As a hospital pharmacist, you play an integral role ensuring patients receive high quality medicine management.

You'll work in multidisciplinary teams and in a variety of settings to provide drug information and advice to health professionals and patients.

The role of a hospital pharmacist may include:

  • working with doctors and other hospital staff to ensure quality use of medicines
  • working in specialist areas such as oncology, cardiology and mental health
  • dispensing medicines and formulating special medicines
  • educating patients about medicines and their use
  • working with community based health professionals to manage medication between hospital and home
  • involvement in clinical trials and research of new medicines
  • involvement in patient safety initiatives including drug use evaluation
  • Hospital in the Home initiatives
  • educating other health care staff
  • managing pharmacy services.

Qualification and registration requirements

To practice as a pharmacist in Australia, you must be registered with the Pharmacy Board of Australia.

Once you've graduated from an approved program of study, you must complete a period of supervised practice before you can apply for general registration.

International qualifications

If you're a pharmacist who trained in another country (with the exception of New Zealand), you must pass the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) examinations.

You'll then need to complete a period of supervised practice before you can apply for general registration with the Pharmacy Board of Australia.

Overseas qualified pharmacists can find more information on the Pharmacy Board of Australia registration webpage.

Last updated: November 2023