SAQA All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.
SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY 
REGISTERED QUALIFICATION: 

Bachelor of Pharmacy 
SAQA QUAL ID QUALIFICATION TITLE
9303  Bachelor of Pharmacy 
ORIGINATOR
University of Witwatersrand 
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
CHE - Council on Higher Education  HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework 
QUALIFICATION TYPE FIELD SUBFIELD
National First Degree(Min 480)  Field 09 - Health Sciences and Social Services  Curative Health 
ABET BAND MINIMUM CREDITS PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL QUAL CLASS
Undefined  480  Level 7  NQF Level 08  Regular-Provider-ELOAC 
REGISTRATION STATUS SAQA DECISION NUMBER REGISTRATION START DATE REGISTRATION END DATE
Registered-data under construction  EXCO 0324/24  2024-07-01  2027-06-30 
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2028-06-30   2033-06-30  

Registered-data under construction

The qualification content is currently being updated for the qualifications with the status “Registered-data under construction” or showing “DETAILS UNDER CONSTRUCTION” to ensure compliance with SAQA’S Policy and Criteria for the registration of qualifications and part-qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) (As amended, 2022). These qualifications are re-registered until 30 June 2027 and can legitimately be offered by the institutions to which they are registered.

 

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise.  

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION 
The purpose of the qualification is to train pharmacy qualified learners according to the requirements of the South African Pharmacy Council. The graduate is professionally competent at internationally recognisable standards to serve the health care needs of South Africa.

The purpose of the qualification is to produce qualified learners who are competent as the:
  • Custodians of medicines;
  • Formulators, manufacturers, distributors and controllers of safe, effective and quality medicine;
  • Advisors on the safe, rational and appropriate use of medicine;
  • Providers of essential clinical services including screening and referral services;
  • Providers of health care education and information;
  • Providers of pharmaceutical care by taking responsibility for the outcome of therapy and by being actively involved in the design, implementation and monitoring of pharmaceutical plans;
  • Providers of pharmaceutical care by managing effective drug supply systems including the selection, procurement and distribution of medicines;
  • By taking responsibility for the outcome of therapy and by being actively involved in the design, implementation and monitoring of pharmaceutical plans;
  • Providers of cost-effective and efficient pharmaceutical services, based on the principles of Pharmacoeconomics and managed health care.

    And the qualification enables the graduate to seek employment in the areas of:
  • Community Pharmacy.
  • Hospital Pharmacy.
  • Industrial Pharmacy.
  • Managed Health Care.
  • Academia and Research.

    Further, the purpose of the qualification in the South African context is to address the diverse healthcare requirements of a partly first world and predominantly third world population. This embraces primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare. 
    		•

    LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
    A standard of knowledge of maths, biology, physical science and English, preferably at the higher grade and equivalent to a matriculation / a Grade 12 qualification, is assumed.

    FORMALLY ACCREDITED LEARNING:
    The minimum requirement for admission is usually a Matriculation with full exemption with certain subjects (e.g. see above) achieved at a certain level of competence, or equivalent University-approved qualification, or a mature age exemption certificate or equivalent - consult the application information for the year of study for which application is being made.

    Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):
    learners who fall outside of the normal admissions process who can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the institution that they have a qualification or experiential- or work based learning which has taken the learner to an equivalent level of a qualification specified above (under Formally Accredited Learning), may be considered for admission and/or for the recognition of prior accredited and/or prior experiential learning. learners who, after such assessment, are deemed to have sufficient potential but are in need of further academic development, may be required to broaden their curriculum to include preliminary qualification prior to admission or parallel qualification after admission.

    Entry Requirements:
    The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is:
  • Advanced Diploma in Pharmaceutical Sciences, NQF Level 7.
    Or
  • Bachelor of Pharmacy, NQF Level 7. 
    		•

    RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? 
    Y 

    EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES 
    1) Team and multidisciplinary work.
    The qualifying learner will be an integral part of the multi-disciplinary healthcare team, and makes focused therapeutic interventions in the delivery of healthcare.

    2) Managerial Skills in the Practice Of Pharmacy.
    The qualifying learner is concerned with the application of general management skills, whether in the context of pharmacy or in any other field of practice. The qualifying learner has the ability to deal with contingencies as well as routine work.

    3) The Preparation and Packaging of Pharmaceutical Products.
    The qualifying learner is concerned with taking ultimate responsibility for controlling the quality and effectiveness in the preparation and packaging of pharmaceutical and related products in community, hospital and industrial settings. This includes the manufacture and packing of bulk pharmaceutical products, the compounding of medicines (small-scale manufacturing) and the extemporaneous preparation of individual medicines in hospital or community pharmacy.

    4) Acquisition and Distribution of Pharmaceutical Materials and Products.
    The qualifying learner is concerned with taking ultimate responsibility for controlling the acquisition, storage and movement of pharmaceutical materials and products in industrial, wholesale, hospital and community pharmacy settings.

