Key concepts:

• To become a pharmacist in Australia, candidates have to pass competitive exams such as OPRA exam, Australian intern pharmacist written and intern exam with a mandatory supervised internship

• To become pharmacy technician, candidates must receive a positive skills assessment for Vetassess

• A pharmacist is a registered healthcare professional who provides clinical advice, while a pharmacy technician supports pharmacists with technical and administrative tasks.

• Both pharmacist and pharmacy technician is in strong demand all over Australia

• Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians can work in retail pharmacies, hospitals, aged care services and more.

For overseas pharmacy graduates, who consider a rewarding career in the Australian healthcare industry, there are two popular professions that they can choose. Either they can be a pharmacist or a pharmacy technician. To become a registered pharmacist in Australia, students have to pass competitive exams and internship under supervision of a licensed pharmacist. Comparing the process, becoming a pharmacy technician is considered to be more easy.

Both roles play an important place in the healthcare industry by supporting patient care, handling various responsibilities with rewarding salaries. In this blog, let’s explore the key differences of a pharmacist and pharmacy technician in Australia.

Steps to Become a Pharmacy Technician in Australia

• Overseas pharmacists should Get a positive Skills Assessment from Vetassess to confirm that their qualifications and work experience meet the Australian standards.

• Candidates must successfully clear the English Language Proficiency tests to demonstrate the language handling efficiency which is crucial in this job. They can attempt several tests such as OET, PTE, or IELTS

• For an example, they should score an IELTS score of 6.0 overall

• They can further apply for a skilled visa such as Subclass 190 or Subclass 491 which may require sponsorship from state or territory

Key job aspects of a pharmacy technician in Australia.

• For a pharmacy technician, jobe responsibilities include Preparing and compounding medication, preparing labels for drugs, and dispense medications under pharmacist supervision, inventory management,and stock management.

• There are pharmacy technician jobs available in retail pharmacies, hospital pharmacies, and other healthcare settings.

• Pharmacy technician is in high demand in states like South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia.

Steps to become a Pharmacists (Overseas applicant) in Australia

• Candidates should apply for Skills Assessment through the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) to verify qualifications and work experience.

• They must pass the KAPS or OPRA Exam which demonstrates the knowledge of overseas pharmacists is equivalent to that of the Australian pharmacy standards

• Pass IELTS, PTE or OET to meet language requirements and hence prove the English proficiency of an applicant.

• Submit application to AHPRA and Apply for Provisional Registration. Lodge EOI for skilled nominated visas and migrate to Australia.

• Complete the mandatory supervised practice under the supervision of a registered pharmacist to gain practical experience of Australian standards.

• Complete the Australian Intern Written & oral exam and apply to be a registered pharmacist with the Pharmacy Board of Australia.

• Receive full registration with the Pharmacy Board of Australia.

Salary and Career Outlook in 2025

• For a registered pharmacist, the average basic salary in Australia is around AUD 70,000-110,000. There is a strong demand for pharmacists in hospitals, community pharmacies, and aged service centers. Their career growth is more into a clinical setup. They also switch to consultancy or ownership of pharmacy in future.

• For a pharmacy technician, the average salary per annum will be around AUD 64,358.00 and it varies with experience. There is a steady demand in both communities as well as hospitals for a pharmacy technician. They can upskill the career by doing more certification courses available in Australia related to pharmacy.

Comparison Table: Pharmacists vs Pharmacy Technicians

Conclusion

Candidates who completed their pharmacy degree have two popular career pathways in Australia- to become a pharmacist or a pharmacy technician. The choice between these depends on the career goals, level of education and desired responsibilities. A Pharmacist job role is more clinical oriented when a technician is a supportive responsibility. A pharmacist should have clinical decision making skills and therapeutic knowledge, where a pharmacy technician should have proper communicative and analytical skills with adaptive nature. Being a pharmacy technician is the quickest way to start your career in the Australian healthcare industry.

About the Author

Krupa Karamchand

Content Writer | Elite Expertise

Krupa Karamchand is a B. Pharm graduate and KAPS-qualified pharmacist with over 7 years of experience in the pharmaceutical field. As an experienced SEO content writer, she combines her in-depth healthcare knowledge with proven digital strategies to create informative, engaging, and search engine–optimized blogs. Krupa is passionate about making complex medical topics easy to understand and accessible to all readers.

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