Australian Pharmacy Council - Response

Department of Education Department of Immigration and Border Protection

Discussion Paper: Streamlining recognition in skilled migration and employment

1. What has been your experience with Australias skilled migration programme?

The Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) is an independent not-for-profit company limited by guarantee that
is the national assessing and accrediting agency for pharmacy. It has been undertaking the assessment of
overseas trained pharmacists and graduates of Australian/New Zealand programs for over 30 years.

The APC operates in a co-regulatory environment where it fulfils the accreditation/assessment functions
and the Pharmacy Board of Australia (PBA)/Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
registers and regulates the profession. Graduates of Australian/New Zealand accredited university
programs must complete a year-long internship and several summative assessments prior to gaining
general registration with the PBA.

a. What are your organisations main roles and responsibilities and how have these
changed over time?

The APCs main responsibilities include:

a) Accrediting pharmacy schools and programs; intern training programs; and accrediting agencies to
accredit continuing professional development activities
b) Conducting written examinations on behalf of the Pharmacy Board of Australia that must be passed
prior to sitting the final oral competency assessment (from 1 July 2010).
c) Assessing the qualifications and skills of overseas trained pharmacists and international students
graduating from an accredited Australian / New Zealand pharmacy program to determine their
eligibility to apply to commence the registration process.

In 2014, the APC was endorsed by the pharmacy profession as the independent assessment entity
responsible and accountable for the credentialing of advanced pharmacist practitioners. The APC is
currently consulting on the processes to be put in place for this, and will start assessments in early 2015.

b. How is skilled migration benefiting the occupation(s) you have a role in?

Hospital/Retail pharmacy (ANZSCO codes: 251511/251513) is currently off the Skilled Occupations List
(SOL). Anecdotal evidence indicates that the APCs English requirements have more influence on
applications for skills assessments than does the professions status on the SOL.

c. What trends are you seeing in skills assessments?

Over the past eight years, there has been a general reduction in applications for skills assessments of
approximately 30%. The reasons for this reduction are multi-factorial and include changes in English
requirements and availability of certain bridging visas for international graduates of Australian/New
Zealand programs.
d. What are the main policy issues for recognition preventing skilled migration in your occupation(s)
where there is scope for improvement in the short- to medium-term?

The APC does not comment on Government policy.

2. What are your skills assessment criteria based on? How do you review your criteria and
assessment methodology? Who do you consult with?

APC assessment criteria are based on establishing the comparability of overseas qualifications and
registration processes with the Australian qualifications and registration processes.

The APC has two different streams depending on the country in which the original pharmacy qualification is
received Stream A (http://pharmacycouncil.org.au/content/index.php?id=10) and Stream B
(http://pharmacycouncil.org.au/content/index.php?id=11). In both cases, the applicants qualification
must be, at a minimum, comparable to an accredited and approved Australian qualification.

Stream A applicants must either be registered in their country of training or eligible/eligible to commence
registration in their country of training. Stream B applicants must be currently registered in their country.

The APC has undertaken significant research into the equivalence of qualification, practice environment,
legislation and registration requirements in the USA, the UK, Canada and Ireland. This research has
confirmed that registered pharmacists from these countries are substantially equivalent to their Australian
counterparts. All four Stream B countries have substantially equivalent qualifications and all four have
year-long internships leading to general registration.

Stream A applicants must pass the Knowledge Assessment of Pharmaceutical Sciences (KAPS) examination.
Prior to sitting the KAPS, candidates must provide valid English results (IELTS minimum overall 7.5 at the
academic level with a minimum of 7 in all four categories or OET academic A or B in all categories). The
KAPS examination is offered twice annually in all capital cities in Australia and in approximately 25
international sites in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. This examination is designed to confirm that
the applicant has the equivalent level of knowledge in core pharmacy-related sciences as an Australian
graduate.

Stream B applicants must pass the Competency Assessment of Overseas Pharmacists (CAOP) examination.
The CAOP examination is offered four times annually in London, Auckland and all Australian capitals.

Upon successful completion of these examinations, applicants are issued with a skills assessment letter for
the purposes of commencing the registration process with AHPRA and/or visa/migration purposes. Stream
A applicants are then required to meet the same requirements for general registration as graduates of
Australian/New Zealand programs. Stream B applicants have a slightly abbreviated process leading to
general registration.

The APC assessment processes are overseen by the APC Examining Committee which is made up of a range
of pharmacists from community, hospital and academic backgrounds and two community representatives.
There are set of assessment guidelines and evidentiary indicators that are applied to each assessment and
reviewed and updated regularly.
3. What interaction do you have with Australian education providers?

The APC is the accrediting authority for pharmacy in Australia and New Zealand. The APC Accreditation
unit assesses degree and intern training programs leading to registration for pharmacists. The APC
regularly holds fora and workshops with both University and pharmacy professional body education
providers to consult on accreditation standards, evidence guides and facilitate understanding of the
pharmacy education and profession needs.

The APC Accreditation teams undertake full Site Evaluation Team visits on a five yearly cycle for degree
programs, and have an audit program for Intern Training Providers.

http://pharmacycouncil.org.au/content/index.php?id=7

While APC undertakes the accreditation of programs, the Pharmacy Board of Australia (PBA) is responsible
for approving the program for the purposes of gaining registration in Australia. The Pharmacy Council of
New Zealand (PCNZ) is responsible for approving programs for the purposes of gaining registration in New
Zealand.

http://www.ahpra.gov.au/Education/Accreditation-Authorities.aspx

http://www.pharmacycouncil.org.nz/cms_display.php

a. What benefit does the accreditation of courses have on your skills assessments?

International graduates who hold a qualification from an APC accredited and PBA/PCNZ approved program
can apply to the APC for an assessment of qualifications. They are not required to complete the additional
examination steps prior to provisional registration as intern pharmacists with the PBA or PCNZ.

The APC will verify the application and qualification and issue a skills assessment letter.

b. Are there any issues with course accreditation relating to skills assessments or
employment, and are they being effectively managed?

The APC does not comment on employment issues.

4. What has been your experience with skills assessments of Australian graduates?

Assessment of international graduates of Australian/New Zealand programs are relatively straightforward.

a. Can you describe the circumstances where an Australian qualification would not meet
the criteria for a positive skills assessment?

Applicants graduating from a program that was not accredited by the APC and approved by the PBA would
not be eligible for a skills assessment. This has not yet happened and would be very unusual.
5. In relation to employment:

a. What are the main issues preventing workforce participation in your occupation(s)?
b. For an occupation(s) that has another body controlling access to employment, what are
the advantages and disadvantages of this separate structural arrangement?

The APC does not comment on employment/workforce issues.

6. What would be the consequences if meeting the criteria for registration/licensing/

The requirements for gaining general registration as pharmacist in Australia are complex and require,
among other things, a year-long period of supervised practice in an Australian pharmacy environment,
participation in an intern training program and the successful completion of two summative assessments.

Requiring overseas trained pharmacists to undertake the intern year without establishing first the level of
training in their country of origin could result in a significant barrier to their ability to register in Australia.

8. How can the Department of Education better support your role in skilled migration?

Regular meetings with the Department of Education would assist the APC in keeping the Department
abreast of its work.