Pharmacists will become ‘doctors’ with a one-year online master’s degree — this is how
Dr Amy Page says her program is focussed on supporting medication reviews and other programs, not the title.
Pharmacists got the news last year that they would be able to call themselves ‘doctors’ after completing a new extended master’s degree.
They are not the first non-medical profession to have this option — dentists, vets, optometrists and physiotherapists do already.
However, AHPRA has warned that the word ‘doctor’ has an “historical association” with medical practice, and that non-medics must understand the risks of misleading patients about their qualifications.
On the back of the announcement, James Cook University in Queensland set up a five-year Doctor of Pharmacy degree built onto its bachelor’s degree.
