What we do at the APC

Our core business is to:

• accredit pharmacy programs in Australia
• assess the competency of Australian pharmacy interns
• assess the skills of pharmacists who qualified outside Australia

On this page:

• What we do
• What we don't do
• Contacting who's responsible

What we do

At the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC), we focus on pharmacy education and standards. Our main functions are:

• assessing pharmacists
• accrediting programs and organisations
• developing standards

We keep the public safe by ensuring that pharmacists are competent and can deliver effective health care.

We are an independent body, authorised by:

• the Pharmacy Board of Australia (PharmBA)
• the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra)

Watch this video to learn more about how we've protected the public since 1982.

Assessing skills and competency

We make sure people who want to practise pharmacy in Australia are competent to do so. We assess their knowledge by:

• administering the Intern Written Exam, before an intern registers as a pharmacist
• providing Skills Assessment letters for pharmacists who trained outside Australia and want to practise here

Our focus on evidence-based assessment means all pharmacists in Australia meet the same high standards.

Find out more about skills assessments for pharmacists.

Accrediting pharmacy programs

We accredit pharmacy programs in Australia on behalf of PharmBA.

Programs that we accredit include:

• pharmacy degrees
• intern training programs (ITPs)

Learn more about the accreditation of pharmacy programs.

Accrediting pharmacist education programs

We accredit pharmacist education programs in Australia that credential pharmacists to complete MMRs and work as Aged Care On-site Pharmacists.

Learn more about the accreditation of pharmacist education programs.

Accrediting CPD accrediting organisations

Continuing professional development (CPD) is a requirement every year for registered pharmacists. We accredit the organisations that accredit CPD activities in Australia.

CPD accrediting organisations follow our standards to assess the educational quality and relevance of CPD activities.

Find an a CPD accrediting organisation.

Maintaining accreditation standards

We develop and maintain the accreditation standards for:

• pharmacy degree and intern training programs that lead to registration
• pharmacist education programs for registered pharmacists looking to complete additional, specialised training
• CPD activities
• vaccination training programs

Read about our work on standards.

What we don't do

We don't:

• recommend pharmacy degrees
• recommend intern training programs
• recommend MMR Pharmacist or Aged Care On-site Pharmacist education programs
• give career or employment advice
• credential pharmacists to complete MMRs or work in aged care facilities
• recommend CPD activities
• give advice on migration or visas
• register pharmacists
• manage the final intern oral exam
• accredit CPD activities
• accredit pharmacy education 'providers' (only the 'programs')
• accredit or deliver vaccination training programs
• give out consumer information on medications
• answer questions about medication side effects
• handle complaints about individual pharmacists
• check the registration of pharmacists
• license individual pharmacy businesses
• mandate pharmacist CPD requirements
• assist people with applying for COVID-19 travel exemptions
• give advice on COVID-19 safety measures

Contacting who's responsible

COVID-19

If you need advice on COVID-19 safety measures or want assistance applying for a travel exemption, you need to contact the relevant government authority.

Medications

Ask your local pharmacist about prescriptions, medications, side effects or availability of medication.

Report side effects of a medication or get consumer information from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).

Migration and visas

Find out about migrating to Australia or getting a visa as a pharmacist from the Department of Home Affairs.

Pharmacist registration

Ask PharmBA about becoming a registered pharmacist or sitting the Intern Oral Exam.

For advice on CPD requirements for pharmacists, see PharmBA's:

• Registration Standard: Continuing Professional Development
• Guidelines on Continuing Professional Development

Pharmacists

If you have concerns about a pharmacist, these organisations can help:

• Ahpra's Raise a Concern - reporting complaints about pharmacists
• PharmBA - checking registration of pharmacists

Laws and pharmacies

If you have a question about pharmacy laws and licensing, or a concern about a local pharmacy, contact your local authority.

State	Registration board	Phone
Australian Capital Territory	Pharmaceutical Services, ACT Health	02 6205 0961
New South Wales	Pharmacy Council of NSW	1300 197 177
Northern Territory	Department of Health	08 8999 2400
Queensland	Department of Health	13 43 25 84
South Australia	Pharmacy Regulation Authority SA	08 8267 6218
Tasmania	Tasmanian Pharmacy Authority	0417 752 348
Victoria	Victorian Pharmacy Authority	03 9653 1700
Western Australia	Pharmacy Regulation Board of WA	08 9328 4388