What is AHPRA, and what does it do?
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
- supports boards by managing registration of health practitioners
What does the Pharmacy Board of Australia do?
- registration of pharmacists
- development of pharmacy profession standards
- handle notifications & complaints in relation to profession
- assess overseas trained practitioners
- approve accreditation standards
What are the different types of pharmacy registration?
1) General (most)
2) Specialist (none in Australia currently)
3) Provisional (interns)
4) Student
5) Limited (overseas pharmacist)
What are the standards that need to be met for registration?
1) Criminal history standard
2) English language skills standard
3) Professional indemnity insurance arrangements
4) Continuing professional development standard
5) Recency of practice registration standard (need 450hrs over 3 year = 4 weeks)
6) Supervised practice standard
7) Pass examinations for general registration
What factors make someone unsuitable to hold general registration?
- impairment
- criminal history not appropriate
- competency in English not sufficient
- suspended or cancelled registration elsewhere
- recency of practice not sufficient
- not a fit & proper person or unable to practise competently and safely.
- do not meet registration standards
What defines someone as having a criminal history?
1) every CONVICTION for an offence
2) Every plea of guilty or finding of guilt by a court (whether or not a conviction is recorded for the offence)
3) Every charge made against the person for an offence (even if not followed up).
What defines someone as having an impairment?
The person has a physical/mental impairment, disability, condition or disorder (including substance abuse) that could detrimentally affect a person’s capacity to practise the profession.
What defines Professional Misconduct?
- Conduct by the practitioner that is SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW the standard reasonably expected.
- and more than one instance of unprofessional conduct that TOGETHER makes conduct substantially below standard.
- conduct (whether be in the job or outside of it) that is inconsistent with the practitioner being a fit & proper person to hold registration.
Who can administer registration of a pharmacy?
Victorian Pharmacy Authority
used to be the Pharmacy Board of Victoria
What are the regulations surrounding owning a pharmacy business?
Person must not own/have a proprietary interest in a pharmacy business unless
- registered pharmacist
- have a company registration (whose directors are all registered pharmacists).
- not involved in more than 5 pharmacy businesses.
