Approximately five years of study and practical experience are required to become a registered pharmacist in Tasmania. At present this comprises four years for the Bachelor of Pharmacy degree and a period of one year's practical experience as a trainee. After this time graduates are eligible to sit the Pharmacy Board of Tasmania examinations for registration as a pharmacist. A pharmacist registered in Tasmania has reciprocity through Australia and in New Zealand and Great Britain. The combination of biomedical and pharmaceutical science and clinical expertise in drug use in a pharmacy degree prepares pharmacy graduates for work in a variety of fields.
Graduates work as pharmacists in the community or in hospitals.
Pharmacists are involved extensively in the manufacturing, research, quality control and marketing of pharmaceuticals. Pharmacists are also employed in government health departments where they may be involved in regulation and approval of new pharmaceutical products. Some pharmacy graduates specialise in providing drug information to other health professionals, hospitals and government departments, while others undertake postgraduate training for careers as academics or researchers or in more specialised fields such as toxicology. Year 1 is an introductory and basic sciences year, Year 2 involves the study of drugs and pharmaceutical sciences, Years 3 and 4 combine applied and clinical studies with advanced scientific study and research. A separate one-year honours course is also available.