Intern Incentive Allowance for Rural Pharmacies

The Intern Incentive Allowance for Rural Pharmacies is aimed at improving the rural and remote workforce by providing incentive payments to pharmacy owners or eligible hospital authorities offering a placement for a pharmacy graduate during their intern year in a rural or remote Pharmacy.

The Intern Incentive Allowance for Rural Pharmacies improves the rural and remote workforce by providing incentives for Pharmacy Students to undertake their internship in a rural or remote Pharmacy. The Intern Incentive Allowance for Rural Pharmacies – Extension Program improves the rural and remote workforce by providing funding to Community Pharmacies located in rural and remote communities in order to retain newly-Registered Pharmacists beyond their internship training year.

Intern Incentive Allowance for Rural Pharmacies

Successful intern applicants will meet the following criteria:

  • Australian citizenship or permanent resident status
  • Undertaking an internship as a Pharmacist who has completed a pharmacy course approved by the Pharmacy Board of Australia and be eligible to undertake intern training requirements
  • Employed for a minimum of six continuous months
  • Provide placement reports as required in the Program Rules.

Successful applicant Pharmacies will meet the following criteria:

  • Meet the definition of a Community Pharmacy as outlined in the Pharmacy Programs Administrator General Terms and Conditions
  • Be actively trading and continue to actively trade throughout the period of time the Allowance applies to
  • Meet the Pharmacy Board of Australia preceptor requirements
  • Be located in a Modified Monash (MM) category 3-7. Information on MM categories can be found on the Australian Government’s Health Workforce Locator website.
  • Agree to advise the Pharmacy Programs Administrator if the Pharmacy’s circumstances change (further details are provided in the Program Rules)
  • Has agreed to employ an Intern Pharmacist for a continuous six to 12-month period that meets the Pharmacy intern criteria
  • Applies for the Intern Incentive Allowance for Rural Pharmacies within 90 days of the commencement of employment of the Intern Pharmacist
  • Provide placement reports as required in the Program Rules.

Intern Incentive Allowance for Rural Pharmacies – Extension Program

Successful intern applicants for the Intern Incentive Allowance for Rural Pharmacies – Extension Program will meet the following criteria:

  • Australian citizenship or permanent resident status
  • Completion of intern training requirements allowing for registration as a Pharmacist
  • Employed for a minimum of 12 continuous months
  • Provide placement reports as required in the Program Rules.

Successful applicant Pharmacies for the Intern Incentive Allowance for Rural Pharmacies – Extension Program will meet the following criteria:

  • Meets the definition of a Community Pharmacy as outlined in the Pharmacy Programs Administrator General Terms and Conditions
  • Be actively trading and continue to actively trade throughout the period of time the Allowance applies to
  • Be located in a Modified Monash (MM) category 5-7. Information on MM categories can be found on the Australian Government’s Health Workforce Locator website.
  • Continues to employ a newly-Registered Pharmacist for a minimum of 12 continuous months. The newly-Registered Pharmacist must have been employed as an intern in this Pharmacy in the preceding year and must meet the Pharmacist Eligibility Criteria as set out in the Program Rules
  • Agree to advise the Pharmacy Programs Administrator if the Pharmacy’s circumstances change (further details are provided in the Program Rules)
  • Applies for the Intern Incentive Allowance for Rural Pharmacies – Extension Program within 60 days prior to the completion of Pharmacist’s intern year
  • Provide placement reports as required in the Program Rules.

Applications may be made via the Pharmacy Programs Administrator Portal.

Documents submitted with each application should be certified by an eligible witness, based on state and territory legislation.

Intern Incentive Allowance for Rural Pharmacies

Pharmacist preceptors are required to submit the following reports:

  • Pharmacist Mid Placement Report – is due to be submitted 30 days after the first 6 month period of the placement
  • Pharmacist End Placement Report – is due to be submitted 30 days after the end of the placement period.

Pharmacist Interns are required to submit the following reports:

  • Pharmacy Intern End Placement Feedback Report – to be completed at the end of the internship and submitted as part of the Pharmacist End Placement Report.

