Qualifications and Training

A practising pharmacist in New Zealand (NZ)

  • Holds a qualification which has been prescribed (approved) by the Pharmacy Council.
  • Has met the competence standards set by the Pharmacy Council.
  • Is registered with the Pharmacy Council.
  • Holds an Annual Practising Certificate.
  • Is engaged in relevant, continuing professional development.

The following is a summary of the registration pathway for NZ or Australian university pharmacy graduates. (A chart outlining the pathways for overseas registered pharmacists is available here.)

Intern pharmacist

To be eligible for registration as an intern pharmacist an applicant must have one of the prescribed qualifications:

  • A Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) from either the University of Auckland; or University of Otago
  • An Australian pharmacy degree from a School of Pharmacy holding Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) accreditation.

Pharmacist

To be eligible for registration in the pharmacist scope of practice, an intern pharmacist must meet each of the prescribed qualifications:

  • complete an accredited intern training programme (EVOLVE), which is a structured programme of acquiring practising clinical knowledge and skills while working under the supervision of a registered preceptor pharmacist; AND
  • pass the Pharmacy Council Assessment Centre, a 10-station objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) which tests clinical skills.

Practising pharmacists who qualified in NZ (or obtained an approved qualification in Australia) prior to the BPharm degree being introduced, are deemed to have an equivalent qualification.

Pharmacist prescriber

To be eligible for registration in the pharmacist prescriber scope of practice, a pharmacist must complete an approved post graduate qualification.  There are two accredited programmes for pharmacist prescriber registration

  • University of Auckland, Postgraduate Certificate in Pharmacist Prescribing (PGCert Prescribing)
  • University of Otago, Postgraduate Certificate in Pharmacist Prescribing (PGCertPharmPres)

More information on pharmacist prescribers can be found on this page.

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