Top Benefits of Becoming a Registered Pharmacist in Australia

Are you someone looking forward to becoming a registered pharmacist in Australia but confused about the benefits that Australia offers? Then here you go. Elite Expertise will take you through the benefits of pharmacy registration and career opportunities for Pharmacists in Australia. The pharmacy career in Australia is booming as the demand for quality healthcare services rises, as does the need for skilled pharmacists in urban and regional areas. For both domestically and internationally trained graduates, becoming a registered pharmacist in Australia provides opportunities for professional growth, stability, and immigration.

Who Is a Registered Pharmacist in Australia?

A registered pharmacist in Australia is a licensed healthcare professional regulated by the Pharmacy Board of Australia (or AHPRA). They play a significant role in delivering pharmaceutical care, accurately dispensing medicines, and maintaining the safety and efficacy of the treatment provided to the patients.

Scope of Practice Includes:

• Dispensing Medicine: Dispensing prescription and over-the-counter medications ensures
• In their safety and accuracy.
• Providing Medicines Information and Advice: Pharmacists counsel patients on how to take medications correctly and provide proper information about them, including their potential side effects, drug interactions, and storage. They also advise on chronic healthcare conditions and promote Healthy lifestyles.
• Collaboration with Other Healthcare Professionals: Pharmacists, like Clinical Pharmacists, work in partnership with other healthcare professionals like Doctors, Nurses, etc
• Expanding Scope and Specialized Roles: Providing services like vaccinations, chronic disease management, and health screenings.
• They can also work in academic areas.
• Research and Development: Participating in the research, development, testing, and analysis of pharmaceutical and medical products (for industrial pharmacists).
• Specialized Areas: They can also work as consultant Pharmacists in several settings like Hospital, Community pharmacies, aged care departments, etc
• They can also provide support in areas like pharmacovigilance and regulatory fields.
• Roles in Government and NGOs: Utilizing their expertise in advisory roles for government and non-governmental health organizations.

Regulatory Bodies:

There are two main regulatory bodies in Australia for pharmacy

• Pharmacy Board of Australia (AHPRA) – Handles registration and standards
• Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) – Oversees accreditation, exams, and skills assessment

Also Read: A Guide to Pursuing Pharmacy Practice in Australia

Advantages of Becoming a Pharmacist in Australia

1. High Demand & Job Security

The shortage of pharmacists in the Rural and Regional areas of Australia has been constant, the reason for which might be the constant rise of the aged care population and the need for regular medicines and care, according to the latest Workforce Capability Project by The Pharmacy Guild of Australia. The 8th Community Pharmacy Agreement (8CPA) helps pharmacies offer more services to the Health care department, which also indicates that there should be more trained pharmacists to achieve this goal across Australia.

What this means: More job opportunities, better job security, and a stable long-term career.

2. Attractive Salary Packages

Pharmacists in Australia are among the highest paid in global aspects, considering work-life balance and other perks coming with Australia.

Pharmacists enjoy lucrative salaries in Australia. On average:

• A Registered pharmacist earns around AUD 75,000 to AUD 100,000+ annually.
• The Pharmacist can earn higher with experience gained and can go upto AUD 120,000 or higher with considerate experience in the managerial roles.

Region or location of work like rural or city, experience gained, and sector of work like Oncology specialist or Cardio specialist are some factors that the salary structure depends on:

• Better salary packages and faster salary growth make pharmacy a financially rewarding career.
• The salaries in the regional and rural areas are higher, and there are other perks to add to it.
• The specialization you are in also matters. Pharmacists in specialised roles like Cardiovascular, oncology, etc., receive a higher pay.

3. Pathway to Permanent Residency (PR)

Pharmacists are currently on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL), meaning they are in shortage, and the demand for these skilled pharmacists is high. It is going to persist for a very long time, which makes them eligible for visa options like:

• Skilled Work Regional Visa (Subclass 491)
• Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189)
• Skilled Nominated Visa (Subclass 190)
• Pharmacists have more chances for the Permanent Residency pathway
• Employers and the government are actively looking for skilled professionals like Pharmacists.

As of July 2024, visa allocations have increased:

• Employer-sponsored visa places: 7,175
• Work experience requirement reduced to 1 year from November 2024

Becoming a registered pharmacist can fast-track your PR journey.

