Are you planning your career as a pharmacist in Australia? Confused about which path to follow? Did you know that the path to practicing as an international pharmacist in Australia varies depending on the country of qualification? Whether you are a local student who has graduated, an overseas pharmacy graduate, or planning to migrate to Australia, the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) is the entry point.
In this guide, let's talk about understanding
- The Australian Pharmacy Council (APC),
- Why it matters for pharmacists in Australia,
- How interns are assessed,
- the pathways to follow based on the pharmacy degree obtained from,
- The APC accreditation,
- Provisional and general registrations are essential for international pharmacists to be aware of before embarking on their journey to become a pharmacist in Australia.
These are the general questions frequently asked by many candidates, so let's address them one at a time.
Understanding the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC)
APC is the national accreditation authority for pharmacy education and training in Australia. APC ensures that both local and overseas-trained pharmacists meet the required standards of practice. Its key roles include:
- Skills assessment for overseas pharmacy graduates are done to check if the qualifications of the candidate are on par with the standards of the Australian Healthcare system.
- Administering exams: The APC conducts exams like OPRA, CAOP, and Intern Written on behalf of the Pharmacy Board of Australia, or PharmBA, and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, or AHPRRA.
- Accrediting education and training programs
Why APC Matters for Future Pharmacists
- Ensures public safety by setting high competency benchmarks
- Gatekeeper to provisional registration for overseas-trained applicants
- Accredits pharmacy programs and intern training, maintaining quality nationwide.
APC Skill Assessment: International Graduates
Before we understand the Skills Assessment, let's first understand the pathways for international pharmacy graduates. There are four different pathways based on the country of graduation:
- Knowledge stream
- Competency Stream
- International Student Stream
- New Zealand Registered Pharmacist Stream
Here, let’s focus more on the first two streams, namely the Knowledge and Competency streams, today.
Knowledge Stream skills assessment outcome - OPRA exam
This pathway shows you how to apply for a Skills Assessment Outcome so that you can register and work as a pharmacist in Australia.
- The knowledge stream is designed for those trained outside Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Canada, or the USA.
- Countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Myanmar, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and those in Africa etc., fall under this category.
- APC skills assessment is essential to start the registration pathway.
- You are eligible for this pathway if you have a minimum of a four-year degree in Pharmacy.
Skills Assessment structure
The skills assessment outcome has two parts:
- Passing the eligibility or document evaluation.
- Passing the OPRA exam
Fees Overview:
- Eligibility check: AU$810
OPRA Exam (Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment)
Designed for the Knowledge Stream (pharmacists from other countries that are mentioned above) and assesses if the international pharmacy graduates match the skills and competencies required to practise in Australia.
- Format: Computer-based MCQ exam, with 120 questions to be answered in 2.5 hours.
- The exam fee is AU$2,190 per attempt
- The exam is held in March, July, and November annually
- The OPRA exam is a replacement of the KAPS exam, also known as Knowledge Assessment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, starting from March 2025.
CAOP Exam (Competency Assessment of Overseas Pharmacists)
This path is designed for the Competency Stream (pharmacists from Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Canada, and the USA):
- Format: This exam is a restricted open-book, computer-based, MCQ exam
- It contains 70 MCQs to be completed in 2 hours.
- The fees of the CAOP exam is AU$2,050
- Includes: Case-based patient care, therapeutic management, compounding, cultural competency
Intern Written Exam
- After passing either the CAOP or the OPRA exam, candidates must register provisionally.
- The candidates must enroll in an internship and complete 1,575 hours of training under the supervision of a pharmacist or preceptor.
- Once 75% of the intern hours are complete, the candidate becomes eligible for the intern written and oral exams, which are the mandatory exams for the general registration in Australia as a pharmacist.
- The fees of the exam is AU$770 per attempt.
- Format: open-book (Only printed or hand-written reference materials are permitted), computer-based exam
- The exam is MCQ-based with 4 options, among which one is correct
- 120 MCQs are to be answered in 2 hours
APC Accreditation: Ensuring Quality in Pharmacy Education
Once both the intern pharmacist written exam, conducted by APC, and the Intern oral exam, conducted by PharmBA, are cleared by the candidate, they proceed to general registration and practice as pharmacists independently.
APC also accredits:
- University pharmacy programs
- Intern Training Programs (ITP) via AHPRA-approved providers
- Continuing Professional Development (CPD) providers
Accreditation fees apply to education providers, not individual pharmacists.
Conclusion
The Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) plays a crucial role in maintaining high professional standards, providing transparent pathways for both locally trained and internationally trained pharmacists.
To practice in Australia as an overseas-qualified pharmacist, you must complete:
- Skills Assessment (AU$810 + AU$300 for outcome)
- OPRA exam (AU$2,190) or CAOP (AU$2,050) based on your country stream
- Intern Written Exam (AU$770) post-provisional registration
Plus accredited training and exams, all overseen by APC to protect public health and ensure competency.
- The OPRA exam is challenging, considering its vast scope, and requires assistance through online coaching from reputable institutions like Elite Expertise.
- They also provide services for the preparatory courses of the Australian Pharmacists' written and Oral exams.
- Apart from this, they also provide guidance on registering with AHPRA.
- You can also avail of their services if you need help with Skills assessment.
- Mr. Arief Mohammad and Mrs. Harika Bheemavarapu are the directors and trainers at Elite Expertise, bringing tremendous teaching experience and clinical expertise.
Begin your journey today and achieve your dreams through the stream that suits you best. All the best!
