This page is our General page about how a graduate pharmacist can migrate to the UK and become a licensed pharmacist. If you are coming from a specific country you may want to use our country selector on the front page to get specific advice tailored to your country of origin and destination.
Overview
- The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is the regulator of pharmacists and pharmacies in the UK.
- Classification – if you have obtained your degree outside of the European Union, you will be classified as an “overseas (non-EEA) qualified pharmacist” and will be required to take a few additional steps as detailed below.
Steps to registering in the UK via the GPhC
- Check your eligibility for the Overseas Pharmacists Assessment Programme (OSPAP) – the OSPAP is a university-based course that the GPhC requires you to undergo so that you can supplement your foreign knowledge with UK pharmacy content. You have to pay a fee to the GPhC to determine whether you can take the course.
- Apply for the OSPAP – a 9-month-long, postgraduate diploma provided by the Universities of Aston, Brighton, Hertfordshire, Kingston – London and Sunderland.
- Undertake the Fitness to practise evaluation – this is a document submission where you need to prove to the GPhC that you are not a criminal etc.
- Take the Pre-registration training program – this is a 52-week in-pharmacy training programme conducted in England, Scotland or Wales. Once complete, you must be signed off as satisfactory by your pharmacist tutor-employer.
- Sit the GPhC registration assessment – this is a clinical knowledge exam, and the failure rate is between 10-30% each year. If you would like to get a taste of what the exam entails have a look at this free online GPhC Exam questions course.
- Post GPhC registration – after you have received notice from the GPhC that you are now a licensed UK pharmacist, you will now need to do additional training to ensure you can carry out the duties required by your employer, these include:
- Pharmacist flu vaccine training – 74% of all pharmacies in the UK carry out this NHS-commissioned, national service, you will need to be trained in CPR/Anaphylaxis plus vaccine administration technique.
- Medicines Use Review – another NHS-commissioned service which is carried out in nearly all GPhC-licensed pharmacies. You will need to go to the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) and undergo online training.