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On 30 April 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board decided to vary the requirements for supervised practice for interns. Issues such as self-isolation, illness or pharmacy closure may mean that interns may be unable to complete the required number of supervised practice hours within the usual 12-month timeframe. The following modifications to internships applied:
The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care website states that although the WHO Director-General has announced that WHO no longer considers COVID-19 to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the COVID-19 pandemic declaration is still active. The Board has given careful consideration to the impacts of the modified requirements for supervised practice, informed by the views of stakeholders and has agreed to maintain these requirements until a revised registration standard setting out supervised practice arrangements, approved by Ministers is implemented.
The Board is satisfied that the modified requirements continue to support interns to meet all eligibility requirements to gain general registration and practise safely, and provide adequate protection of the public as:
Graduates of an approved program of study or a substantially equivalent program 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.
After completion of:
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.
Please note: The video below suggests starting your application 4-6 weeks before your graduation, however online registration for graduate applications has opened early this year. If you’ve completed your course, or you’re set to complete your course within the next three months and you’ve got your supervised practice arrangements (internship) signed off – we recommend you start your application for provisional registration now.
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Final-year students of an approved pharmacy program of study in Australia can apply:
Applicants who graduated from New Zealand (not completed a Board-approved program of study) 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 and to graduates of a substantially equivalent program of study.
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:
Successful completion of the registration examination requires you to pass both the written and the oral (practice) examinations within 18-months.
For example:
On 1 January 2021, changes to the registration examination take effect. Further information on these changes is available in the FAQ below.
*This number may vary, refer to the table in the Applying for general registration section at the bottom of this webpage for the number of approved supervised practice hours required for registration.
The written examination is conducted by the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC).
Further information including eligibility criteria and how to apply 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 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.
To be eligible to apply for general registration an intern with provisional registration must have:
*The number of approved supervised practice hours required for registration may vary, for example during the COVID-19 pandemic. The current modified requirement of 1,575 hours of Board-approved supervised practice for general registration will remain in place until a revised registration standard addressing supervised practice arrangements that has been approved by Ministers is implemented.
More information about these requirements is in the Board’s registration standards.
General registration is easily applied for online.