Dr. Akram Ahmad, PhDPharmacists are on the front line of health care, making a difference to people’s health and improving community health outcomes. They are also important members of the healthcare team, working with doctors, nurses and other allied health professionals in improving the health and wellbeing of the patients.
Pharmacy is also booming profession and a lucrative pathway to migrate to Australia. However, to become a pharmacist in Australia, you need to be well aware of certain prerequisites. First, you need to meet the Skills Assessment as carried out by the Australia Pharmacy Council (APC) and then register yourselves with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) Pharmacy Board of Australia (PBA) to get the Skilled Visa to travel and work as a pharmacist in Australia.
Coming to the role of hospital Pharmacists, they prepare and dispense pharmaceuticals, drugs and medicines in a hospital pharmacy. Pharmacist also ensure safe and quality use of medicines, and optimise health outcomes by contributing to selecting, prescribing, monitoring and evaluating medicine therapy.
Key roles and responsibilities of pharmacist:
✓ Receiving prescriptions, checking patients’ medicine histories, and ensuring optimal dosage and methods of administration and drug compatibility before dispensing.
✓ Preparing or supervising the preparation and labelling of liquid medicines, ointments, powders, tablets and other medications to fill prescriptions
✓ Advising prescribers on drug incompatibility and contra-indications
✓ Reviewing and monitoring the medicine therapy of individual patients, and assessing the effectiveness of the total medicine therapy
✓ Maintaining prescription files and recording issue of narcotics, poisons and habit-forming drugs
✓ Storing and preserving vaccines, serums and other drugs subject to deterioration
✓ Supplying non-prescription medicines, and diagnostic and therapeutic aids
✓ Supervising and coordinating the work of pharmacy technicians and pharmacy interns
How much does a Pharmacist make in Australia?
The average pharmacist salary in Australia is $92,793 per year or $47.59 per hour.
Entry-level positions start at $81,953 per year, while most experienced workers make up to $120,045 per year.
(As per https://au.talent.com/salary?job=pharmacist)
Steps for registering as a pharmacist in Australia:
Step 1: Initial Skills Assessment
Authorised body: Australian Pharmacy Country
Documents required:
a. B Pharm/ Pharm D degree/provisional degree
b. B Pharm/Pharm D transcripts/Consolidated Mark sheet
c. State pharmacy council registration (Must be register as pharmacist in home country)
d. Passport
Experience not required.
Time: 8 weeks
Fee: $1310 AUD
Step 2: KAPS EXAM (Knowledge Assessment of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
The KAPS Exam covers the following four domains from the National Competency Standards Framework for Pharmacists in Australia 2010:
- Domain 1: Pharmaceutics
- Domain 2: Therapeutics
- Domain 3: Pharmaceutical Chemistry
- Domain 4: Pharmacology and Physiology
There are two papers of each KAPS Exam:
- Paper 1: Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Physiology, Pathophysiology and Pharmacology
- Paper 2: Pharmaceutics and Therapeutics
Examination question types of questions may either stand-alone or be associated with a patient profile.
Examination question types of questions may either stand-alone or be Academically provide the online KAPS coaching, please visit: https://academically.ai/courses/kaps-exam-preparation-become-a-pharmacist-in-australia-pharmacy-jobs-australia/Passing score:50%
Exam fee: $2190 AUD
Exam results: Approximately after eight weeks of KAPS exam, you or your nominated agent will receive an email bout when you can view/download your exam results in your Candidate Portal. If you pass the KAPS exam you will also receive a copy of the APC Skills Assessment letter to your email address.
STEP 3: English requirements for the registration with AHPRA
Note:Academically provide IELTS/PTE/OET live Classes:https://academically.ai/all-courses/
STEP 4: VISA options after KAPS exam to migrate Australia
As soon as you are registered as a pharmacist to practice in Australia, you will have several options and you may apply for General Skilled Migration Visa under subclass 190 (Skilled Nominated Visa), subclass 491 (Regional Sponsored Visa), subclass 482 (Temporary Skilled Shortage Visa) and subclass 494 (Skilled employer sponsored regional Visa. Subclass 407 (Training visa).
You may speak with any registered migration agent for further information on which visa is best for you.
More information please visit APC website: https://www.pharmacycouncil.org.au/
Academically provide the online KAPS coaching, please visit: https://academically.ai/courses/kaps-exam-preparation-become-a-pharmacist-in-australia-pharmacy-jobs-australia/
Note:To the best of our ability, we give all information in a correct manner, although errors are possible. We cannot guarantee that this information is accurate, complete or current.
Dr. Akram Ahmad, PhD
Academically.ai is the brainchild of Dr. Akram Ahmad. He has done his PhD from the Faculty of Medicine and Health, the University of Sydney, Australia. He is a self-motivated clinical pharmacist and committed lecturer with over 9 years of teaching and research experience in various subjects of medicine at the leading Universities in Australia, Malaysia, and India.
Dr. Akram is the recipient of prestigious “Best Promising Researcher Award” from the UCSI University (Malaysia). He has also published over 110 papers, book chapters, conference papers including in high-impact journals. In addition to that, he is a reviewer and editorial board member in
several journals of medicine and pharmacy.