Mon 12 October 2026
Three years on ANZCAP prepares for the next era of advanced pharmacy practice
Advanced Pharmacy Australia (AdPha) is marking three years of the Australian and New Zealand College of Advanced Pharmacy (ANZCAP), the only Australasian program formally recognising advanced pharmacy practice across Australia and New Zealand.
Since its establishment in 2023, ANZCAP has provided pharmacy professionals at all career stages with a structured pathway to demonstrate, recognise and build on their expertise. The ANZCAP Independent Pathway supports recognition of pharmacists in any practice setting while the ANZCAP Training Pathways recognise pharmacists who have completed AdPha’s established Resident and Registrar Training Programs at accredited training sites across Australia.
More than 2,600 practitioners are now recognised through ANZCAP across 46 different specialty areas of practice, including over 200 who achieved recognition by building a portfolio.
For rural pharmacist Courtney Castle ANZCAP-Reg. (OncHaem, RuralHlth), the ANZCAP Independent Pathway provided an opportunity to have her specialty area of practice recognised while leading the expansion of clinical oncology pharmacy services in a rural setting.
‘Completing my Independent Registrar portfolio has already got me thinking about what's next. This has pushed me to reflect deeper and contribute to my profession in ways I wouldn't have before. It was a genuinely rewarding process to put the portfolio together, and one I'm proud to have completed.’
With three years of data and insights now in hand, AdPha is taking ANZCAP into its next phase – ensuring its pathways and recognitions remain relevant, portable and fit for the future as pharmacy practice evolves, including through the introduction of pharmacist prescribing.
AdPha President Assoc. Prof Tom Simpson FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt) said ANZCAP’s evolution was about ensuring the profession had the infrastructure needed to support the next generation of advanced practice and growing specialty practice.
'‘Pharmacy practice is changing rapidly and we need recognition and credentialling systems that can move with it.
‘Endorsed pharmacist prescribing will fundamentally expand what pharmacists can contribute to patient care. If we want to realise that potential safely and consistently, we need a national framework that clearly demonstrates capability, supports mobility and gives patients confidence in the care they receive, beyond self-determined scope and skill, to nationally-recognised expertise.
‘ANZCAP is well placed to be part of that future. We already have the foundations: a national recognition framework, defined standards for advanced practice and thousands of practitioners demonstrating what pharmacy professionals can contribute at an advanced level.’
Assoc. Prof Simpson says work is also continuing to embed ANZCAP recognition and AdPha’s training programs within enterprise agreements across Australia.
'Recognition only has real value when it translates into opportunity.
‘We are seeing ANZCAP recognition increasingly reflected in organisational criteria and position descriptions across hospitals, while work is progressing to incorporate AdPha’s training programs into enterprise agreements in some states.
‘That is important progress. It gives advanced practitioners greater clarity about how their expertise is recognised and creates a stronger connection between professional development, capability and career progression.’
Assoc. Prof Simpson said the next phase of ANZCAP would build on three years of experience strengthening confidence in advanced pharmacy practice.
‘ANZCAP has reached an important point in its development. We now have three years of evidence, experience and feedback to help shape where it goes next.
‘Our goal is unchanged: a recognition system that is credible, portable and genuinely useful to pharmacy professionals wherever their career takes them.
‘Ultimately, ANZCAP is about giving patients confidence in the expertise of the pharmacy professionals caring for them, while helping employers identify, recognise and make the most of advanced skills across their workforce.
‘As pharmacy practice evolves, a consistent national framework will be critical to ensuring the right capabilities are recognised and put to work where they can make the greatest difference to patient care.
‘We look forward to sharing the outcomes of this work with our members and stakeholders as we build the next chapter of advanced pharmacy practice.’