4. Diverse Career Opportunities

A registered pharmacist in Australia can explore a variety of roles, such as:

• Clinical Pharmacists
• Community Pharmacist
• Hospital Pharmacist
• Regulatory affairs
• Pharmacovigilance
• In areas like Government and military
• Locum pharmacist
• Industrial/Research Pharmacist
• Consultant Pharmacist
• Academic/Teaching positions
• Other specializations like Mental Health pharmacist,
• Women and newborn Pharmacist
• Drug information specialist
• Pain educator
• Consultant pharmacist
• Antimicrobial and steward Pharmacist
• Emergency and acute medicine pharmacists and many more

The options in this field are diverse; pharmacy is not a one-path career, it offers flexibility and variety along with constant growth to follow your field of interest.

5. Professional Growth & Recognition

Once registered, pharmacists gain access to:

• Continued Professional Development (CPD) programs: As the name says, there should be continuous development in the field of pharmacy, as it is very dynamic and tends to change and improve very frequently. Staying updated with the latest trends is a mandate for pharmacists in any field.
• Opportunities to specialize in clinical, oncology, geriatric pharmacy, neonatal care, cardiology, etc., are high, allowing you to choose a field of your interest.
• A professional identity backed by national recognition
• There is a constant scope for upskilling and career advancement.

6. Work-Life Balance

Generally, in Australia, a healthy work-life balance is maintained with flexibility in work hours, opportunities to work part-time, and less stress and more productive work hours.

It is important for work, but having a balanced lifestyle with time for family, travel, and personal goals is crucial, too.

How to Get Registered as a Pharmacist in Australia

Step-by-Step (For Pharmacists Abroad):

1. Qualification Assessment

• Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) is the board that conducts the exams and checks the candidate’s qualifications for assessment of their degree and other important documents. Once all your documents are checked by the APC and approved, we move to the next step.

2.   OPRA Exam (Overseas Pharmacists Readiness Assessment)

• This exam was previously called the KAPS exam. Although the content and format have changed, the difficulty level remains the same.
• This is a single-paper exam that tests your knowledge in the areas of Biomedical sciences, Medicinal chemistry and biopharmaceutics, Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, Pharmacology and toxicology, and, most importantly, Therapeutics and patient care.

3.  English Language Proficiency

• This is a mandate for the visa procedure and not for the OPRA exam. You are free to give the English proficiency test  after or before the OPRA exam Australia but the results should be valid at the time of processing.
• English language tests accepted by Ahpra: IELTS, OET, PTE Academic, or TOEFL iBT
• The candidate can take any of the above-mentioned tests but must meet the minimum criteria mentioned by the AHPRA.

4. Internship Training Program (ITP)

• After migrating to Australia with a required visa, the candidate needs to complete a 1-year supervised internship in Australia.
• The candidate must register as an intern pharmacist with AHPRA or be provisionally registered.

5.   Intern Written & Oral Exams

• This step brings you to two assessments:
• The Australian Pharmacist Intern Written exam (conducted by APC)
• The Australian Pharmacist Intern Oral exam (conducted by the Pharmacy Board of   Australia).
• Written Assessment is an open book, meaning you can carry the relevant material to the exam.
• The oral exam, also called OSCE, will be assessing the real-life scenarios that we face as pharmacists, will be simulated in the exam, and there will be an assessor to assess

6.   General Registration with AHPRA

• Completion of the internship and the intern exams will make you eligible to submit for complete registration and practise independently.

Note: These steps are governed by APC and AHPRA, so always refer to their official websites for updates.

Also Read: How to Get a Pharmacy Job in Australia: A Step-by-Step Guide

Conclusion

Becoming a registered pharmacist in Australia is a life-changing decision. It offers high employability, excellent salaries, and a stable pathway to Permanent Residency. With pharmacists’ expanding role in primary care, now is the perfect time to take the first step.

At Elite Expertise, we’re committed to guiding you through every phase, from KAPS preparation to intern support and registration success. Our OPRA exam pharmacy educators, mock exams, and proven strategies have helped hundreds of students achieve their Australian pharmacist dreams.