The heat map below shows the originating destination of overseas pharmacists taking the APEC Exam (which is the licensure exam similar to NAPLEX).

Figure 1. Pharmacist migration heat map to Australia, courtesy of APECExam.com.

Relative to the US, although Australia comprises of States much like the US, licensure is done on a National basis, i.e. similar to NAPLEX. There is no regional jurisdiction exam like the CPJE or even MPJE. Just follow the steps below for more information.

How to be a pharmacist in Australia…

Validate your pharmacist degree – 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 this you would need: Personal identification (original and valid passport and passport size photograph that was taken in the last 6 months). Academic qualifications (certificate of the original title in pharmacy and original academic record). Evidence of registration (initial registration as a pharmacist in your country of origin and an official letter confirming your professional status in your country of origin). Work experience (curriculum vitae and original work reference templates). Once the documents described have been sent you will have to pay $ 1.190 AUD as a fee for your evaluation. Get a visa to work – this is issued by the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection. Occasionally this process becomes easier if the government decides to list Pharmacists in their nominated program via Skillselect (as of 2019 this is not the case). Criminal history check – you will need to go to the APHRA website where you will need to receive a certificate which you will need to submit to the APC. Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) – the level of the examination depends on which country you are migrating from, it is very straightforward (via Stream B instead of A) if you are coming from: United Kingdom Ireland Canada United States of America If you are migrating from India, Saudi, Egypt or Philippines to Australia click the link for a specific article, if you are coming from somewhere else use our overseas pharmacist map to get bespoke advice. You will more than likely have to do a period of supervised practice. Meaning you will need to work within a pharmacy in Australia, after completing 75% of supervised practise hours, you can then undertake a registration assessment directed by the Board which may include an oral examination (pharmacy law and ethics) and/or oral examination (practice). After successful completion of any prescribed assessment(s) and assigned supervised practice hours, Stream B candidates are eligible to apply for general registration.

What wage should you expect as licensed pharmacist in Australia?

Australian pharmacists are listed in our top 10 countries for highest pharmacist wage. In fact, they list as having the third-highest wage in the world for pharmacists, just behind the US as no.1 and Iceland as no.2. For more information have a look at our top 10 pharmacist salary article.