice and/or examinations) which an applicant must satisfy in order to obtain registration. Once registered in Australia a successful APC candidate will have the same right to practise as an Australian trained and registered pharmacist.

Addresses of Australian pharmacy registering authorities are listed under Links on this website.
Other Useful Information Importance of EnglishAs in any other profession, a good command of the English language is essential in order to practise as a pharmacist. To obtain information about English language learning programs in Australia you should contact:
•
Centrelink;
•
local offices of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC);
•
Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) providers;
•
Technical and Further Education (TAFE) colleges; or
•
Migrant Resource Centres.
The local Australian telephone book will provide details of addresses and telephone numbers for these agencies. In addition there is a national Telephone Interpreter Service (TIS) which provides assistance directly over the telephone for people who have difficulty in communicating in English. This service can be reached on telephone 131450 from anywhere in Australia for the cost of a local call.

Professional OrganisationsMost pharmacists in Australia are members of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia which operates through State and Territory branches. The Society and its branches are concerned with educational, ethical and professional aspects of pharmacy. Membership of the Society is open to any registered pharmacist. Student membership may be allowed which may give you access to continuing education seminars .

Specialised organisations concentrate on particular aspects of the profession in Australia - the Society of Hospital Pharmacists, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia (the pharmacy owners' organisation) and the Salaried Pharmacists Association which looks after salaried pharmacists. Membership of these bodies is open to registered pharmacists working in these specific areas.
Australian Education International-National Office Of Overseas Skills Recognition (AEI-NOOSR). AEI-NOOSR offers a general information and referral service on overseas skills recognition which can be accessed on 1800 020 086 (toll free within Australia).
Other information about recognition of overseas skills and qualifications in Australia is also available on the NOOSR website, at http://www.dest.gov.au/aei-noosr.

Please note that AEI-NOOSR does not provide information on how to migrate to Australia or on the allocation of points under the skilled migration program: individuals should contact the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) or their nearest Australian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate for this information .

Visa information:

Candidates must hold an appropriate visa which allows them to work under supervision in a training position. Candidates should contact their nearest migration office for further information on visas.

Useful APC DocumentsCandidate Information Handbook- Stream A
Pre-Registration Reference Manual for APC Stage II Candidates
Reference Manual for Preceptors of APC Stage II Candidates