Graduates: What you need to know for provisional registration

05 Nov 2019

Are you in your final year of an approved program of study to become a pharmacist? Apply now for provisional registration.

Before you can start practising under supervision, or using the protected title, ‘pharmacist’, you must be registered with the Pharmacy Board of Australia (the Board).

What do I need to do for registration?

When you apply for provisional registration, your application is carefully assessed against the Board’s requirements for registration.

For provisional registration as a pharmacist, you need to prove that you meet the following standards:

• criminal history
• English language skills, and
• professional indemnity insurance.

We also need your graduate results from your education provider.

You are also required to have your supervised practice arrangements approved by the Board in accordance with its Registration standard: Supervised practice arrangements before commencing your internship.

A short, animated video for pharmacy graduates is published on the Board's website. It outlines the standards that must be met to become registered and also the professional standards expected of the pharmacy profession in order to stay registered.

We cannot register you until we are satisfied that you meet the standards for registration and are suitably trained and qualified.

How do I apply?

1. Create your account using the online services portal and complete your application.
2. Upload your documents and pay the required fees. Check that you have provided all required documentation to prove you’ve met the registration standards, including certified copies of your photo ID.
3. Wait for your education provider to provide your graduate results to AHPRA.

Once we’ve received your graduate results from your education provider and we are satisfied that you have met all the requirements for registration, we will finalise your application.

How long does it take to assess my application?

If you’ve submitted everything you need to prove you’ve met the requirements for registration, we aim to finalise your application within two weeks of receiving your graduate results. We recommend that you submit your application before you graduate so that it’s ready to finalise pending your results.

How do I apply for supervised practice?

In addition to making an online application for provisional registration, you must lodge a separate application for approval of supervised practice. You cannot start supervised practice (internship) until both applications have been assessed and approved by the Board which can take place once your education provider has advised that you are eligible to graduate.
Completion of a Board-approved period of supervised practice during provisional registration is one of the requirements that must be met in order to be eligible for general registration as a pharmacist in Australia at the end of the internship period.

How can I help ensure I’m registered in time to start work?

This year we’ve developed new information material to help you when applying for registration, including advice on how to prove you meet a registration standard as well as tips for avoiding common causes of delay. These are available on the Graduate applications page on the AHPRA website.

Important change to the requirements for certifying photo ID

To protect against identity theft, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission has new requirements for certifying photo ID. On documents with a photograph such as your passport or driver’s licence you must make sure the authorised officer writes or stamps:

‘I certify that this is a true copy of the original and the photograph is a true likeness of the person presenting the document as sighted by me.’

To make sure your documents are certified correctly, please download the guide ‘Certifying Documents: Instructions for applicants and authorised officers’, available on our website. This includes the full list of authorised officers who can certify documents, including teachers, various health practitioners, bank officers and public servants. It’s important that you make sure your documents are certified correctly, as incorrectly certified documents will cause delay.

How will I and my employer know that I am registered?

When registered, we will publish your name to the register of practitioners (the public register). Before undertaking any supervised practice, you’ll need to check the public register to confirm that you hold provisional registration and check the notations field in the record to confirm that your supervised practice has been approved by the Board.

For more information

For registration enquiries or difficulties in accessing the online application form: 1300 419 495 (within Australia)

For media enquiries: (03) 8708 9200