Retail Pharmacist – ANZSCO 251513

Retail Pharmacists dispense prescribed pharmaceuticals to the public, educates customers on health promotion, disease prevention and the proper use of medicines, and sell non-prescription medicines and related goods in a community pharmacy.

Skill Level

Alternative Titles

Community Pharmacist

Skills Assessment Requirement

Unless you are exempt in very limited circumstances, you are required to have a positive Skills Assessment to apply for the visas listed above.

Skills Assessment authority for Retail Pharmacist is Australian Pharmacy Council Limited (APharmC). To have a positive skills assessment, you must meet the following criteria:

Skills assessments are conducted by APharmC in four different categories

Skills Assessment Stream

Eligibility Requirements

Skills Assessment Requirements

Competency Stream

Applicant graduated from a recognized degree program in Canada, Ireland, UK or USA

Applicant is currently registered as a Pharmacist in one of the above countries

Qualification must be recognized by the pharmacy regulator in the country of qualification

Qualification must be equivalent to 4 years if study is completed after 1 January 2006 or 3 years if completed before 1 January 2006

Applicant must:

· Be currently registered in one of the listed countries;

· Hold certificates of good standing in all jurisdictions the applicant has been registered in the last 10 years

· Hold a current senior first aid certificate from an accredited course provider

Applicant must:

· Pass the eligibility check; AND

· Pass the Competency Assessment of Overseas Pharmacists Examination (CAOP)

International Student Stream

Applicant graduated from a recognized degree program in Australia or New Zealand as an international student

Applicant is registered or eligible to be registered as a Pharmacist

An applicant must hold a pharmacy degree from an approved program in Australia or New Zealand

· Note: Applicants are encouraged to check the APharmC website for the approved programs list

An applicant’s work experience can be considered if they are not a registered pharmacist. The applicant’s work experience can be considered if they have worked:

· As a retail or hospital pharmacist

· For more than 20 hours per week

· For at least 12 consecutive months in the last 10 years

Applicants should include the following if they wish APharmC to comment on their registration or work history:

· Initial registration in Australia or NZ

· Current registration in Australia or NZ

· Current CV that contains start and finish dates as Registered Pharmacist

· Original work references

Knowledge Stream

Applicant graduated from a pharmacy degree program outside of Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, UK or USA

Applicant is registered or eligible to be registered in that country

Qualification must be recognized by the pharmacy regulator in the country of qualification

Qualification must be equivalent to 4 years if study is completed after 1 January 2006 or 3 years if completed before 1 January 2006

Applicant must also be either:

· Registered as a pharmacist in the country the applicant graduated; OR

· Eligible to register as a pharmacist in that country; OR

· Eligible to start the registration process in that country

Applicant must:

· Pass the eligibility check; AND

· Pass the Knowledge Assessment of Pharmaceutical Sciences (KAPS) exam

NZ Registered Pharmacist Stream

Applicant graduated from a pharmacy degree program in New Zealand

Applicant is currently registered as a Pharmacist in the above country

Applicant must have a pharmacy degree from an approved program in New Zealand

· Note: Applicants are encouraged to check the APharmC website for the approved programs list

Applicant must also be currently registered to practice in either Australia or New Zealand

An applicant’s work experience can be considered if they are not a registered pharmacist. The applicant’s work experience can be considered if they have worked:

· As a retail or hospital pharmacist

· For more than 20 hours per week

· For at least 12 consecutive months in the last 10 years

Applicants should include the following if they wish APharmC to comment on their registration or work history:

· Initial registration in Australia or NZ

· Current registration in Australia or NZ

· Current CV that contains start and finish dates as Registered Pharmacist

· Original work references

Did you know?

APharmC provide sample exams for both the CAOP and KAPS assessments on their website.

Potential Visa Pathways for Retail Pharmacist

ANZSCO	Occupation	Skills Assessment	189	190	485	491 (State)	491 (Family)	186 (Direct)	407 (Training)	494 (regional Sponsored)	482 (TSS Short Term)
251513	Retail Pharmacist	APharmC	x	√	x	√	x	x	√	√	√

Group: 2515 Pharmacists

Description

Ensure safe and quality use of medicines, and optimise health outcomes by contributing to selecting, prescribing, monitoring and evaluating medicine therapy, and researching, testing and developing pharmaceuticals and medical products.

Tasks

Receiving prescriptions, checking patients’ medicine histories, and ensuring optimal dosage and methods of administration and drug compatibility before dispensing
Preparing or supervising the preparation and labelling of liquid medicines, ointments, powders, tablets and other medications to fill prescriptions
Advising prescribers on drug incompatibility and contra-indications
Reviewing and monitoring the medicine therapy of individual patients, and assessing the effectiveness of the total medicine therapy
Maintaining prescription files and recording issue of narcotics, poisons and habit-forming drugs
Storing and preserving vaccines, serums and other drugs subject to deterioration
Supplying non-prescription medicines, and diagnostic and therapeutic aids
Supervising and coordinating the work of Pharmacy Technicians, pharmacy interns and Pharmacy Sales Assistants
Conducting research to develop and improve pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and related chemical products
Conferring with Chemists, Engineering Professionals and other professionals about manufacturing techniques and ingredients
Testing and analysing drugs to determine their identity, purity and strength in relation to specified standards
Developing standards for drugs used in pharmaceuticals

Skill Level

Occupations in this unit group have a level of skill commensurate with a bachelor degree or higher qualification and a one year traineeship (ANZSCO Skill Level 1).

