263431 Community Pharmacist
Dispenses prescribed pharmaceuticals to the public, educates customers on health promotion, disease prevention and the proper use of medicines, and sells non-prescription medicines and related goods in a community pharmacy.
- Major group
- 2 Professionals
- Unit group
- 2634 Pharmacists
- Edition
- OSCA 2024
- Skill level
- Level 1
Should you use OSCA or ANZSCO?
OSCA 2024 is the current Australian occupation classification for storing, organising and reporting occupation information. Use this OSCA record for current Australian statistical and analytical classification work.
Some migration and administrative programs still specify ANZSCO 2022. Check the exact system named by the agency or form rather than replacing the code automatically.
Official ANZSCO correspondence
Role overview
Dispenses prescribed pharmaceuticals to the public, educates customers on health promotion, disease prevention and the proper use of medicines, and sells non-prescription medicines and related goods in a community pharmacy.
Use this page to confirm the official title, the parent unit group, the task list and the related ANZSIC industry context before using the occupation in classification, reporting or migration-adjacent workflows.
Occupation facts
- Skill level
- 1
- Major group
- 2 Professionals
- Sub-major group
- 26 Health Professionals
- Minor group
- 263 Allied Health Science Professionals
- Unit group
- 2634 Pharmacists
Tasks
- Reviews prescriptions and patients' medicine histories to ensure optimal dosage, methods of administration and drug compatibility before dispensing
- Prepares or supervises the preparation and labelling of liquid medicines, topical medicines and other medications to fill prescriptions
- Provides guidance to patients on medications, drug incompatibility, contraindications and lifestyle measures to prevent and assist with management of medication and medical conditions
- Supplies non-prescription medicines, and diagnostic and therapeutic aids
- Maintains records of the supply of prescription medicines, controlled drugs and other restricted substances
- Advises prescribers on therapeutic suitability, drug incompatibility and contraindications of medicines
- Stores and preserves vaccines, serums and other drugs subject to deterioration
- Prescribes and administers medications and treatments within the scope of pharmacy practice compounds, and manufactures medicines when preparations are not available
- Supervises and coordinates the work of pharmacy technicians, pharmacy interns and pharmacy sales assistants
Skill level guidance
Skill level helps place the occupation inside the ABS hierarchy. Use it as a classification cue, then check the actual task list and occupational context before making a decision for HR, visa or reporting work.
How to use this occupation page
Start with the official OSCA title and task list. Then confirm the parent unit group and compare the related occupations on this page if the job title is broad, overlapping or used differently across employers.
The ANZSIC links are there to help when the same occupation appears across several industries and you need the business-side classification as well.
Related occupations
Industry context
Alternative titles
- Retail Pharmacist
Compare before choosing
Compare OSCA 263431 with related occupations
Compare roles in the same OSCA unit group by their official definition, skill level, tasks and recognised alternative titles.
| Comparison point | Current code263431 Community Pharmacist | 263432 Hospital Pharmacist |
|---|---|---|
| Official role definition | Dispenses prescribed pharmaceuticals to the public, educates customers on health promotion, disease prevention and the proper use of medicines, and sells non-prescription medicines and related goods in a community pharmacy. | Prepares, dispenses, reviews and monitors medication of individual patients, and provides medication-related advice to patients in a multidisciplinary team of Health Professionals to deliver safe, patient-centred care in a hospital or clinical setting. |
| Skill level | Skill Level 1 | Skill Level 1 |
| Key tasks |
|
|
| Alternative titles |
| Not stated |
Comparison uses occupation definitions, skill levels, tasks and title variants from the ABS OSCA data files.
In this section
- 263431Community Pharmacist
- 263432Hospital Pharmacist
Official source
- Official source
- ABS OSCA 2024 release and correspondence tables
- Last reviewed
- 2026-04-17
This site is an independent reference resource. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the ABS, ATO or any Australian Government agency.
Please verify critical classification decisions with the official authority before using them for tax, payroll, licensing, immigration or compliance work.