Study the Postgraduate Certificate in Pharmacist Prescribing (PGCertPharmPres)
Take on more responsibility for patients and whānau
Right now, you might be the pharmacist who spots a problem but must send the patient and their whānau elsewhere to get it fixed. This online qualification changes that. Once registered with Pou Whakamana Kaimatū o Aotearoa (Pharmacy Council of New Zealand), you'll gain the legal authority to prescribe medicines yourself, as part of a collaborative health team alongside doctors and nurses.
It's a genuine step up in scope of practice, not just new knowledge, but a new kind of responsibility. You'll be equipped to manage more of a patient's care directly, reducing delays and gaps in treatment and putting your existing clinical judgement and culturally safe care approaches to fuller use than an undergraduate qualification alone allows.
Ready to apply?
If this is the qualification for you, get started with your application today.
Programme details
Regulations for the Postgraduate Certificate in Pharmacist Prescribing (PGCertPharmPres)
Admission to the Programme
- Admission to the programme shall be subject to the approval of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Health Sciences).
- Every applicant must
- have been awarded the Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Pharmacy or have an equivalent qualification or experience acceptable to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Health Sciences);
- be registered for practice as a pharmacist in New Zealand;
- hold an appropriate position involving patient care acceptable to the Dean of Pharmacy;
- have access to a designated medical prescriber that is acceptable to the Pharmacy Board of Studies; and
- have at least two years of post-registration patient-focused experience in a hospital, community, or primary care setting or experience acceptable to the Pro-Vice Chancellor (Health Sciences).
Structure of the Programme
The programme shall consist of two papers, PHCY 621 and PHCY 622.
Duration of the Programme
A candidate shall normally complete the requirements for the certificate within two years of admission to the programme.
Special Examinations
Any candidate who has obtained a fail grade in a paper will not normally be admitted to a special examination in that paper but may be offered an opportunity to repeat the paper.
Variations
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Health Sciences) may in exceptional circumstances approve a course of study which does not comply with these regulations.
Explore more in Pharmacy
Learn where this subject can take you and discover the full range of study options, from undergraduate programmes to postgraduate pathways.
Career opportunities
This qualification meets the academic requirement to apply for registration as a pharmacist prescriber in New Zealand. Other Pharmacy Council requirements also apply, including requirements for collaborative practice. Completing the qualification does not guarantee registration.
Contact Pou Whakamana Kaimatū o Aotearoa (the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand) for registration requirements and further information.
An online qualification that grows with your career
Pharmacist prescribing is one of the most significant ways pharmacy is expanding in New Zealand, and this qualification puts you at the front of that shift. Rather than waiting for scope of practice to change around you, you're building the skills to lead it.
Once qualified, you'll be equipped to take on greater clinical responsibility, work more closely alongside doctors and nurses in shared patient care, and open the door to further postgraduate study if you want to keep advancing, whether that's deeper clinical specialisation, research, or leadership roles. It's a qualification that keeps pace with where your career is heading, not just where it is now.
More information
Postgraduate Administrator
School of Pharmacy
Tel +64 3 479 7271
Fax +64 3 479 7034
Email pharmacy.postgrad@otago.ac.nz
Website otago.ac.nz/pharmacy/ppp
Office address
Level 7, Adams Building
18 Frederick Street, Dunedin
Postal address
Postgraduate Administrator
School of Pharmacy
University of Otago
PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054
