In terms of regulations 8-10 of the Regulations pertaining to the registration of persons and maintenance of registers, no persons may be registered as a Pharmacist Intern, unless they have completed a relevant Pharmacy qualification with a provider of pharmacy education and training approved by the South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC). In the case of both South African nationals and foreign nationals who completed their qualifications outside the Council, such persons are required to first submit their qualification for verification/confirmation by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and apply to the SAPC. Persons who obtained qualifications outside South Africa whose applications are approved are also required to sit for and pass the Professional Examination, among other requirements.
Pharmacist Interns
On completion of the Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) degree in South Africa, candidates may pursue an internship in any of the sectors of pharmacy as part of the pre-registration year. The pre-registration year comprises exposure to pharmacy practice through internship, completion of progress reports, compliance with and competence in continuing professional development (CPD) requirements, and sitting for and passing the Pre-Registration Examination. For Academic Pharmacist Interns, completion of a relevant Master’s degree is also a pre-requisite of the pre-registration year. More details concerning the pre-registration year will be available in the 2022 Intern/Tutor Manual which will be accessible at this link from January 2022: https://www.sapc.za.org/Intern_Manual
Below are the preliminary dates for the 2022 Pharmacist Interns’ pre-registration examinations and the practice examinations, which are a pre-requisite for sitting for the pre-registration examination. These dates are subject to change. Notification of any changes will be made to 2022 Pharmacist Interns, their Tutors and Responsible Pharmacists.
Practice Examination
Pre-registration Examination
20 January 2022
04/05 March 2022
02 June 2022
05/06 August 2022
18 August 2022
25/26 October 2022
Table 1: 2022 Preliminary dates for the Practice and Pre-registration Examinations
Foreign-qualified Persons
In terms of the Pharmacy Act, 53 of 1974, candidates with qualifications in pharmacy obtained outside South Africa may apply for registration as pharmacists or pharmacy support personnel (PSP) with the SAPC. To safeguard the public, registration with the SAPC is a prerequisite to practise the pharmacy profession. It is unlawful and a punishable offence for persons with qualifications obtained outside South Africa to practise the scope of practice of a pharmacist or pharmacy support personnel without being registered as such with the SAPC, be they South Africans or nationals of other countries.
Only Foreign-qualified Persons whose application has been approved by the SAPC may sit in for professional examination for FQPs in May and October. There are applicable fees, and the venue of the examination is decided by the Council, the examination is broken down into three (3) examination sessions written on three (3) different days (dates). The examination sessions are as follows: Applied Pharmacy Practice in a Legal Framework; Applied Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry; Applied Pharmacology and Toxicology. After the examination papers have gone through the marking process and are approved by the SAPC, the results are then released to candidates within two months.
Below are the preliminary dates for the 2022 Professional Examinations, which are subject to change. For further information and to access application forms and updated dates, visit: https://www.sapc.za.org/fqpersons
Professional Examinations
Applied Pharmacy Practice in a Legal Framework
16 May 2022
03 October 2022
Applied Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry
18 May 2022
05 October 2022
Applied Pharmacology and Toxicology
20 May 2022
07 October 2022
Table 2: Preliminary 2022 Professional Examinations dates