What is the shortest time to become a pharmacist?

A rewarding career with variety and the potential to work all over the world.

What's it like to be a Pharmacist?

Pharmacists work mostly in chemists where they dispense prescribed medications to patients and monitor their drug treatments. They also commonly work in hospitals where they provide pharmacological information to other health care professionals.

Tasks and duties

  • Reviewing drugs prescribed by doctors and preparing medications accordingly.
  • Monitoring drug therapies and advising on on-going treatments.
  • Developing the pharmacological knowledge of other health care professions, like doctors, nurses and medical students, by providing training and clinical information.

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How to become a Pharmacist


To become a Pharmacist, you will need to complete a relevant qualification such as a Bachelor of Pharmacy. This usually takes four years of full-time study. To gain entry to this degree you usually have to complete Year 12 and achieve an appropriate ATAR.


  1. Complete a Bachelor of Pharmacy or Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours). Alternatively, if you have already completed an undergraduate degree, you can complete a Master of Pharmacy.
  2. Apply for provisional registration with the Pharmacy Board of Australia.
  3. Complete an internship under the guidance of a registered Pharmacist. During this internship, you will also need to complete a separate Intern Training Program (ITP) that has been approved by the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC).
  4. Before you can apply for general registration as a Pharmacist, you will need to pass a written and oral exam.

SEEK users who have worked as a Pharmacist have studied these qualifications.

Skills and experience employers are looking for

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What is the shortest time to become a pharmacist?
Reliability

AHPRA Registration

Dispensing

Willingness to Learn

Customer Service

Team Work

Thoroughness

Commercial Acumen

Organised

Autonomy


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Is Pharmacist the right role for me?


Job market trends for Pharmacists

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Latest Pharmacist reviews

Latest reviews from 60 Pharmacists surveyed on SEEK

Pharmacy is a good job for someone who wants to live a monotonous but reliable life

Reviewer's Qualification

Bachelor of Pharmacy

Organisation size

Medium (20-199 employees)

Specialisation

Chemist Warehouse Retail Pharmacist

The good things

-Good work-life balance -Only health profession that requires minimal physical contact with patients -Straightforward job -

The challenges

-Repetetive in nature -Patients/customers are sometimes abusive as you are the middleman and have to explain how you can only work within government legislation. At times this abuse can take a real to...

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Pharmacist is a tough job. It is not for the faint hearted or someone who doesn’t have the passion for it. If you do, it will be very rewarding in the end.

Reviewer's Qualification

Bachelor of Pharmacy

Organisation size

Medium (20-199 employees)

The good things

Pharmacy has good job security, you’ll never go out of a job no matter what. Flexibility in working hours. As pharmacies usually stay open long hours, you can easily pick up any hours you desire at an...

The challenges

Time management and staying focus literally at all times. As pharmacist doesn’t have a fix lunch time or break, you have to manage your own schedule well. Always remember to still give yourself a brea...

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Source: SEEK Role Reviews

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Read more from SEEK

What is the quickest you can become a pharmacist?

“0-6” programs award both a bachelor's degree and PharmD upon completion, and are the faster of the two paths toward a career as a pharmacist. These are competitive programs, however, and students hoping to get accepted into them frequently need to meet a minimum GPA along with SAT or ACT scores.

How long do pharmacists study for?

To become a Pharmacist, you will need to complete a relevant qualification such as a Bachelor of Pharmacy. This usually takes four years of full-time study.