What's New
15 July 2010
All Assessment and Examination Guides are now updated to reflect recent changes as a result of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme.
19 March 2010
IMPORTANT
Changes to the APC assessment process from 1 July 2010 following the establishment of the Pharmacy Board of Australia
From 1 July 2010, pharmacists will be nationally registered to practise pharmacy in any state or territory in Australia. The individual state and territory pharmacy registering authorities will be decommissioned and a national Pharmacy Board of Australia (PBA) will replace them.
Overseas trained pharmacists seeking registration in Australia will be required to undertake the following assessments:
- Assessment of qualifications to determine comparability with an Australian pharmacy qualification
- Assessment of Knowledge of Pharmaceutical Sciences (KAPS), or Competency Assessment of Overseas Pharmacists (CAOP)
Following satisfactory completion of the English language requirements and the two assessments, candidates will need to complete the following to be eligible for full registration, which will include:
-
- a period of supervised practice in a pharmacy in Australia
- - an intern training program
- - a current Australian senior First aid certificate Level 2
- - a written competency examination
- - an oral examination
- - satisfactory English language test result obtained at the one sitting
All interns completing the necessary process will undergo criminal history checks prior to being registered.
The APC will no longer be involved with candidates beyond the two initial assessments and the candidates (interns) will undertake the registration process under the Pharmacy Board of Australia. All enquiries regarding that process should be directed to:
before 1 July 2010 State/Territory pharmacy registering authority
after 1 July 2010 Registrations and Notifications Committee
Pharmacy Board of Australia
Website: www.pharmacyboard.gov.au
6 July 2009: Release of the Remote Rural Working Party Final Report
The Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) Pharmaceutical Defence Limited (PDL) have been aware of difficulties confronting pharmacists who are working in remote rural regions. It was decided to establish a Remote Rural Pharmacists Research Project to identify the legal and other impediments to a pharmacist being able to deliver their full range of services.
Remote Rural Working Party Final Report June 2009
3 July 2009: Updated Skills Recognition Guides
Find out about the new requirements for skill recognition of overseas trained pharmacists.
24 June 2009: New University Accreditation Standards Released
New University Accreditation Standards available here
9 June 2009: Release of the Mental Health Care Capabilities Statement for Pharmacists 2009.
The Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) and the Committee of the Heads of Pharmacy Schools in Australia and New Zealand (CHPSANZ) have undertaken the development of a statement which sets out the expected mental health care capabilities of pharmacists in Australia based on the units and elements set out in the Competency Standards for Pharmacists in Australia 2003. It extends selected performance criteria and evidence guides to make them relevant to mental health care. The Statement has been developed in response to an Australian Government commitment to improve access to mental health services and to provide additional support to patients with mental illness, their families and their carers.
Mental Health Care Capabilities Statement for Pharmacists 2009
Important Information for APC Applicants and Candidates
Applicants and candidates should read this information carefully.These changes will be updated throughout the website as soon as possible, however, where there is variance between the information provided below and information on the rest of the website, the information below will take precedence.
Change to the Stage I Examination - Date of Effect: September 2009
Both papers of the Stage I Examination will now be conducted over 1 Day. Paper 1 will be held in the morning, Paper 2 will be held in the afternoon.
Change to English Language Requirement - Date of Effect: 1 July 2009
From 1 July 2009, all candidates must have a valid English result at the time they enrol and at the time they sit either the Stage I or CAOP Examinations.
This will include those candidates who have had an unsuccessful attempt at the Stage I or CAOP and are resitting that examination.
All enrolments for either a Stage I or CAOP Examination session after September 2009 must meet the new requirement.
Change to IELTS Requirement - Date of Effect: 1 July 2009
From 1 July 2009, APC candidates must achieve an overall Band score of 7.5 at the Academic level of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a minimum score of 7 in each of the four components of the test.All IELTS results received from 1 July 2009 must meet the new requirement.
All enrolments for either a Stage I or CAOP Examination session after September 2009 must meet the new requirement.
APC requirements in the Occupational English Test (OET) remains unchanged and a score of either ‘A’ or ‘B’ in each of the four sections of the Occupational English Test (OET) is acceptable.
Credit card facilities - Date of Effect: 1 October 2008
The APC now has credit card facilities. Please note that a $10 processing fee will apply to all credit card transactions. Only MasterCard and Visa are accepted.
- Validity Period for Certificates of Good Standing - Confirmed
Certificates of Good Standing will remain valid for APC purposes for six months from the date of issue.
Supervised Practice Placements - Date of Effect: 28 May 2008
In recognition of the current shortage of supervised practice placements in Australia, the Council has agreed that up to 50% of a candidate’s total supervised practice hours can be conducted in an approved non-community or non-hospital environment provided that the candidate is working under the supervision of a registered pharmacist.
Candidates are reminded that supervised practice placements must be approved by the Examining Committee representative in their State or Territory, before they commence working in that placement. No hours undertaken prior to the date of approval of the placement by the Examining Committee representative will be able to be counted toward the required period of supervised practice.
Important Information for Candidates Sitting the CAOP and APCAT Examinations
The APCAT and CAOP Examinations are restricted open book examinations. One of the two allowable texts, the Australian Pharmaceutical Handbook and Formulary 20 (APF 20) (available from the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia [PSA]) is currently out of print and is only available on CD.
A hard copy of the document will only be available from the PSA in the form of a photocopy of the publication until the next edition (APF 21) is released. APC candidates purchasing the APF 20 should advise the PSA that they require a photocopy so that it is acceptable for examination conditions. No electronic versions of the allowable texts will be permitted in the examination environment.
Shortage of Supervised Practice Placements in Metropolitan Areas
The Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) wishes to make APC candidates aware of the fact that they may experience some difficulties in obtaining a suitable supervised practice placement, particularly in the major metropolitan centres. There is, however a shortage of pharmacists in many regional and rural areas and in Western Australia and candidates may wish to consider this when seeking a suitable placement.
Candidates are reminded that supervised practice placements must be approved by the Examining Committee representative in their State or Territory, before they commence working in that placement.
