So you’re almost a registered pharmacist: what else do you need to do? By Kenny Lee
You’re almost there. You’re part-way through your intern year, and you want to make sure the transition to registered pharmacist life is without unnecessary stress. It certainly pays to have a personal checklist of things you NEED to do to be registered (legally), and things that are worth considering.
Back when I was newly registered, some of my fellow pharmacy colleagues were uncertain about what they needed to do peri-registration: so I created a checklist to give them a starting point. Of course, what I’m about to share with you is not an exhaustive list of things to do. Additionally, there are variations in requirements/relevant resources depending on what State/Territory you practice in. Regardless, I hope the below checklist will give you a starting point to build upon.
Registration Awareness Checklist (RAC)
This checklist has been developed to raise awareness of the requirements for general registration as a pharmacist in Western Australia, and of the available resources potentially useful for newly registered pharmacists. This is not an exhaustive list. It is your own responsibility to ensure that you meet the necessary requirements for registration and to practice as a pharmacist.
So you currently hold provisional registration and want to apply for general registration as a pharmacist. Have you fulfilled the following?
Successfully completed:
| □ | PBA-approved Intern Training Program – for more information about your internship: http://www.pharmacyboard.gov.au/Registration/Internships.aspx |
| □ | Written examination |
| □ | Oral examination |
| □ | 1824 hours of supervised practice |
| □ | English language requirements (see APGR-60 form for details) |
| □ | CPD Requirements for Pharmacy Interns (see: http://www.pharmacyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines/FAQ.aspx) |
| □ | Forms SPWR-60 and APGR-60 (see: http://www.pharmacyboard.gov.au/Registration/Provisional-to-General-Registration.aspx) |
Applied for:
| □ | Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) for registered pharmacists. NB: Your provisional registration PII does NOT cover you in your practice as a general registered pharmacist. You will NOT be able to commence working as a registered pharmacist without PII (unless you are covered under your employer’s insurance). |
As a newly registered pharmacist, are you aware of the following?
| □ | Training for Community Opioid Pharmacotherapy Program:
For example, in Western Australia, the Opioid Pharmacotherapy training module can be accessed via the Department of Drugs and Alcohol: http://www.dao.health.wa.gov.au/Educationandtraining/ElearningDAO/ (Essential training for all pharmacists participating in the Community Program for Opioid Pharmacotherapy) |
| □ | Immunisation Training: |
| □ | How to witness/certify documents:
Your relevant state Department of Justice/Department of the Attorney General could be a good place to start. In Western Australia: http://www.courts.dotag.wa.gov.au/W/witnessing_documents.aspx?uid=6632-8252-1072-6719 |
| □ | Guidelines for issuing certificates for absence from work (‘Medical certificates’): http://www.psa.org.au/supporting-practice/guidelines/certificates-for-absence-from-work (requires member login) |
| □ | Where to look for available pharmacist positions:
– Locum Pharmacists – Perth (Facebook® group) |
| □ | For those moving to other States/Territories to practice, are you aware of the relevant Poisons/Drugs legislation?
The Pharmaceutical Services Branch for the relevant State/Territory Health Department would be a good starting point. |
| □ | How to keep up-to-date:
– PSA: http://www.psa.org.au/membership/join/
– NPS: http://www.nps.org.au/health-professionals
– PSA Early Career Pharmacist
– @OZ_PharmUpdates: A twitter account that tweets/retweets snippets of Australian pharmacy practice-relevant information/links (https://twitter.com/OZ_PharmUpdates). |
| □ | Who to contact if you make a dispensing error (or encounter any incidences that require a professional indemnity insurance claim):
|
| □ | Record-keeping for AHPRA audits |
ABOUT KENNY
Kenny is currently a Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice at the University of Tasmania, and a practising community pharmacist. In his role at the university, he teaches and coordinates a pharmacy practice unit for first year Bachelor of Pharmacy students, as well as conducts a variety of research. His current research interests include: information overload, health literacy, and technology-assisted education. Prior to this, Kenny worked as a locum community pharmacist in several pharmacies across Western Australia. He is also the founder of the WA Pharmacists’ Discussion Forum, and OZ Pharm Updates. Kenny also co-facilitates regular discussions related to pharmacy practice via @WePharmerOZ with his teammates: Jarrod McMaugh (@pharmerfour), Sam Turner (@sdturner7), and Arnav Chug (@ArnavChug).
CONTACT DETAILS
Twitter: @KennyPharmPhD – https://twitter.com/KennyPharmPhD
LinkedIn: http://au.linkedin.com/in/kennypharmphd
The information contained in this article was current as at 14/9/2016