What is the Australian Pharmacy Council?
The Australian Pharmacy Council is an organisation that maintains the quality and standard of pharmacists in Australia. They are Australia’s national accreditation authority for pharmacy education and training.
They are accredited by the two main healthcare bodies in Australia:
- Pharmacy Board of Australia
- Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
The vision of the council is to ensure that the skills and knowledge of pharmacists practising in Australia meet the standard that has been set. This is not only for the people graduating from Australian universities, but also for international pharmacy graduates.
You can think of the APC as that strict class monitor who ensures that their class is the best in school! But it ensures the highest standard of quality, hence a little strictness goes a long way.
APC’s Role: What does the APC do?
Now, you might be wondering how exactly it is that the APC maintains the high standard of pharmacists in Australia. The APC works through three different paths to ensure the optimum quality of pharmacy practice in Australia:
- Assess the skills of pharmacists graduating outside Australia.
- Assessing the competency of interns practising in Australia
- Accreditation of pharmacy programs in Australia.
We will discuss in detail how these pathways work, so you can be aware of which one will be the most suitable for you.
Skill Assessment for Foreign Pharmacy Graduates
The assessment of foreign pharmacy graduates is an essential step in ensuring the standard of the incoming skilled workers to the country’s healthcare industry. The APA holds exams to test the knowledge and skills of the candidates.
The type of assessment the candidate will undergo depends on the country of their qualification degree and registration status:
| International Student Stream | Knowledge Stream | Competency Stream | NZ Registered Pharmacist Stream |
| International students graduated from Australia/ NZ | Students graduated outside Australia, NZ, USA, UK, Ireland, Canada | Students graduated from Canada, Ireland, USA, or UK. | Students graduated from New Zealand. |
| Registered or can register in Au/NZ | Registered or can register in the country of graduation | Registered as a pharmacist in these countries. | Registered as pharmacists in NZ. |
For International students graduating from a university in Australia or New Zealand, the process to get approved to work in Australia is simple.
You get your documents in order and apply for the verification. Once they are approved, you can request your Skills Assessment Certificate and get on the road to practice!
For a New Zealand-registered pharmacist, the process is the same as that of an international student; just apply for the eligibility check, and once done, you can get your certificate.
OPRA Exam
In case you’re eligible for the Knowledge stream, you’ll be able to take the OPRA exam. The OPRA exam has replaced the KAPS exam starting from March 2025.
Process:
- Check eligibility
- Fill in the application form
- Apply to check for eligibility and qualify initial skills assessment
- Register for the OPRA exam
- Once you qualify, apply for an internship and clear the intern written exam and oral exam
OPRA Australian Pharmacy Council Exam is the most important exam for international students who want to practice in Australia.
If you’re interested in knowing more about the OPRA exam, you can find the details on OPRA Exam Preparation here.
Also Read:
CAOP Exam
This exam is for candidates eligible for the competency stream of the skill assessment pathway. Not every country’s candidates appear for OPRA. Candidates from Ireland, the UK, the USA, and Canada apply for CAOP instead of OPRA.
The steps to register are the same as those of the OPRA exam, but ensure that you have all the required documents before you proceed.
Related Article: OPRA vs CAOP: Registered Pharmacist in Australia
How Is The Skill Assessment For Interns in Australia Done?
You are eligible for this assessment if you pass the following conditions:
- Provisionally registered with the Pharmacy Board of Australia (PharmBA).
- Were previously registered with the PharmBA.
- Have completed 75% of the required supervised practice hours.
Once you pass the eligibility criteria, you can register for the exam. On clearing the exam and your oral exam, you can apply for full registration.
You can take this assessment as many times as you want to.
APC Australia: Program Accreditation and Maintaining Standards
This is the most important aspect of the APC. The vision of the organisation is to ensure that quality is maintained in the pharmacy sector in Australia.
Accreditation simply means that the APC ensures that when candidates graduate from a certain program, they have been trained adequately and are equipped to handle the ever-evolving nature of work.
The APC has been working in Australia since 1982, and has increasingly taken on the role of maintaining and improving the standard of pharmaceutical education through:
- Collaborations
- Innovations
- Creativity
- Transparency
- Support from the government and the public
The accreditation of pharmacy programs, such as:
- Pharmacy degree program
- Intern Training Programs
- Pharmacist Education Program
- International Degree Program
These programs are done to ensure that they meet the requirements of practice.
If you’re also looking towards Australia for your potential future in pharmacy, the APC is the organisation you should know about. Not only will it be the guard on your entry to Australia, but it will also be your guide.
From information related to everything pharmacy, to resources and queries, AMC has you covered.
If you have come across this blog as you’re applying for your OPRA exam, consider looking into our OPRA exam coaching online to ease into your preparation mode!