Payments

A maximum allowance of $10,000 (GST exclusive) per Intern may be made to eligible Community Pharmacies or Approved Hospital Authorities engaging a Pharmacy Intern employee for a continuous 12 month period. A maximum allowance of $5,000 (GST exclusive) per Intern may be made to eligible Community Pharmacies engaging an Intern Pharmacist employee for a continuous six month period. Payments to Pharmacies engaging an Intern Pharmacist for a period of six to 12 months will be calculated on a pro-rata basis. Funding is provided in divided payments, based on the agreed placement period. For a six month placement:

  • 1st Payment– $2,500 paid within 28 days of the application’s approval
  • 2nd Payment– $2,500 paid within 28 days of receipt of accepted Pharmacist’s End Placement Report and Pharmacy Intern End Placement Feedback Report.

For a placement between six and 12 months:

  • 1st Payment – $2,500 paid within 28 days of the application’s approval
  • 2nd Payment – $2,500 paid within 28 days of receipt of accepted Pharmacist’s Mid Placement Report
  • 3rd Payment – $5,000* paid within 28 days of receipt of accepted Pharmacist End Placement Report and Pharmacy Intern End Placement Feedback Report.

*3rd Payment is a pro-rata amount for six to 12 month placements.

For a 12 month placement:

  • 1st Payment – $5,000 paid within 28 days of the application’s approval
  • 2nd Payment – $2,500 paid within 28 days of receipt of accepted Pharmacist’s Mid Placement Report covering the first six months of the placement
  • 3rd Payment – $2,500 paid within 28 days of receipt of accepted Pharmacist End Placement Report and Pharmacy Intern End Placement Feedback Report.

Intern Incentive Allowance for Rural Pharmacies – Extension Program

Community Pharmacist employers are required to submit the following reports:

  • Pharmacist Mid Placement Report – is due to be submitted 30 days after the first 6 month period of employment of the newly-Registered Pharmacist
  • Pharmacist End Placement Report – is due to be submitted 30 days after the end of the 12 month employment period of the newly-Registered Pharmacist.

Newly-Registered Pharmacists are required to submit the following reports:

  • Newly-Registered Pharmacist End Placement Feedback Report – to be completed at the end of the newly-Registered pharmacist’s first 12 months of employment, and submitted as part of the Pharmacist End Placement Report.

Payments

A maximum allowance of $20,000 (GST exclusive) per Intern may be made to eligible Community Pharmacies engaging a newly-Registered Pharmacist for a continuous 12 month period. Funding is provided in divided payments:

  • 1st Payment – $7,500 paid within 28 days of the application’s approval
  • 2nd Payment – $7,500 paid within 28 days of receipt of accepted Pharmacist Mid Placement Report
  • 3rd Payment – $5,000 paid within 28 days of receipt of accepted Pharmacist End Placement Report and Newly-Registered Pharmacist End Placement Feedback Report.

Intern Incentive Allowance for Rural Pharmacies FAQ

  1. Eligible placement periods are six or 12 months. Pro-rata payments for placements lasting between six to 12 months may be approved by the Pharmacy Programs Administrator. Placement periods under six months are not eligible for funding under the IIARP Program.

  2. From 1 July 2021, eligible locations are classified as having a Modified Monash (MM) category of 3-7. MM categories for a particular location can be found here.

  3. Claims can be submitted up to 60 days before the internship commences. Claims should be submitted to the Pharmacy Programs Administrator no longer than 90 days after the internship has commenced.

  4. A hospital authority (or multi-purpose facility) must:

    • Operate a Pharmacy
    • Have a full time Pharmacist engaged who has the capacity to provide adequate supervision to a Pharmacy Intern
    • Be located in a defined rural area where there is no Community Pharmacy within a 30 km radius.

  5. Yes, hospital authorities (or multi-purpose facilities) can be eligible for funding if they provide an email or letter from the Community Pharmacy indicating that they are not willing to take on an Intern.

