Notice Type
General Section
Notice Title

Pharmacy Council Scopes of Practice and Prescribed Qualifications Amendment Notice 2014

Pursuant to section 12(1) of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 ("the Act"), the following notice is given.
N o t i c e
Title and commencement-(1) This notice may be cited as the Pharmacy Council Scopes of Practice and Prescribed Qualifications Amendment Notice 2014.
(2) This notice comes into effect on 1 December 2014.
(3) This notice revokes and replaces all previous Pharmacy Council of New Zealand Scopes of Practice and Prescribed Qualifications notices.
Intern Pharmacist Scope of Practice
The intern pharmacist, practising under the supervision of a practising registered pharmacist acts as a medicines manager, providing patient-centred medication therapy management, health improvement and disease prevention services in a collaborative environment. Intern pharmacists ensure safe and quality use of medicines and optimise health outcomes by contributing to patient assessment and to the selection, prescribing, monitoring and evaluation of medicine therapy.
The practice of pharmacy may include:
- the custody, preparation and dispensing of medicines and pharmaceutical products;
- the selection and provision of non-prescription medicine therapies and therapeutic aids;
- health promotion, including health screening;
- the potential for administration of medicines; and
- researching and evaluating information and providing evidence-based advice and recommendations on medicines and medicine-related health issues.
Pharmacist Scope of Practice
The practice of pharmacy is necessarily broad and is wider than pharmacists working directly with patients, given that such roles influence clinical practice and public safety. In a clinical role, the pharmacist acts as a medicines manager, providing patient-centred medication therapy management, health improvement and disease prevention services, usually in a collaborative environment. Pharmacists ensure safe and quality use of medicines and optimise health outcomes by contributing to patient assessment and to the selection, prescribing, monitoring and evaluation of medicine therapy.
The practice of pharmacy may include, but is not limited to:
- the custody, preparation and dispensing of medicines and pharmaceutical products;
- the selection and provision of non-prescription medicine therapies and therapeutic aids;
- health promotion, including health screening;
- administration of medicines, including injectable medicines;
- researching and evaluating information and providing evidence-based advice and recommendations on medicines and medicine-related health issues;
- teaching and advising;
- policy development;
- management;
- manufacturing; and
- auditing.
Pharmacist Prescriber Scope of Practice
Pharmacist Prescribers have specialised clinical, pharmacological and pharmaceutical knowledge, skills and understanding relevant to their area of prescribing practice. This allows them to provide individualised medicines management services, including the prescribing of medicines to patients across a range of healthcare settings and models.
Pharmacist Prescribers work in a collaborative health team environment with other healthcare professionals and are not the primary diagnostician. They can write a prescription for a patient in their care to initiate or modify therapy (including discontinuation or maintenance of therapy originally initiated by another prescriber). They can also provide a wide range of assessment and treatment interventions which includes, but is not limited to:
- Ordering and interpreting investigation (including laboratory and related tests).
- Assessing and monitoring a patient's response to therapy.
- Providing education and advice to a patient on their medicine therapy.
The Pharmacist Prescriber must prescribe within the limits of their professional expertise and competence (both clinical and cultural) and ethical codes of practice. They are responsible and accountable for the care they provide.
Qualifications Prescribed for Registration in a Scope of Practice
1. Registration in the Intern Pharmacist Scope of Practice
Pursuant to section 12 of the Act, the following qualifications are prescribed for registration in the intern pharmacist scope of practice:
(a) Bachelor of Pharmacy, University of Auckland; or
(b) Bachelor of Pharmacy, National School of Pharmacy (Otago); or
(c) Australian pharmacy degrees from Schools of Pharmacy holding either full or conditional accreditation from the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC).
2. Registration in the Pharmacist Scope of Practice
Pursuant to section 12 of the Act, the following qualifications are prescribed for registration in the pharmacist scope of practice:
(i) New Zealand and Australian Pharmacy Graduates
(a) Bachelor of Pharmacy, University of Auckland; or
(b) Bachelor of Pharmacy, National School of Pharmacy (Otago); or
(c) Australian pharmacy degrees from Schools of Pharmacy accredited by the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC); and
(d) successful completion of the Intern Training Programme of the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand (Inc); and
(e) a pass in the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand (PCNZ) assessments as follows:
- Written Examination; and
- Assessment Centre.
(ii) Australian Registered Pharmacists - Trans Tasman Mutual Recognition
(a) Current registration with any one of the Pharmacy Boards of Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Australian Commonwealth Territories, Northern Territories, Pharmacists Board of Queensland, or Pharmacy Council of Western Australia; and
(b) successful completion of the PCNZ Law and Ethics interview.
(iii) Recognised Equivalent Qualification Route (REQR) pharmacists
Holders of a pharmacy qualification from a country or jurisdiction recognised by the PCNZ (currently recognised countries are United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada and the United States of America):
- in which there is a legislative basis for registration/licensure of pharmacists;
- in which the practice of pharmacy is considered by the PCNZ to be substantially equivalent to Australia/
New Zealand;
- in which the level of competency required to practise pharmacy is considered to be substantially equivalent to Australia/New Zealand; and
- which has accreditation of tertiary institutions offering pharmacy degrees as accredited by the APC, or which the pharmacy qualification is from an institution individually accredited by the APC.
(a) successful completion of the Competency Assessment of Overseas Pharmacists (CAOP) examination; and
(b) successful completion of a minimum period of four weeks' supervised practice under an approved pharmacist (three months for Canada and United States of America applicants); and
(c) successful completion of the PCNZ Law and Ethics interview; and
(d) successful completion of a PCNZ approved Return to the Workforce Programme (Canada and United States of America applicants only).
(iv) Registered pharmacists applying from countries other than Australia or REQR countries
(a) Pharmacy degree and post-registration work experience in pharmacy deemed by the PCNZ as equivalent in content and learning outcomes to a current APC accredited pharmacy programme; and
(b) current registration as a pharmacist with a pharmacy registration authority in the same country of registration where the degree in (iv)(a) was completed; and
(c) Knowledge Assessment of Pharmaceutical Sciences (KAPS): successful completion of two examination papers covering pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacology, pharmaceutics and therapeutics; and
(d) a pass in the New Zealand Pharmacy Legislation course; and
(e) successful completion of the Intern Training Programme of the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand (Inc); and
(f) a pass in the PCNZ assessments as follows:
- Written Examination, and
- Assessment Centre.
3. Registration in the Pharmacist Prescriber Scope of Practice
Pursuant to section 12 of the Act, the following qualifications are prescribed for registration in the pharmacist prescriber scope of practice:
(a) Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Pharmacy in Prescribing, University of Auckland; or
(b) Postgraduate Certificate in Pharmacist Prescribing, University of Otago.
Dated at Wellington this 9th day of October 2014.
CLAIRE PAGET-HAY, Registrar, Pharmacy Council of New Zealand.