The first students to complete a ‘Doctor of Pharmacy’ course in Australia have graduated from Charles Darwin University following an accreditation change announced by the federal government late last year.

CDU Pharmacy associate professor Heather Volk said the change allows master’s students to use the title ‘doctor’ instead of ‘master’, and recognised the level and length of training required to provide the full range of medication management services, including prescribing.

“This change reflects the growing clinical responsibilities that pharmacists are taking on,” Assoc Prof Volk said.

“Pharmacy, like most health programs at CDU, is required to meet the rigorous national standards set by our boards and is administered through the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.

“We also work closely with the profession as our students undertake weekly work-integrated learning in a variety of healthcare settings.”

Assoc Prof Volk said the changes put pharmacy in line with other health professions, including medicine, dentistry, optometry, physiotherapy, and podiatry, where extended master’s degrees also confer the title of doctor upon graduates.

“Providing greater access to education in rural and remote areas is a priority of CDU, and the support of the profession allows us to deliver our course online – allowing people to obtain the qualification regardless of where they live,” Prof Volk said.

Mahsa Mosalla, 26, who relocated to Australia in 2018 to study pharmacy and is now set to join two of her siblings in the field, was one of the six graduates. She said she aspired to become a doctor to expand her career opportunities and explore various specialisations within the field.

“Back home in Iran, pharmacists are very highly respected and in the same tier as medical doctors,” Ms Mosalla said.

“In Australia, however, there’s a perception that pharmacists just stick labels on bottles and that’s it. But it’s a much more skilled profession.

“We’re the second checkpoint for medical doctors and are an important part of that circle of patient care. We already do vaccinations, so hopefully, there will be opportunities to prescribe and provide increased clinical services in the future.”