    5) Dispensing and Quality Care.
    The qualifying learner is concerned with receiving and assessing prescriptions to ensure quality use of medicines and where necessary communicating with the prescriber, devising an appropriate care plan in consultation with the patient and/or prescriber and/or multi-disciplinary team, implementing and monitoring patient outcomes as well as maintaining records.

    6) Pharmacist Advised Care.
    The qualifying learner consults with the patient, with due regard to cultural differences between patients, to devise an appropriate care plan. Consultation is with the patient or multi-disciplinary team. The care plan is implemented, outcomes monitored, and the plan and results documented. Review of the care plan then leads to any necessary revision.

    7) Provision of Information and Education.
    The qualifying learner provides health and pharmaceutical information on request, as well as initiates and/or participates in the provision of health care education and information to the public and other health care professionals. The qualifying learner is able to establish data bases and to interpret scientific information to provide bases for rational drug use. The qualifying learner also has an understanding of the principles of managed health care, health and Pharmacoeconomics.

    8) Promotion of Community Health.
    The qualifying learner provides promotive and preventative health education, and both initiates and participates in community health projects. The qualifying learner conducts screening programs to identify health deficiencies in the community, and notes and responds to epidemiological trends in the community including the reporting of notifiable diseases. The qualifying learner also participates in developing, establishing and managing drug and health policies.

    9) Research and Development.
    The qualifying learner initiates and participates in research and development of medicines and health care strategies and is aware of the importance of keeping up to date with research findings in the discipline. 

    ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 
    1. The qualifying learner shows competence in all facets of the pharmacy profession, namely being able to:
  • Identify and respond to the community's health needs and educate the community on how to manage and be pro-actively involved in their healthcare.
  • Assess the diversity of clinical problems in South African hospitals, plan and implement therapeutic interventions and evaluate the outcomes thereof.
  • Provide accessible, cost-effective pharmaceutical healthcare (in the context of managed healthcare) taking cognisance of the escalating costs of healthcare in our current society.
  • Fulfil the needs of the pharmaceutical industry, which entail researching, developing, clinically evaluating, producing, marketing and managing pharmaceuticals.
  • Initiate and direct research, teach and foster community outreach for the betterment of society and the advancement of the pharmacy profession.
  • Act professionally, ethically and responsibly towards the environment and health of others.

    2. The qualifying learner is capable of taking the responsibility for managing activities, resources, people and information in a pharmaceutical environment in accordance with professional and legal requirements.
  • The qualifying learner is able to apply innovatively his or her knowledge and skills in the provision of optimal healthcare in the face of economic realities.

    3. The qualifying learner is capable of:
    Authorising and controlling materials, plant and processes in the manufacturing and packaging of pharmaceutical products and controlling the quality of these;
  • Managing the resources within budgets required for the process; and
  • Auditing pharmaceutical systems internally and externally for compliance with the relevant requirements.

    4. The qualifying learner is capable of ordering, receiving, sampling, releasing, storing, preparing for dispatch, controlling transport and keeping records of pharmaceutical materials and products in compliance with legal and technical requirements.

    5. The qualifying learner is capable of gathering all information required to assess a person's health care and drug-related needs, devising, documenting and implementing an appropriate care plan and monitoring its outcomes.

    6. The qualifying learner is capable of:
  • Consulting, examining and performing the required investigations in order to assess a person's health care status;
  • Devising, documenting and implementing an appropriate care plan;
  • Monitoring the care plan outcomes, reviewing them and revising future care plans accordingly.

    7. The qualifying learner is capable of retrieving, interpreting, evaluating and supplying information on the use of drugs, disease states and health care to the public, other health care providers and patients.

    8. The qualifying learner is capable of identifying community health needs, planning and implementing appropriate, promotive and preventative programs, including screening, directly observed therapy (DOT) and immunisation. This includes providing the community with Primary Healthcare strategies, education, information and identifying which are essential drugs to achieve health for all.

    9. The qualifying learner is capable of conducting research and applying research findings to health care, specifically in the South African context.

    Integrated Assessment:
    Integrated assessment is achieved through accumulative and summative evaluations. Accumulative assessment comprises tutorials, laboratory practicals and case presentations. The summative assessments across the degree are achieved by means of tests and examinations. 
    		•

    ARTICULATION OPTIONS 
    This qualification offers both possibilities of horizontal and vertical articulation.

    Horizontal Articulation:
  • Bachelor of Medical Science Honours in Pharmacology, NQF Level 8.
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Pharmaceutical Medicine, NQF Level 8.
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Pharmaceutical Sciences, NQF Level 8.

    Vertical Articulation:
  • Master of Pharmaceutical Sciences, NQF Level 9.
  • Master of Medicine in Clinical Pharmacology, NQF Level 9. 
    		•

    MODERATION OPTIONS 
    N/A 

    CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS 
    N/A 

    REREGISTRATION HISTORY 
    As per the SAQA Board decision/s at that time, this qualification was Reregistered in 2006; 2009; 2012; 2015. 

    NOTES 
    N/A 

    LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION: 
     
    NONE 


    PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS QUALIFICATION: 
    This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here.
     
    1. University of Witwatersrand 


    All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.