Husband-Wife Duo Helps Struggling Pharmacists Crack The Pharmacist Licensing Exams And Help Them Secure High-Paying Jobs Abroad

News headlines often feature government hospital pharmacists protesting their low salaries. Although these strikes and protests are by government hospital pharmacists, private hospitals and medical stores hardly pay enough for a better life.

To empower these pharmacists, Indian-origin pharmacists Arief Mohammad and his wife Harika Bheemavarapu, who are based in Australia, launched their healthcare EdTech startup, Elite Expertise.

The Edtech startup is helping pharmacists prepare for licensing exams for high-paying pharmacy jobs in different countries.

Every country has its licensing exams for qualified pharmacists. Such as, for Australia, there are OPRA exams, KAPS and Australian pharmacist intern written and oral exams. While in Canada, there is a PEBC licensing exam.

"Candidates holding pharmacy degrees must clear respective licensing exams for respective countries to grab well-paid pharmacy jobs there," explained the co-founder of Elite Expertise in an exclusive conversation with Startup Pedia.

The Birth of Elite Expertise

The husband-wife duo, who are now business partners in Elite Expertise, hail from humble families in India. Arief Mohammad comes from a family in Khammam, Telangana, where his father had a struggling business, and his mother was a teacher in a private school earning hand to mouth.

After schooling in his hometown, he completed his Bachelor's in Pharmacy in Telangana and then moved to Hyderabad for a Master's in Pharmacy. After his master's, he began working as an assistant pharmacy professor, earning Rs. 16,000 during 2013-14.

During the Startup Pedia interview, the co-founder of Elite Expertise said, "Thanks to being a good student, my education was supported by scholarships. Or else, I doubt I could seek a good education due to my parents' financial condition."

However, while he was teaching in college as a pharmacist professor, one of his mentors guided him about the licensing exams in Canada and Australia and lucrative job opportunities.

Arief cleared one of the licensing exams for Malaysia and thankfully got an opportunity to work as a professor at the Malaysian University for Pharmacy.

After a few months of teaching in India and four years in Malaysia, the co-founder developed an interest in education.

Harika, the co-founder of Elite Expertise, also hails from a humble family. Her father was working in the R&B (Roads and Development) department. Now, she is also a licensed pharmacist in Australia.

After teaching at Malaysian University, Arief grabbed an opportunity in Australia in 2018 to practice as a licensed pharmacist. During his internship times in 2018, Arief used to earn AUD 27 (around Rs. 1300) per hour, and today, the experienced pharmacist is paid up to AUS 70 (around 4000) per hour. He is also a consultant earning AUD 250 (around Rs. 12500) per hour.

In 2021, to help other struggling pharmacists in India and other countries, the husband-wife duo began conducting licensing exam preparation sessions over Zoom and Google Meet for them.

When the duo observed that millions of struggling pharmacists across India are looking for better pharmacy job opportunities in foreign countries, they felt the need for an organized platform.

Hence, in June 2023, they launched the Elite Expertise healthcare EdTech platform.

Also Read: How Ahmedabad-based VastraApp Is Solving The Core Operational Issues Of Indian Textile Industry; Serves Over 4000 Businesses

Affordable and Flexible Learning Options:

Launched with an investment of AUD 4,000 (around Rs. 2 lakh), the husband-wife duo trains pharmacists from home. Elite Expertise offers training for almost six different licensing exams- Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US, the UK and Ireland.

The EdTech startup offers training through live classes as well as recorded videos for candidates' convenience. The course duration varies depending on the country and its difficulty levels.

For instance, the preparation duration for Australia and New Zealand is three and a half months, whereas Canada's pharmacy licensing exam needs six months to prepare at Elite Expertise.

Along with live and recorded lectures, the EdTech startup also offers mock exams and regular assignments, including group and team-driven activities. This approach helps Elite Expertise students clear their exams in the first attempt.

The fees for these licensing exams are affordable to empower even those coming from humble financial backgrounds. The fee for Australia and New Zealand OPRA EXAM training is AUD 1700 (INR 93,000), while for PEBC Canada, it is AUD 935 (around Rs. 50,000).

While the same courses, Arief claimed, are available at higher fees by others, which is around AUD 3,000 -4,000 (around Rs. 1.5-2 lakh).

"If any candidate is not able to clear desired licensing exams at one go, then we help such candidates prepare for the exam again without charging any extra penny," said the co-founder during the Startup Pedia interview.

Also Read: Chennai Entrepreneur Builds Software That Tracks Workforce Productivity; Federal Bank Becomes Client

Shaping the Future Pharmacists:

So far, 800 candidates have been enrolled in Elite Expertise, wherein 75% are from India and 25% from countries in the Middle East, Europe and beyond.

Ever since it was started, the success rate has been increasing batch by batch.

The first batch achieved an 89% success rate, which went up to 93% in the second batch. In the third batch, it increased to 95% which was in July 2024.

During the Startup Pedia interview, the co-founder of Elite Expertise said, "We follow a holistic approach for our training, and this has helped us to become a trusted name today across borders."

He further added that Elite Expertise's ever-rising success rate positioned it as the leading choice for pharmacists preparing for Australian and Canadian licensing exams.

It is observed that an Indian holding a pharmacy degree earning even zero or just Rs. 10-15 thousand per month can earn Rs. 3-4 lakh after clearing any of these Australian or Canadian pharmacy licensing exams.

While talking about the impact story of Elite Expertise, Arief narrated a story of one of his students, Khaja Mohinuddin. Khaja was a pharmacy student from Andhra Pradesh. He aspired to become a pharmacist in Australia.

However, his life was full of financial and personal challenges. After his degree in Pharmacy, he struggled to find a job. Somehow, he came to know about Elite Expertise and prepared for one of the pharmacy licensing exams for Australia.

Today, he is a fully licensed pharmacist in Australia, earning AUD 40 (about Rs. 2000) per hour. This means that by working 8 hours a month or 20 days, with Saturday and Sunday off, he earns more than Rs. 3 lakh per month. A remarkable achievement!

"There are a couple of platforms available for the same; however, he enrolled in our healthcare EdTech startup because of its affordability and high quality in pharmacy education. Many like Khaja are now having lucrative careers," said the co-founder of Elite Expertise.

He signed off the Startup Pedia Interview by saying, "Our purpose is to empower pharmacists worldwide and mainly from India. We are doing it one pharmacist at a time."

Also Read: New-age MBA That Launches Your Startup Or Helps You Find A Job At One