Registration as a pharmacist - Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

To practice as a pharmacist in Victoria it is necessary to be registered with the Pharmacy Board of Victoria (PBV). The PBV has several requirements for registration which are summarised below, and can also be found on their website at http://www.pharmacybd.vic.gov.au/pharmacists_prereg_prereq.php:

i.) an approved undergraduate degree in pharmacy, such as that offered by the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (formerly Victorian College of Pharmacy)

ii.) a period of supervised practice (1,824 hours) after successful completion of the above-mentioned degree. The supervised practice must be undertaken with a preceptor and at premises approved by the PBV, and under any conditions laid down by the PBV.

iii.) a registration examination comprised of all of the following:

a.) the National Forensic, Ethics and Calculations Examination (NFECE)
b.) the Pharmacy Law (Victoria) Examination
c.) the Australian Competency Assessment Tool (APCAT)
d.) an oral examination on pharmacy law and pharmacy practice

iv.) a level 2 / senior first aid course or equivalent

v.) an approved management course

vi.) a pharmacy internship training program, such as the pharmacy internship program (previously known as the pre-registration course) offered by the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

vii.) an on-site assessment on the preparation of extemporaneously prepared products conducted under the direction of the preceptor.

Period of supervised practice (internship)

To undertake supervised practice for initial general registration, interns (pre-registrants) require 'provisional registration' with the PBV, and are known as 'provisionally registered pharmacists'.

The PBV stipulates that provisionally registered pharmacists must undertake an approved pharmacy internship training program during the course of their period of supervised practice (see requirement vii above), such as the Monash University pharmacy internship program. This program consists of two units:

VCP5011 Applied pharmacy practice I
VCP5012 Applied pharmacy practice II

The pharmacy internship program can be articulated to the Graduate Certificate in Pharmacy Practice by completing an additional 12 points of elective units.

Further information about this postgraduate qualification can be found on the faculty's website at http://www.pharm.monash.edu.au/courses/pre-reg.