The ‘Doctor of Pharmacy’ title will be available from 2025. The AMA says it will fight to make sure pharmacy groups don’t conflate the title with expanding scope of practice.
Pharmacists who graduate from a three-to-four-year extended masters course will be able to use the title ‘Doctor of Pharmacy’ from 2025.
On Tuesday night, at the Pharmacy Guild’s annual parliamentary dinner in Canberra, federal health minister Mark Butler announced that the government would deliver on its promise to allow some pharmacists to be titled ‘Doctor’.
“Education Minister Jason Clare, and all his education minister colleagues, have agreed that pharmacists that undertake additional study – a three-to-four-year extended masters degree – will be able to use the title ‘Doctor of Pharmacy’,” he said.
As part of the seventh Community Pharmacy Agreement, which began on 1 July 2020, the government pledged to “take all reasonable steps” to enable the holder of an Australian Qualifications Framework Level 9 Masters Degree (extended) in pharmacy to be treated “by exemption” as though they had a Level 10 qualification, a doctoral degree.
The title of “doctor” is normally only awarded to those with Level 10 qualifications, with the exception of medical practitioners, dentists, vets, optometrists and physiotherapists with an extended masters degree.
This exception will be extended to pharmacists from 2025.
Speaking to The Medical Republic, AMA president Dr Danielle McMullen said that the association had not been made aware that the exemption had been approved prior to the Guild’s announcement and that the details remained unclear.
Any future curriculum for an extended masters would need to go through both internal and external validation and accreditation, she said.
“The main message to doctors: there’s no pharmacist calling themselves doctor tomorrow, except those who might have a PhD.”
Dr McMullen said that while pharmacists were an important part of the health system, they were not doctors.
“The title of health professionals is really critical to helping patients understand the skills and expertise of the practitioner that’s treating them, and the inappropriate use of a title can confuse patients and risk patient safety,” she said.
“The AMA feels very strongly that while the term doctor is not protected, there are protections under AHPRA and the National Law about holding yourself out to be a medical practitioner, and it’s generally recognised that in clinical settings, the word ‘Doctor’ implies medical doctor.
“If you’re not a medical doctor, that needs to be made very clear, and so we will be making sure that that’s the case.
“But, as I said, we’re months or years away from this, so there is time to keep up the fight.”
Dr McMullen noted the current reviews into the use of the title surgeon in podiatrics and dentistry.
“Even within our own profession, the AMA was supportive of restriction of the title ‘surgeon’ for medical practitioners who’ve had specific surgical training,” she said.
“So we’re very careful about practitioners’ titles, even in our own profession.”
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Dr McMullen said there had not been a consultation about the change to the AQF and expressed concern over pharmacy groups conflating the title with expanding scope of practice.
“The other thing to highlight is that qualification and title is not equivalent to scope,” she said.
“Separate to all of this, we obviously do hold significant concerns about the expanded scope for community pharmacists that has been rolled out by a number of state and territory health ministers.
“That poses, again, confusion for patients, risks patient safety.
“Particularly this week, it’s anti-microbial resistance Awareness Week. We’ve got concerns about the expanded prescription of antibiotics, in particular.”
The Department of Education told TMR that, “when the title is used, pharmacists, like other allied health professionals, will need to make it clear that it refers to pharmacy – Doctor of Pharmacy”.
According to the Guild, it has been working closely with James Cook University developing an extended masters of pharmacy curriculum.
James Cook University Associate Professor John Smithson said the AQF change was a “logical and necessary step forward”.
“As pharmacists expand their role in response to the needs of patients and the expectations of government, professional recognition becomes a natural outcome,” he said.
“It will not only support the profession but also enhance public trust in pharmacists as accessible, capable healthcare providers.”
Pharmacy Guild national president Professor Trent Twomey also welcomed the health minister’s announcement.
“This recognition significantly enhances the professional credibility of pharmacists and reinforces their critical role in community health within Australia and globally,” he said.
“It’s an important step forward for future community pharmacists who will soon be able to start their careers with the highest possible qualification.
“It provides recognition for the extended scope of clinical practice being undertaken by pharmacists and will be better for pharmacists, patients and primary healthcare.
“Importantly, the extended masters program brings Australia’s registerable pharmacy degree in line with that delivered in comparative countries, making pharmacy a more attractive study and career option for Australian students.”