Registration or licensing is required.

Occupations in this Group

251511 Hospital Pharmacist
251512 Industrial Pharmacist
251513 Retail Pharmacist

How to calculate your points (skilled visas)

To apply for a skilled visa, you need to know how many points you can score. The minimum score to be eligible for application is 65 points. However, depending on your occupation, the competitiveness, and the states you are applying to, you might need to score more points to get an invite.

Points will be given to you based on the following:

Age
Educational Qualifications
Points for Professional Year
Points for NAATI- Credentialled Community Language
Points for 2 Year Study
Points for English
Points for Regional Study
Points for Work Experience
Points for Specialist Educational Qualifications (STEM)
Points for Partner

Click here to calculate your points.

Subclass 190 visa– Skilled Nominated Visa & Subclass 491 visa – Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa

To apply for visa subclass 190 and visa subclass 491, you need to have a nomination from the state/territory government where you want to live and work. Each State and Territory have individual requirements that must be met in order to receive nomination. (See below)

While the 190 visa is a permanent visa, subclass 491 visa gives you right to live and work in regional Australia for 5 years with a pathway to permanent residency through the subclass 191 visa.

Another difference between the 190 and 491 visa is that you can only apply for visa subclass 491 if you are living and working in regional areas in Australia, while it is not a requirement if you are applying for the 190 visa.

In summary, to be eligible for 190 visa, you need to meet the following criteria:

Immigration Points

Must score at least 65 points, or higher points if the state or territory requires.

English

Must have at least Competent English, i.e., IELTS 6.0 or equivalent, or higher if the state or territory requires.

Age

Must be under 45 years of age.

be invited

Must lodge an EOI and be invited by the state or territory and then apply for the visa.

Skills assessment

Must have positive skills assessment. Each occupation has a specific assessing authority.

HEALTH AND CHARACTER

Must meet health and character requirements.

To check if the state/ territory government requirements for your occupation, refer to the following links

State/ Territory	Links to requirements
New South Wales	NSW Skilled Migration Nomination Requirement 2021-2022 (190 Visa) NSW Subclass 190 Skilled Occupation list Skilled occupation list for NSW 491 visa NSW Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491) requirements NSW 491 Regional Skilled Occupation list (Stream 1) NSW 491 Regional Skilled Occupation list (Stream 2 and 3)
Victoria	Victoria Skilled visa nomination program (190 and 491 visa)
South Australia	South Australia Skilled Migration Program (190 and 491 visa) South Australia’s Skilled occupation list
Western Australia	Western Australia 190 and 491 nomination requirements. Western Australian skilled migration occupation list (WASMOL)
Northern Territory	Northern Territory 190 Visa requirements NT Migration Occupation List
Australian Capital Territory (ACT)	ACT Canberra Small Business Owner Pathway ACT Skilled Migration Nomination Requirements (190 and 491 visa) Canberra Matrix Points Calculator
Tasmania	Tasmania 491 Visa Requirements Tasmanian Skilled Occupations List (TSOL) Tasmania Small Business Owner Stream – 491 visa Tasmania Skilled Migration Nomination Requirements Tasmania 190 Visa Requirements
Queensland	491 visa criteria for Queensland Queensland Skilled Occupation Lists Far North Queensland DAMA 491 Visa – Queensland Small Business Owners Pathway

407 Training Visa

The 407 visa a short stay visa for individuals to participate in occupational training or professional development in Australia. This visa is generally valid to stay in Australia for 2 years. Please note this visa is subject to condition 8102 which forbids work apart from the training that is specified in the visa application. You are also required to maintain health insurance whilst in Australia.

To be eligible for visa 407, you need to meet the following criteria:

GTE

You must prove that you genuinely stay in Australia for training and will depart when you complete the training.

English Level

Must have Functional English, i.e. IELTS overall 4.5 with no band less than 4, or equivalent.

Age

Must be over 18 years old.

Be Sponsored

You must be sponsored by an approved temporary activities sponsor – Can be an employer or a commonwealth agency

HEALTH INSURANCE

Must hold valid private health insurance.

Health and Character

Must meet health and character requirements.

Subclass 494 visa – Skilled Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa

You can apply for subclass 494 if you have a regional employer who is willing to sponsor you. To be eligible for this visa, you must have at least 3 years of working experience in your nominated occupation and have a relevant skills assessment. With this visa, there is a requirement that you must work for the employer who is sponsoring you.

This visa provides pathway to permanent residency through the 191 visa.

Experience

At least 3 years full-time work experience in the nominated occupation.

English

Must have at least Competent English, i.e., IELTS 6.0 or equivalent.

Age

Must be under 45 years of age, unless exempt.

Be Sponsored

Must be sponsored by an Australian regional employer.

Skills assessment

Must have a positive skills assessment.

Location

Must live and work in regional areas in Australia.

Subclass 482 visa – Temporary Skill Shortage (Short Term)

The Subclass 482 visa is a Temporary Skill Shortage visa that requires a sponsorship from an Australian employer. The TSS short term stream visa allows to your live and work in Australia for up to 2 years each time you are granted this visa. You may apply for two 482 visas in the short stream onshore and subsequent ones offshore, as long as the employer is willing to sponsor you. The TSS 482 short term stream does not have a path to permanent residency throught the 186 visa.