Bronwyn Clark, CEO Australian Pharmacy Council

The healthcare landscape is shifting fast - and with that shift comes with the question, what should today's pharmacy graduates look like?

Some imagine a future where graduates emerge holding a 'Dr' title, prescriber-ready, practising at expanded scope of practice from day one. Others wonder how education can continue to evolve as expectations of pharmacists grow.

What we all share however is a single priority: the safety and trust of patients.

Capability supported by standards

At APC, our view is simple: a capability-led system, underpinned by strong accreditation standards and robust processes, is the safest most flexible way to prepare the pharmacists that Australia needs - now and into the future.

Capabilities define what a newly registered pharmacist must be able to do on entry to practice.

Accreditation standards and processes define and monitor how education providers ensure graduates meet the capabilities.

This distinction matters. Whilst content needs to align with capabilities, accreditation standards do not define the structure of programs. This allows education providers to design and deliver programs with structures that meet the diverse needs of students and the profession.

We see the complexities and confusion

Across the pharmacy landscape, rapid change has caused understandable confusion about education models for pharmacists:

• pharmacists' scope of practice is expanding
• urgent workforce pressures are reshaping expectations of funders and governments
• technology, telehealth and models of care are changing healthcare and expectations of public
• learners themselves are choosing different modes, paces, and styles of study

Meanwhile universities are innovating at speed - creating pathways that range from Master's degrees leading straight to general registration, to accelerated 3-year pathways, to traditional BPharm(Hons) and new Master's entry options leading to provisional registration.

These innovations are a natural response to a changing profession and changing learners.

Why standards + capabilities matter now more than ever

When pathways diversify, consistency must come from somewhere else. That “somewhere” is a capability-led, outcomes-focused accreditation system. This is where APC comes in. Our accreditation standards underpinned by the Pharmacist Capability Framework allow for this innovation in pharmacy programs.

Capabilities ensure every graduate - regardless of how they study, how they are taught or the structure of the program - is ready to practise safely, effectively, and collaboratively.

Accreditation is not a barrier, it is the enabler that gives universities the flexibility to innovate while giving the public confidence that no matter the pathway, graduates meet the same high bar.

We enable choice and flexibility

APC develops the accreditation standards that that enable choice - for learners, for universities, and for the profession.

We provide clarity in moments of change, stability in moments of pressure, and assurance when pathways evolve.

Our work exists so that innovation in education strengthens, rather than fragments, the profession.

Bronwyn Clark is the Chief Executive office of the Australian Pharmacy Council, the independent national accreditation authority for pharmacy education and training.

This article is the first in an APC series highlighting our role as an enabler of innovation in pharmacy education.