Becoming an Intern Pharmacist

You can register as an Intern Pharmacist if you’ve graduated from an accredited Bachelor of Pharmacy programme in New Zealand or Australia. This allows you a limited period to practise under the supervision of an experienced pharmacist to meet the requirements for  pharmacist registration.

Requirement for Australian graduates

If you’re an Australian graduate, you must have a pharmacy degree that has been approved by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

Read more about AHPRA-approved programmes of study

How to register as an Intern Pharmacist if you are a graduate

Before you can practise as an Intern Pharmacist, you must:

• be registered by the Pharmacy Council in the Intern Scope of Practice
• hold an annual practising certificate (APC), which we issue automatically when you register.

Find out more about requirements to registration

Online applications for intern pharmacist registration open to New Zealand and Australian graduates in late November each year. We issue annual practising certificates from 15 December.

How to work towards registration as a pharmacist

To progress from Intern Pharmacist to registration as a Pharmacist, you will need to:

• complete the intern training programme (ITP), while working under the supervision of a registered pharmacist
• achieve a pass at the Pharmacy Council Assessment Centre OSCE examination
• be deemed fit to practise by the Pharmacy Council in regard to health, conduct and competence.

Our Intern Policy explains how we make sure Intern Pharmacists are ready to practise safely as pharmacists.

Read the Pharmacy Council Intern Policy

We urge you to register and start working under supervision in your approved training site as soon as possible after graduation to get the most experience and opportunities to learn.

Read about the intern training programme — on the Pharmaceutical Society website

Email the ITP team: [email protected]