  6. Yes. The joint application for the Intern may be submitted by either the Community Pharmacy or the hospital authority on the PPA Portal.

    Payments will be made to the Service Provider who submits the IIARP joint application on the PPA Portal. It is then the responsibility of the Service Provider who submitted the application to pass on 50% of the paid funds to the second Service Provider. Split agreements must last 12 months and the Intern must spend equal time at each site.

  7. Six month placements are paid $5,000 (GST exclusive) and 12 month placements are paid $10,000 (GST exclusive) ($5,000 each if split between a Pharmacy and hospital authority). Further details about payments can be found in the Program Rules. Funding for placements between six to 12 months will be worked out on a pro-rata basis.

  8. Yes, a Mid Placement Report (for placements greater than six months) and an End Placement Report completed by the Pharmacist is due for each placement. The Intern must also complete an End Placement Feedback Report that will need to be submitted before the final payment is made.

    The Mid Placement Report is due no later than 30 days after the first 6 month period of the placement. The End Placement Report is due no later than 30 days after the end of the placement.

  9. A Pharmacy Intern is considered eligible if they:

    • Are an Australian citizen or permanent resident
    • Have completed a pharmacy course approved by the Pharmacy Board of Australia and be eligible to undertake intern training requirements
    • Are employed by the Community Pharmacy or hospital authority for a minimum of six continuous months.

  10. For the purpose of calculating pro-rata amounts, ‘placement days’ are based on an interns start and finish days as entered into the application, e.g. an intern starting on 13 June will have a placement month also starting on 13 June. For the purpose of calculating pro-rata amounts, placements that have a finish date less than 15 placement days into that placement month will be rounded down, and placements that have a finish date 15 days or more after that placement month began will be rounded up. For example, an intern commences placement on 13 May, their placement months therefore begin on the 13th of each month. If they work at least 15 days after their final placement month begins i.e. until at least the 28th of that month, their application will be rounded up.

  11. As outlined in the Pharmacy Board of Australia’s Registration Standard: Supervised Practice Arrangements, to be approved as preceptor, a Pharmacist must:

    • Hold general registration
    • Have held general registration and practised as a Pharmacist in Australia for a minimum of 12 months in the area of practice where the supervised practice is to be conducted (e.g. hospital or Community Pharmacy practice), unless the Pharmacist has been registered for a shorter period and is approved by the Board to act as preceptor
    • Be practising in pharmacy premises (i.e. Community Pharmacy or hospital pharmacy department), or in other premises suitable for conducting supervised practice as determined by the Board on a case-by-case basis (e.g. a pharmaceutical company or pharmacy teaching institution)
    • Not have conditions placed on his or her general registration that would impact on their ability to conduct the supervised practise of the Intern
    • Have suitable relevant training or experience to act in this role.

    For further information, please refer to pharmacyboard.gov.au.

  12. Eligible placement periods are six or 12 months. Pro-rata payments for placements lasting between six to 12 months may be approved by the Pharmacy Programs Administrator. Placement periods under six months are not eligible for funding under the IIARP Program.

  13. A certified copy of the Intern’s Australian passport, birth certificate in an Australian state or territory or certificate of Australian citizenship is considered adequate evidence of citizenship. For permanent residency, a certified copy of a letter confirming permanent residency or evidence from the Commonwealth’s Visa Entitlement Verification Online website. This must include the Intern’s name and visa number.

  14. Your pharmacy’s MM category can be viewed on the Australian Government’s Health Workforce Locator website: https://www.health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/health-workforce-locator/health-workforce-locator.

    Click on the MMM 2019 tickbox in the Classification Filter, type in your Pharmacy’s address and click Search Location.  Your MM category will be displayed underneath your address and also on the map.

  15. MM categories are based on the Australian Statistical Geography Standard – Remoteness Areas framework and applies additional modifiers to the inner and outer regional categories based on the road distance to population centres of between 50,000 and 5,000.

