You are a Kenyan pharmacist Migrating to Australia.

Many pharmacists from Kenya seek better opportunities and a better quality of life by migrating to other countries. In this article, we will explore information about what pharmacist’s need to know when considering migration from Kenya to Australia.

The Kenyan Pharmacy and Poisons Board estimates that over 190 pharmacists have migrated abroad in the last ten years, a loss that is equivalent to the total number of pharmacists that were trained since 2000. Although there were no studies about why Kenyans migrate to Australia, a bunch of studies stated multiple reasons for Kenyans’ migration in general. some of them might be the reason they choose Australia most of the time. for example:

Poverty: due to the extreme poverty and lack of quality of life in Kenya, people usually migrate to other countries with a better economy like Australia.
Safety: A lot of studies showed that Kenya has one of the highest crime rates in the world, including human sex trafficking and forced labour. which are strong reasons for people to find safer countries to migrate to.
Better Job Opportunities: Comparing annual and monthly salaries in both Kenya and Australia, we can easily find that salaries in Australia are significantly higher. even for the same position with the same amount of experience. This is one of the main reasons for Kenyans to migrate especially to Australia. According to the “Pharmacist Migration” website, Australia is the 3rd highest paid pharmacist country in the world. The average pharmacist wage is $42.54 per hour based on 913 salaries submitted anonymously to Indeed. If you do the average 40 hour week this equates to $88,483 per year.

While Kenya is considered a lower-middle-income country. Pharmacist salaries in Kenya range from 92,100 KES (approx. $864) per month (minimum salary) to 293,000 KES (approx. $2749) per month (maximum salary). A Pharmacist with less than two years of experience makes approximately 109,000 KES (approx. $1023) per month.

While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 140,000 KES (approx. $1314) per month, 29% more than someone with less than two-year experience.

How to be a pharmacist in Australia?

Want to know how to become a licensed pharmacist in Australia?

The first question you should ask is whether you are eligible or not.

1. Check if you are eligible: you first need to know whether your degree would be acceptable in Australia, this is done by requesting an eligibility assessment by APC (Australian Pharmacy Council). For overseas registration, you need to complete a tertiary Pharmacy degree such as a Bachelor’s degree or Master of Pharmacy.

Applicants must have completed an approved pharmacy course which included a minimum component of the equivalent of three years of full-time academic study. The applicant must also be registered or be eligible for registration as a pharmacist in the country in which the qualification was obtained. To be registered as a pharmacist in Kenya, one must complete a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree program approved by the Commission of University Education, followed by a 1-year supervised internship, regulated by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB).

Once you have established whether you are eligible, these are the next steps:

2. You will need to register with the Pharmacy Board of Australia.

3. Apply for a visa issued by the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection (Australian Immigration Department). To become a pharmacist must file the visa application under the General Skilled Migration category. Two visas—Skilled Nominated Visa – subclass 190 and Skilled Regional sponsored visa – subclass 489 are relevant to work in the country.

4. Overseas-qualified pharmacists from countries other than New Zealand, seeking general registration in Australia are required to pass an examination conducted under the auspices of the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC). All applicants are categorized into either ‘Stream A’ or ‘Stream B’.’

‘Stream A’ candidates, are required to complete a full internship and must follow the procedures outlined in graduates of an approved program of study.

‘Stream B’ candidates are required to complete a shorter period of supervised practice and require limited registration for supervised practice.

In essence, the easiest way to figure which stream to go for is to consider your eligibility:

For Stream A you must:

Have completed an approved pharmacy qualification
Be registered, be eligible for registration or eligibility for the commencement of registration in the country where the initial pharmacy qualification was achieved.

For Stream B you must:

Have completed an approved pharmacy qualification from an accredited institution in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada or Ireland
Be currently registered to practice as a pharmacist in the country where the initial pharmacy qualification was achieved (e.g.: the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, or Ireland).

5. Pass the KAPS exam.

6. English competency: you can either choose from IELTS (International English Language Testing System) or OET (Occupational English Test). Every visa applicant who wants to pursue a degree course in pharmacy has to score A or B in OET’s 4 components, or you should have a minimum score of 6.5 in every component, i.e., 7 as the overall band score.

References:

https://pharmacistmigration.com/highest-wage-countries-for-pharmacists/

http://www.salaryexplorer.com/salary-survey.php?loc=111&loctype=1&job=593&jobtype=3

https://www.tuko.co.ke/346881-how-a-pharmacist-kenya.html

https://apecexam.com/how-to-become-a-pharmacist-in-australia.html

https://pharmacistmigration.com/australia-pharmacist-immigration/

Ogaji IJ, Kahiga TM, Gachuno OW, Mwangi JW. Development of pharmacy education in Kenya universities to date. Afr J Pharm Pharmacol. 2016;10(18):385–92. doi: 10.5897/AJPP2015.4407. [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]

https://www.aussizzgroup.com/blog/career-as-a-registered-pharmacist-in-australia