OSCA occupation

OSCA 263432: Hospital Pharmacist

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. This record sits in Pharmacists. Related ANZSIC industry links are included for faster classification cross-checking. Skill level 1 is attached to this occupation record.

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.

Check the current ABS guidance on OSCA and ANZSCO use

Official ANZSCO correspondence

Role overview

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.

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

  • Obtains medication histories, reviews inpatient charts and medication action plans, and administers and prescribes medications to ensure quality use of medicines
  • Provides medication information to doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, patients and carers
  • Facilitates the safe continuity of medication management and counselling to patients and carers on discharge from hospital
  • Performs medication monitoring and adverse drug reaction management
  • Collaborates with Health Professionals to develop medication management plans, including partnered pharmacist medication charting
  • Maintains records of the supply of prescription medicines, controlled drugs and other restricted substances
  • Supervises and coordinates the work of pharmacy technicians and pharmacy interns
  • Stores and preserves vaccines, serums and other drugs subject to deterioration
  • Participates in research, education, quality improvement activities, peer review and interdisciplinary ward rounds and meetings
  • May compound and manufacture medicines when preparations are not available

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.

Compare before choosing

Compare OSCA 263432 with related occupations

Compare roles in the same OSCA unit group by their official definition, skill level, tasks and recognised alternative titles.

Comparison pointCurrent code263432 Hospital Pharmacist263431 Community Pharmacist
Official role definitionPrepares, 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.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.
Skill levelSkill Level 1Skill Level 1
Key tasks
  • Obtains medication histories, reviews inpatient charts and medication action plans, and administers and prescribes medications to ensure quality use of medicines
  • Provides medication information to doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, patients and carers
  • Facilitates the safe continuity of medication management and counselling to patients and carers on discharge from hospital
  • Performs medication monitoring and adverse drug reaction management
  • 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
Alternative titlesNot stated
  • Retail Pharmacist

Comparison uses occupation definitions, skill levels, tasks and title variants from the ABS OSCA data files.

Compliance risk score

4 of 4 factors passing

10 / 10
Verified official source
- ABS OSCA occupation record present
Previous edition migration
- OSCA to ANZSCO correspondence attached
Complete hierarchy
- Major, sub-major, minor and unit group links are present
Legacy crosswalk
- Legacy ANZSCO correspondence attached

How we calculate this score →

In this section

263431 Community Pharmacist263432 Hospital Pharmacist

Frequently asked questions

What does OSCA 263432 do?

Hospital Pharmacist is the current ABS occupation record used to describe a specific occupation. It sits in the OSCA hierarchy and carries skill-level context plus related titles and tasks.

How should I read the skill level?

The skill level tells you the educational or training depth that the ABS associates with the occupation. It is a classification signal, not a salary band or a qualification checklist on its own.

Why is industry context shown on an occupation page?

Industry context helps when the title is common or ambiguous. It shows where the occupation is typically employed so you can compare it with the right ANZSIC family.

Source and trust

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.

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