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Welcome to our first newsletter for 2025, with updates on the Pharmacy Board of Australia’s work. We are continuing with our review of registration standards and guidelines and look forward to hearing your views once public consultation begins later this year.
In this issue we also highlight the obligations all pharmacists have to provide care that is free of discrimination and racism, as well as reminding pharmacists of the critical contribution they can make in Australia’s response to tackling family violence.
Cameron Phillips Chair, Pharmacy Board of Australia
The Board will fund the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) to develop a Pharmacist Capability Framework and a corresponding Assessment Framework, alongside the next iteration of the Accreditation Standards for Pharmacy Programs.
The Board’s Pharmacist Capability Framework will describe the entry-level capabilities of a newly registered pharmacist who is adaptable to future practice change. The Assessment Framework will set out how future pharmacists will demonstrate their achievement against the capability framework. See the diagram below.
APC has begun developing both frameworks, which will include wide-ranging consultation with stakeholders, the public and the profession. APC will then start consultation on the next version of the accreditation standards for pharmacy programs.
See the Board's website for more detail on what the new frameworks will cover and how they will interact with existing standards.
The Board’s oral examination (practice) is held in each jurisdiction according to the Schedule of Oral Examinations on the Board’s website.
The oral examination (practice) is delivered face to face except in exceptional circumstances such as:
If it is necessary to deliver the examinations online, candidates will be informed of these arrangements in an email confirming the date and time of their examination.
If a candidate believes their circumstances warrant the offer of an online examination, they must detail their request in an email to the examinations team at the time of submitting their application.
For more information, see the Schedule of Oral Examinations on the Board’s website.
The Board’s latest quarterly registration data report covers the period to 31 December 2024. At this date there were 40,000 registered pharmacists, including:
There are 119 pharmacists who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, 0.3 per cent of the profession.
For further data breakdowns by division, age, gender and principal place of practice, visit the Board's Statistics page.
The Board publishes case studies to help pharmacists understand and meet their professional and legal obligations.
A new case study published this month examines an incident where therapeutic vapes were supplied without an appropriate assessment for therapeutic need.
Read more on the Board’s Case studies page.
While using social media, it’s important to remember that all your professional and legal obligations as a practitioner continue to apply, just as when you interact in person.
Key things to keep in mind include:
You have the right to communicate and express your views on social media, but you need to make sure your activities do not involve abuse, discrimination or present a risk to the public.
The Ahpra website has detailed guidance on how to meet your obligations while using social media, as well as a range of case studies covering different potential issues such as protecting patient confidentiality, discrimination and maintaining professional boundaries.
Read more on the Ahpra website.
More than 900,000 registered health practitioners provide much needed safe healthcare every day in Australia.
Safe healthcare relies on trust between patients and practitioners. Discrimination and racism erode that trust and put lives at risk.
There is no place for discrimination, racism or intolerance in healthcare.
Ahpra and the National Boards remind registered health practitioners of their obligations under their codes of conduct and ethics to provide care that is free of discrimination and racism. The codes of conduct and ethics set out the legal requirements, professional behaviour and conduct expectations for registered health practitioners in Australia. The codes underpin the requirements for safe and respectful practice.
The shared Code of conduct that applies to pharmacists states that good practice includes that you:
Pharmacists must also comply with the standards of their workplace and adopt practices that foster a respectful, inclusive and safe healthcare environment.
Read the news item.
Australia’s health practitioner regulators are united in their view that family violence is unacceptable.
For the first time ever, these regulators issued a joint statement reminding practitioners of the critical contribution they can make in Australia’s response to tackling family violence.
The statement recognises the role of regulators in the collective effort to end family violence by supporting victim-survivors, setting clear expectations of health practitioners, taking regulatory action as appropriate and condemning all forms of family violence.
Health practitioners are often the first point of contact for victim-survivors, so play an essential role in the early detection, support, referral, and delivery of specialised treatment to those experiencing family violence.
Health practitioners are also reminded that their own conduct, as well as that of their colleagues, must reflect the trust and confidence the public have in them for safe and effective healthcare. Regulators work to ensure health practitioners are safe, ethical, and professional for the protection of the public.
Read the media release.
Ahpra recently launched a new online portal, where you can access new digital smart forms for applications and renewal of registration.
Your Ahpra portal will be where you can manage your registration. You can download your registration certificate, renew your registration, and apply to change your registration type.
Next time you log in the experience will be a bit different. We’ve introduced multifactor authentication (also called two-step verification) for additional account security. There is also a new proof of identity process. Your identity will be verified by a third party using biometric verification.
You don’t need to do anything until it’s time for you to renew your registration. Look out for the usual reminders for this and we’ll explain how to set up your account then.
Need to access your Ahpra portal now? Go to our Ahpra Portal help centre.
Help protect your data by being alert to scammers and only logging in to the Ahpra portal direct from the Ahpra website: www.ahpra.gov.au.
We will only ask you to log in to your Ahpra portal when you’re due to renew your registration.
The revised Registration standard: English language skills is now in effect. While currently registered practitioners won’t need to meet this standard, these changes will enable more flexible pathways for future applicants, getting more practitioners into the workforce safely.
Important changes to the standard include expanding the list of recognised countries, reducing the accepted score for the writing component of approved English language tests to IELTS 6.5 (or equivalent), adding the Cambridge English language skills test and improving flexibility for applicants to meet National Boards’ English language skill requirements.
Read more about the updated standard.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) has appointed Justin Untersteiner as Chief Executive Officer.
Justin, who started his role in April, brings over 20 years’ experience in regulation and compliance, most recently as Chief Operating Officer at the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA).
Ahpra Board Chair Gill Callister PSM said that Justin was an impressive leader who stood out in a field of domestic and international candidates.
‘Justin’s experience in leading change and bringing new approaches, combined with his knowledge of regulation and compliance, made him a standout candidate,’ she said.
‘Justin’s appointment marks an exciting new chapter for Ahpra, and the Board is looking forward to working with him to build the next phase of Australia’s health regulation system.’
Justin succeeds Martin Fletcher, who completed his final term as CEO in December 2024.
Learn more about Ahpra’s new CEO.