On her first day as an intern pharmacist in rural Queensland, Emily dropped a bottle on the dispensary floor. It wasn’t the best start - but what happened next mattered more. Her preceptor chuckled, handed her a mop, and said, “Welcome to pharmacy. You’ll learn more from this than your textbooks ever taught you.”
Now a full-time pharmacist, Emily swears it was that moment - not the lectures or exams - that taught her the value of resilience, humility, and hands-on learning. And she’s not alone.
Internships aren’t just a formality - they’re the foundation of Australia’s future pharmacy workforce.
💡 Internships: The Real Classroom
The pharmacy internship year is more than just an awkward transition between student and professional - it’s a full-blown identity shift. Interns are expected to dispense with accuracy, navigate PBS systems, explain pharmacological concepts to patients, liaise with GPs, and sometimes even manage angry customers - all before their morning coffee.
But here's the thing: the best lessons aren’t always clinical.
Interns who stand out are the ones who:
Ask questions (even the silly ones),
Build trust with their team,
Embrace feedback with curiosity, not defensiveness,
And start preparing for the AHPRA oral exam long before crunch time.
📉 5 Common Intern Pitfalls - And How to Dodge Them
Based on feedback from pharmacists across Australia, including insights from Pharmacy Down Under, here are five missteps pharmacy interns often make - and how to avoid them:
Not Asking Enough Questions
Pharmacy is high-stakes - guessing doesn’t cut it. Interns should see every mistake as a teachable moment and every clarification as a career investment.Over-Relying on Memory
Experienced pharmacists don’t memorise the entire AMH - they reference it, constantly. Interns should develop the habit of triple-checking before confirming doses or interactions.Ignoring the Business Side
You might ace your clinical consults, but can you explain price markups or manage a stock shortfall? Interns who grasp the operational side early become pharmacy MVPs later.Underestimating the AHPRA Oral Exam
It’s not just about knowledge - it’s about confidence, composure, and structure under pressure. Interns who practise mock exams early tend to perform better and stress less.Poor Communication With the Team
Pharmacy is a relay race. Communication lapses can disrupt workflow and affect patient care. Interns should aim for clear, proactive, and assertive communication - especially when unsure.
🧠 Internships as a Talent Pipeline
From a recruitment perspective, internships are not just trial periods - they’re incubators of future leaders.
At Raven’s Recruitment, we regularly hear from community pharmacies who remember stand-out interns years later - not just for their smarts, but for their initiative, work ethic, and people skills. Whether you’re a student pharmacist seeking a pathway to your dream role or a pharmacy owner mentoring the next gen, the internship year matters.
That’s why Raven’s Recruitment offers more than job listings. We’re a partner in helping pharmacists discover roles where they don’t just survive - they thrive.
🌏 The Bigger Picture
Internships are also shaping the future of pharmacy at a national level. As healthcare becomes more collaborative and pharmacy practice continues to expand (think vaccinations, UTI prescribing, and more), today’s interns need a blend of technical skill, emotional intelligence, and entrepreneurial thinking.
In short? The future of pharmacy isn’t just about scripts - it’s about systems, soft skills, and strategic learning.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a pharmacy intern right now, know this: every prescription, every patient, every awkward mistake is shaping you into the pharmacist you’re meant to become. And if you’re mentoring an intern? You’re shaping the profession itself.
So - how will you make the most of your internship year?
