New accreditation standards for pharmacist prescriber education programs

21 Dec 2023

The Pharmacy Board of Australia (the Board) is pleased to announce the publication of the Accreditation standards for pharmacist prescriber education programs (the accreditation standards).

In October 2022, the Board announced it was funding the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC), the accrediting authority for the pharmacy profession, to develop the accreditation standards. This followed the Board’s prior extensive work that explored the capacity for competent and safe prescribing by pharmacists.

The Accreditation standards for pharmacist prescriber education programs will ensure that graduates of an accredited education program meet the competencies in the NPS MedicineWise Prescribing Competency Framework (2nd Edition) which describes the practice expectations of Australian prescribers regardless of profession.

The accreditation standards are also supported by:

• a Performance Outcomes Framework which recognises the education continuum and builds on the knowledge, skills and attributes registered pharmacists have to develop prescribing competence
• an Evidence Guide to support education providers when completing applications for accreditation and for those involved in making accreditation decisions.

The APC consulted widely with the public, pharmacists, governments, and other health professions in the development of the accreditation standards.

Board chair, Brett Simmonds, thanked the APC for its thorough work during the past 12 months to deliver the accreditation standards.

'The Board makes the accreditation standards available as a resource to potential education providers to use to inform the development of future prescribing education programs,’ he said.

‘As the accreditation authority for the pharmacy profession, APC is well placed to accredit future pharmacist prescriber education programs which will equip pharmacists to safely deliver health services to meet the emerging needs of the public.’

Stakeholders can contact the Australian Pharmacy Council for further information about accessing its accreditation services.