Mount Cook, New Zealand
Have you thought about moving down under to practise pharmacy in New Zealand? Natalie Gauld provides some useful information you need in order to gain registration in New Zealand, and presents comments from UK pharmacists who have already made the move
With over 2,000 hours of sunshine per year in most parts of New Zealand (nearly 50 per cent more than in London), and hiking, surfing, skiing or snowboarding within a few hours’ drive from many towns, lifestyle is probably the number one reason why people want to move to New Zealand.
If you have trained as a pharmacist in the UK, the process for registering in New Zealand is not too hard, providing you are eligible to work there.
How to register
To find out about getting a work permit for New Zealand, visit the Immigration New Zealand website. There are a number of ways to become eligible, for example, having family members who have citizenship, coming on a working holiday (for those under 30 years of age) or under a points system (up to 55 years of age; the younger you are, the higher you score).
The Pharmacy Council of New Zealand is the registration body for pharmacists and has information on how to go about registering. For pharmacists who completed their pharmacy education and preregistration training in the UK, the starting point for registration in New Zealand is a three-hour open-book competency examination. This is held four times a year and can be sat in a few selected cities, including London and Auckland.
This examination costs less to sit in the UK (approximately £337) than in New Zealand (approximately £388), due to tax. The open-book examination is administered by the Australian Pharmacy Examining Committee and, according to David Priest, registration officer of the pharmacy council, most people who sit it pass.
The next step is to apply for registration. The total cost is approximately £411, which includes application fee, interview cost and annual practising certificate.
There are a few hurdles, such as finding a four-week supervised placement, getting a certificate of good standing sent from the registration body of each country where you have worked in the past 10 years, and providing passport details, a copy of your work permit and a statutory declaration signed by a justice of the peace.
Although the pharmacy council provides some information about finding a supervised site for the four weeks, it is up to the pharmacist to contact appropriate community or hospital pharmacies and arrange a placement.
After the four weeks, a law and ethics interview is conducted by a pharmacist authorised by the council, along with a calculations test. Then, all being well, registration can be completed.
Pharmacy practice
Pharmacy practice in New Zealand is fairly similar to the UK. Most pharmacists are employed in community pharmacy, some are in hospital pharmacy and a small number work in other sectors such as medical practitioner groups, education, research and health boards.
The UK is ahead of New Zealand in some areas, such as pharmacist prescribers and minor ailment schemes. Medicines use reviews are conducted by some pharmacists, but are less commonly done than in the UK.
There are restrictions placed on which prescription medicines are funded by the government from the pharmaceutical management agency Pharmac. This can be frustrating for everyone and takes time to grasp.
Most of the 900-plus community pharmacies are owner-operated and there is possibly more opportunity to be “front of shop” than in the UK where customers may have to queue to see the pharmacist. In addition to the pharmacy-only medicine category, New Zealand has pharmacist-only medicines, which only the pharmacist can supply.
New Zealand is nearly as advanced as the UK with non-prescription medicines, having chloramphenicol eye drops, sumatriptan and oral fluconazole available over the counter. We even have some medicines available OTC that the UK does not, such as oseltamivir, topical calcipotriol for psoriasis, and oral famciclovir for herpes labialis.
There may not be many specialised positions in hospital pharmacy or they may only be available in one or two hospitals in the country. The shortage of pharmacists from a few years ago has been reversed to the degree that the pharmacy council advises that there are limited job vacancies.
Four weeks of annual leave and around 11 days of public holidays are usual in New Zealand. The pay is perhaps around a third lower than in the UK, while the cost of living is reasonably high.
Views from those who have made the move
So, what do pharmacists who have made the leap think? Peter Neal,
Piha Beach, Auckland
He said he is positive about the move, the Pharmacy Council was helpful in the registration process, the examination went smoothly, his four-week pharmacy placement fell into place easily and his law and ethics interview went well.
Although it took a while for Mr Neal to get to grips with the restricted list of funded medicines, he said he has worked it out now and is enjoying the easy problem-solving attitude there. He has found community pharmacy in New Zealand to be less pressured and likes the time he gets to talk to patients.
Mr Neal also thinks that there is a high level of collaborative working between healthcare professionals in New Zealand. He says that there is generally a good working relationship between GPs, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals.
Mr Neal moved to New Zealand under a skilled migrant scheme, which awards extra points for jobs that are in shortage in New Zealand. Pharmacists are still on that list despite the employment opportunities. Mr Neal recommends pharmacists consult a registered immigration specialist to check suitability and determine costs.
Sally Oades moved to New Zealand in May this year and is working in hospital pharmacy in Hawkes Bay, an area renowned for sunshine, great beaches and wineries.
Motivated by improving her work-life balance, she is enjoying working in a more relaxed environment. Her colleagues not only made her feel welcome on arrival, but also rallied around before her law and ethics interview and ran a Mastermind-type session to help her get through.
Although Mrs Oades is unable to work in the same way as a critical care pharmacist (her UK role), she is pleased to be in New Zealand and is enjoying a different experience.
Conclusion
If you want a better work-life balance, to enjoy better weather and experience a more relaxed lifestyle, it is worth considering making a move to New Zealand. Apart from the milder climate, the pollution levels are low and there are many natural sceneries to admire (for which New Zealand is famous for).
The sun is stronger than in the UK, the rain can sometimes be harder and the mountains are higher, so pack plenty of sunscreen, a sturdy umbrella and your snowboard — and then make the move!
Natalie Gauld is a consultant pharmacist and PhD student at the University of Auckland
