There are a lot of realities we need to cope up while Moving abroad to a different country to practice pharmacy. We have to work in unfamiliar conditions, engage ourselves in foreign cultures , meet new people etc. Some skills and qualifications is a must for practicing pharmacy abroad. Here, we are listing some of the important things you should consider while moving abroad as a pharmacist
Registration requirement
In order to practice as a pharmacist, all countries must require applicants to sit for exams in order to show their competency as a pharmacist. Once all the paper works are completed, in some countries they require the pharmacist to undergo through a training period before taking the tag as an experienced pharmacist.
There is some information that pharmacist must be aware about, for example in some countries like America, the applicants are required to sit for an English exam, even if it is their first language. The authorities are responsible for the access to the pharmacy profession and the host country will explain what all documents are required for the process. All the pharmacist should ensure that in some countries, the pharmacist must have a job offer before going through the visa or through their registration process.
For some authorities, pharmacist is required to produce the certified copies of documents to prove that all the details are genuine. And in certain other circumstances, they might request you to confirm translations for key documents. They often have a list of preferred translators. All the pharmacist will have to keep an eye on with their individual regulator for the exact requirement. English language is a source for almost all countries. For moving to a country where English is the official language for example, Canada, Australia, America are relatively straight forward, and language wise. Additional language will also be useful or needed for example French language will be useful in Canada. And in some parts of Europe they require pharmacist who are fluent in their home language. In some instances, for example, Belgium and Luxembourg, pharmacist should really be fluent in several European languages. All the pharmacy laws and duties as a pharmacist differ among countries and even between states. Every country has its own distinct pharmacy laws, healthcare systems and has its own cultures, languages and procedures. If we are working in abroad, whether it is for a short term or over the long term, it provides the pharmacist an opportunity to experience different health system and society. But difficulty in finding a pharmacy setting or position you want to take depends on the country. It can be as easy as booking a flight ticket to one country without much preparation, or it might require more efforts in getting a work visa, examination, and license.
Competitive Exams
There will be a competitive exam for each country for selecting pharmacist. Once you have qualified these exams then only you can practice as a registered pharmacist in these countries. For example , Pebc exams in Canada , KAPS exams in Australia ,Prometric Exams of Qatar etc.…
Advantages of working abroad
Even if there are a lot of steps or processes in a bureaucratic process, but there are many advantages in working abroad. Whether it is several months to a few years. It allows you to see different opportunities in health system and gain more perspective into what it is being a pharmacist in different parts of the country. You can improve our experience, skill, clinical knowledge and we can also learn a new language.
In other perspective, you can travel around the country, meet new people and see yourself going through different cultures of the society. This improves both personal and professional growth. In some cases, they even provide a free or low cost accommodations and help in organize work visas, licensure and paperwork’s.
Qualifications
There are some qualifications and criteria for a pharmacist in different borders.
Here are some qualifications you need to consider:
- Examinations: as mentioned above , Almost all nations have their own examinations to get license as a pharmacist .
- Language requirements: In some countries you require fluency in the native language. So more importance must be given to the proficiency in that native language than preparation for getting licensed locally. For example, Germany requires a language examination to test your proficiency in German language just to ensure that you are able to process prescriptions, counsel patients and consult with health care professionals.
- License: After attending the required training and examination, you are supposed to apply for a pharmacist license in that country.
- Training hours: Because of the different pharmacy practices in nations, they may require to complete an additional training hours in advance for being able to take the pharmacist licensure examination. For countries like Canada, they reciprocate the pharmacy degree and training hours from united states, so in that case no additional training hours are required in licensing process.
- Vaccinations: Check and ensure for the required vaccination in the selected country you will be working and make sure that the vaccinations are up to date.
- Work visa: Before you decide to work in any country, a visa is very much required. The job has to be secure before applying for a work visa.
The duties of a pharmacist and pharmacy laws differ in certain countries. Therefore, the salary and cost of living should be considered before deciding whether to stay or go to abroad.
The role and responsibilities as a pharmacist in some countries, for example in Australia, they are similar to the united states, with pharmacist working in multidisciplinary teams by providing medication reconciliations and counselling patients. Community pharmacist in European countries and they provide chronic disease management, health screenings and vaccinations. But they are still many countries whose role as a pharmacist differs significantly.
There are certain advantages in being a community pharmacist in Canada because they can renew medications which is already written by a physician. The hospital pharmacist in England and Ireland have prescribing authorities. The role of a pharmacist has been expanded over the years in many parts of the world like Asia which is being a pharmacist is solely about filling and dispensing medication.
There are doctors who physically work in a community or a hospital pharmacy . In some cases they work as remote roles they can be essentially anywhere in the world, as long as they have internet access. Since this pandemic hit, many people having hospital roles, including the role of the pharmacist, they managed care, industry and drug information have gone remote indefinitely. This allows the pharmacist flexibility in being able to work abroad anywhere and also gives opportunity to work in different places. Pharmacist who are eager to travel the world and work along with that has become a reality.
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