Graduates of an approved program of study are required to complete a period of supervised practice (internship) in accordance with the requirements set out in the Board’s Registration standard: Supervised practice arrangements to be eligible to apply for general registration. Before any supervised practice can take place, interns are required to:
An intern training program must also be successfully completed and the registration examination must be passed to be eligible to apply for general registration at the end of the required period of supervised practice. The resources on this page give an overview of how graduates can smooth the path from study to work. They outline the requirements and responsibilities of graduates seeking provisional registration to complete an internship.
This video is most relevant to pharmacy students who are nearing the completion of their approved program of study in Australia and will soon be applying for provisional registration as a pharmacist.
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The Board held a webinar for final year students in September 2017 on the requirements and responsibilities of graduates seeking provisional registration to complete an internship.
You can watch a recording of the webinar presentation below.
Final-year students of an approved pharmacy program of study in Australia can apply:
Alternatively, hard-copies of the following applications must be submitted:
Applicants who graduated from New Zealand or another overseas country should submit an Application for provisional registration and supervised practice - APRO-60 (1.33 MB,PDF).
Information relating to the internship is provided in the Board's Intern pharmacist and preceptor guide, which is a combined document that replaced the previously published Intern Guide and Preceptor Guide. Further information is also available in FAQ for pharmacy interns and preceptors.
A component of the internship is the development of a site-based training plan to address the competencies required of a pharmacist. The sample community intern training plan and sample hospital intern training plan can be used as a guide in the preparation of the intern’s training plan.
Preparation of extemporaneous products also forms part of the internship. The Board has provided the following resources for preceptors and interns.
The statutory declaration and six product reports are to be submitted to the coordinator of the intern's intern training program.
The Board’s Registration standard: Supervised practice arrangements outlines that for graduates of an approved pharmacy program of study, the period of supervised practice must include satisfactory completion of an accredited intern training program. This also applies to overseas qualified pharmacists who are required to complete a full internship.
The Board has authorised the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) to accredit intern training programs in Australia. A list of the accredited programs is published on the APC website. In addition to applying to the Board for provisional registration and approval of supervised practice, an intern must select an accredited intern training program and lodge an enrolment application with the relevant provider of the program.
The registration examination for general registration comprises a written examination and an oral examination.
The Board requires interns to complete a minimum percentage of the 1824 supervised practice hours required for general registration to be eligible to undertake a written and an oral examination. In accumulating supervised practice hours to meet the examination entry criteria, interns may only count supervised practice hours completed:
The written examination is conducted by the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC).
The minimum number of supervised practice hours completed in accordance with the requirements listed above that are required for entry to the written examination is as follows:
Further information can be found on the APC website.
The oral examination is held in each jurisdiction according to the Schedule of Oral Examinations. An Application for a pharmacy intern to be a candidate for an oral examination (practice) - APOE-60 (below) must be lodged by the published closing date for that examination period. Further information about the oral examination is detailed in the Pharmacy oral examination (practice) candidate guide. This guide (updated July 2017) covers important information such as the philosophy and structure, of the oral examination and includes advice to aid candidate preparation. Candidates are strongly advised to read the candidate guide as part of their preparation for the oral examination.
To be eligible to apply for general registration an intern with provisional registration must have:
More information about these requirements is in the Board’s registration standards.
General registration is easily applied for online or by hard copy form (APGR-60).