Revised Competency Standards for Pharmacists

The Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) is urging Australia’s pharmacists and pharmacists of the future to explore the National competency standards framework for pharmacists in Australia 2016 recently released by the Pharmacy Practitioner Development Committee (PPDC) of which APC is a member.

As the accreditation authority for pharmacy education, APC was very keen to ensure workforce education is transformed through specific new competencies including outlining expectations and standards for:

• pharmacists collaborating and working in partnership to deliver patient-centred care, culturally responsive care, including services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• teamwork and inter-professional collaborative practice

The APC pilot to credential Advanced Practice Pharmacists conducted during 2015, was a source of learning for the way in which practice can be assessed and recognised, paving the way forward for future recognition processes. The competencies from the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Framework, have now been incorporated into the new 2016 framework which consists of five key domains:

• Professionalism and ethics
• Communication and collaboration
• Medicines management and patient care
• Leadership and management
• Education and research

The APC looks forward to working with the Pharmacy Board of Australia (PBA) to implement these new competencies for assessment and accreditation purposes into the future

In collaboration with the PBA the APC will be determining the implementation date with respect to the assessment of interns (provisionally registered pharmacists).

Media contact

For any further queries, please contact:

Bronwyn Clark
Chief Executive Officer
Ph: 02 6188 4288