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Wendy Thompson moved from the UK to Australia and is now a registered pharmacist there. In this article, she provides some advice on how to register and work as a pharmacist down under
To me, Australia has always seemed like an alluring destination, with its beautiful beaches, amazing wildlife and beautiful coastal cities. For some years, there have been many pharmacists who have enjoyed working and travelling around this country. Recently, though, there have been a number of changes made to the registration process, which has made this aspiration more difficult.
Any pharmacist moving from the UK to work in Australia requires a work permit or visa before obtaining employment. The Australian Government Department of Immigration and Citizenship provides details on migration and visa requirements.
The Australian government has recently revised the skilled occupations list for migrants, which is effectively a “wanted list” of occupations needed in the country. Unfortunately, pharmacists are no longer on it.
Pharmacists may still work in Australia if they have an employer who is willing to nominate them — this falls under the employer nomination scheme occupation list (ENSOL). See the website for details about migration. As a tip, a visa can be obtained through family members, too.
Initial assessment
The next step in the process is to make contact with the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC). The APC requires pharmacists to undergo an initial assessment process, which involves a detailed look at the pharmacist’s documents, work experience and qualifications to determine whether he or she can apply for registration through the stream A or stream B process. UK pharmacists are usually eligible to enter the stream B process, which is the easier and quicker way to register. This is because it is recognised that the two countries have a similar educational process and approach to practice.
The cost of this assessment is currently $A500 (approximately £310). It is important to make sure that all documents sent to the APC are certified copies. The website gives details on which documents are required and who can certify them.
A letter of good standing is also required in this application. This is available from the General Pharmaceutical Council and currently costs £77. Please note that the GPhC refers to it as a “certificate of current professional status and fitness-to-practise history”.
Clinical assessment for overseas pharmacists examination
When the APC has confirmed that a pharmacist is suitable to enter the stream B process, it will then invite the pharmacist to make an application to sit the clinical assessment for overseas pharmacists (CAOP) examination. It is a restricted open-book examination that combines 105 multiple-choice questions with a single short-answer question. I am told it is similar to the British registration examination.
The CAOP examination is held four times a year (in March, June, September and December). Be warned that there are cut-off dates (eg, 1 January is the cut-off date for applying for the March examination).
The cost to sit this examination is $A1,200 (approximately £745) if you sit it in Australia and $A1,350 (£838) if you sit it overseas. The locations available to sit this examination are: London: Auckland, New Zealand; and all capital cities in Australia.
I recommend applicants check out the APC website for the practice questions and look over the information given in the CAOP guide.
Other applicants have advised reading online blogs about the CAOP examination for tips on how to approach it. A recently registered friend of mine also advised that, if you are sitting the examination in the UK, then order your books early since some are only available in Australia and it can take some time for them to arrive.
Registration
The first part of the registration process can seem slow and, if money is
Coastline, Perth, Australia
The Pharmacy Board of Australia (PBA) deals with the final steps of the registration process. This board is responsible for the national registration of pharmacists and, at this point of the process, the pharmacist must apply for intern registration (preregistration). The intern is required to carry out a period of supervised practice of not less than 152 hours (equivalent to four weeks’ full-time work).
You are expected to find your own pharmacy in which to carry out paid supervised practice and any unpaid work will not count towards your hours. The PBA will also need to approve the pharmacy where the supervised practice is carried out. The application forms for intern registration and for approval of place of practice are available from www.pharmacyboard.gov.au/Overseas-Practitioners.aspx.
The cost of intern registration is $A150 (approximately £93) and registration for practice costs $A295 (approximately £183) for 12 months.
In addition to the supervised practice, interns have to sit an oral examination that is intended to test their knowledge on legislation. This examination is carried out by the PBA and can be taken any time after 75 per cent of the supervised practice hours are completed.
The form “Application to be a candidate for an oral examination for pharmacy interns” is found on the PBA website. This form also details the months of the year in which the examination is scheduled and its cost.
At this point, registration is nearly achieved and the only other requirement of the PBA process is to gain a current Australian first aid certificate Level 2. St John Ambulance Australia is one of the providers of this course, and it runs this course regularly and in various locations. I have to say that the information Australian pharmacists provide on how to deal with snake and spider bites is pretty fascinating, if not a little scary.
Comparisons between Australian and UK practice
So how does pharmacy practice compare with that in the UK? First, our academic backgrounds are similar and university entry requirements are similar to those in the UK. Entry into the profession is competitive and a high level of academic achievement is required.
The pharmacy undergraduate course in Australia runs over four years, although shorter postgraduate entry degrees are offered in some universities. As in the UK, graduates then spend 48 weeks as an intern (preregistration trainee) after graduation, and must pass a written and oral examination before being granted registration. Graduates are also assessed against the national competency practice standards to ensure that they are at the minimum standard expected to be able to practice.
Hospital
In hospital, the role of the clinical pharmacist is similar to that in the UK. The main difference in practice in Australia is the use of pharmacy technicians. There are not as many pharmacy technicians in Australia and they do not carry out some of the more evolved roles that exist in the UK. This means that hospital pharmacists are often involved in more basic dispensing work, such as ward supplies.
Hospital pharmacists are well received on the wards though, and are generally held in high esteem by doctors, nurses and patients alike.
Community
Because around 80 per cent of pharmacists in Australia work in community practice, this could be the area where UK pharmacists might find work. I also think this sector is where UK pharmacists might experience more differences.
The healthcare system, Medicare Australia, can be confusing, especially the way prescription medicines are charged for and funded under the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme.
With a background in paediatrics, I initially found charging for childrens’ prescriptions strange. For anyone who would like to understand these differences, the Medicare Australia and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme website may help.
Definitions of legal categories of drugs differ from those in the UK, but there are similarities. An S3 (Schedule 3) drug, for example, is classified as a pharmacist-only medicine. This is not the same as the UK’s pharmacy medicine category since the pharmacist has to deal with and document each sale and the patient will leave with a labelled medicine.
Another important difference is that each state in Australia currently has its own legislation so, although registration to practise is managed on a national level, pharmacists must be familiar with the peculiarities of the relevant legislation in their state. For example, sales of some pharmacist-only medicines do not need to be recorded in some states.
Conclusion
I am glad to be registered in Australia. So far, my work has been fun and exciting. I get to cycle to work in the sunshine and relax at the beach on weekends. The Australians have certainly taught me how to work hard and play hard, and I would highly recommend working in Australia.
(These facts were correct at the time of writing, please check the websites for current costs and please note that the process may undergo future changes.)
Acknowledgement Thanks to my colleague Lynne Emmerton and my friend Zoe Buckby for their help with this article.
Wendy Thompson is lecturer in quality use of medicine at The School of Pharmacy, Pharmacy Australia Centre of Excellence, University of Queensland
Related article: Pharmacy practice in Australia
