Streamlined standards highlight social accountability

As of next year, one set of Standards will be adopted to create a streamlined and uniform approach to pharmacy education and intern training. Social Accountability underpins the Standards to ensure graduates understand the health needs and requirements of everyone within the community.

The Pharmacy Board of Australia has recently approved the latest set of Accreditation Standards for Pharmacy Programs in Australia and New Zealand 2020.

“It was a truly collaborative effort by education providers, professional associations, peak Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Māori associations, pharmacy students and consumers,” APC Chair Sue Kirsa said.

Following more than 12 months of extensive consultation with a wide variety of highly valued stakeholders, the Standards will assure that graduates have the knowledge, skills and behaviours that pharmacists need for the evolving nature of contemporary pharmacy practice.

An expert Reference Group guided the project, which ensured all themes identified by stakeholders in submissions and at consultation meetings were addressed appropriately. As a result, the APC is now leading the pharmacy education and training sector into a new era. The Standards’ key features are:

• one set of Standards for education and intern training providers, including the option for integrated programs
• adopting ‘social accountability’ as an underpinning principle to address public safety, cultural competence, professional identity and interpersonal (sometimes called ‘soft’) skills
• outcome focused Standards harmonized with other health professions
• addressing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander & Māori cultural safety
• emphasis on interprofessional education, experiential learning, research and scholarship
• ensuring programs of study equip graduate pharmacists with the required skills and competence for emerging practices, such as prescribing medicines in structured prescribing arrangements and/or under supervision within a collaborative healthcare environment

Based on the positive feedback following the consultations, the APC is confident this new era for pharmacy education and training will hit the mark for our future pharmacists. Our stakeholders noted our approach as ‘exemplary’ because we provided absolute clarity from the outset. This made the review very manageable for such a complex task.

The APC acknowledges and thanks the many stakeholders, pharmacists and academics who contributed so freely of their time to this project.

The new Standards will be effective as of 1 January 2020 and planning is already underway for a smooth transition to the new Standards. APC intends to continue a collaborative approach in the transition phase and will welcome any comments or feedback about the planning for this phase.

Media contact

Anna Turello
Events and Communications Officer
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