Pharmacy Daily | Intern exams slump 60%

THE disruption of COVID-19 this year saw just 640 pharmacy interns attempt examinations supervised by the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) in 2019/20, a drop of almost 60% compared to the 1,490 exams over the previous 12 month period.

The decline was confirmed in the APC Annual report released yesterday, which also noted a 44% drop in the number of exam attempts for the Knowledge Assessment of Pharmaceutical Sciences (KAPS) to just 417.

The Council said it had been forced to cancel scheduled exams for Apr-Jun due to the pandemic, including the largest session, the Intern Written Exam in Jun.

That in turn led to a significant decline in exam fee income for the APC, with the organisation finishing the 2019/20 financial year with a $160,000 surplus, largely due to the Government's stimulus packages.

However the decreased income was offset by lower expenses, including travel for the Board, Committees and staff, as well as several postponed activities including the APC Colloquium.

"Despite the uncertainty and challenges of 2020, APC remains in a strong financial position due to careful financial management...our organisation remains committed to advancing and assuring pharmacy education through quality services and collaborations," the report said.

The APC, which works in close partnership with the Pharmacy Board of Australia, has also pivoted to deliver its examinations in ways that keep everyone safe, and has been able to fast-track overseas trained pharmacists to "get them on the front line," according to the Council's CEO Bronwyn Clark.

Key achievements of the year included working hand in hand with the Pharmacy Board to develop the Intern Year Blueprint, as well as to ensure that this year's Australian pharmacy interns are not disadvantaged during a year of disruption, Clark added.

The recent Oct Intern Written Exam was delivered in collaboration with Pearson VUE, while the next session will take place on 06 Dec both online and in test centres.