    Unlike the previously used Pharmacy Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (PhARIA) rural classification system, The Modified Monash Model rural classification system does not take into account the location or number of pharmacies in its calculation. It also does not factor in boundaries of a town, like PhARIA did. MMM is instead based purely on the road distance from an individual street address to the nearest service centre(s). This is a significant shift in how rural areas are classified for the pharmacy sector.

    It is possible for a pharmacy on one side of town to have a different MM category to another pharmacy on the other side of town. This is due to a difference in road distance to the nearest major town with a population of: greater 50,000 (MM 2); between 15,000 and 50,000 (MM 3); and between 5,000 and 15,000 (MM 4).

  16. No. A location’s MM category cannot be changed.

  17. The Modified Monash Model is updated after each Census. The 2015 MMM was derived from 2011 ABS Census data.

    The current MMM was updated in 2019 using 2016 ABS Census data and geography information.

    The last ABS Census occurred in August 2021. The MMM will therefore be updated in the near future. A specific date cannot be provided at this stage.

Intern Incentive Allowance for Rural Pharmacies - Extension Program FAQ

  1. From 1 July 2021, eligible Pharmacies must be located in a Modified Monash (MM) category of 5-7. MM categories for a particular location can be found here.

  2. Claims can be submitted up to 60 days before the internship ceases. Claims should be submitted to the Pharmacy Programs Administrator no longer than 90 days after the newly registered Pharmacist has commenced employment.

  3. No, the extension Program is restricted to s90 Pharmacies only.

  4. Each approved application will be allocated $20,000 (GST exclusive) and this will be apportioned over three payments. Further information about how funds are paid can be found in the Program Rules, available from the Downloads section of this page.

  5. Yes, a Mid Placement and an End Placement Report completed by the Pharmacist is due for each placement. The newly-Registered Pharmacist must also complete an End Placement Feedback Form that will need to be submitted before the final payment can be made.

    The Mid Placement Report is due no later than 30 days after the first 6 month period of newly registered pharmacist’s employment. The End Placement Report is due no later than 30 days after the end of the first 12 month employment period of the newly registered pharmacist.

  6. Yes, if you do not have an approved IIARP claim for the same Intern, you will not be eligible for the extension Program.

  7. For 12 months. If the newly-Registered Pharmacist leaves for any reason you must inform the Pharmacy Programs Administrator within 21 days of the newly-Registered Pharmacist leaving.

  8. Your pharmacy’s MM category can be viewed on the Australian Government’s Health Workforce Locator website: https://www.health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/health-workforce-locator/health-workforce-locator.

    Click on the MMM 2019 tickbox in the Classification Filter, type in your Pharmacy’s address and click Search Location.  Your MM category will be displayed underneath your address and also on the map.

  9. MM categories are based on the Australian Statistical Geography Standard – Remoteness Areas framework and applies additional modifiers to the inner and outer regional categories based on the road distance to population centres of between 50,000 and 5,000.

    Unlike the previously used Pharmacy Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (PhARIA) rural classification system, The Modified Monash Model rural classification system does not take into account the location or number of pharmacies in its calculation. It also does not factor in boundaries of a town, like PhARIA did. MMM is instead based purely on the road distance from an individual street address to the nearest service centre(s). This is a significant shift in how rural areas are classified for the pharmacy sector.

    It is possible for a pharmacy on one side of town to have a different MM category to another pharmacy on the other side of town. This is due to a difference in road distance to the nearest major town with a population of: greater 50,000 (MM 2); between 15,000 and 50,000 (MM 3); and between 5,000 and 15,000 (MM 4).

  10. No. A location’s MM category cannot be changed.

  11. The Modified Monash Model is updated after each Census. The 2015 MMM was derived from 2011 ABS Census data.

    The current MMM was updated in 2019 using 2016 ABS Census data and geography information.

    The last ABS Census occurred in August 2021. The MMM will therefore be updated in the near future. A specific date cannot be provided at this stage.

Intern Incentive Allowance for Rural Pharmacies Resources

Intern Incentive Allowance for Rural Pharmacies - Extension Program Resources


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