Understanding Key Terminology for Absence from Work Guidelines

Certificate for Absence from Work

A certificate issued by a pharmacist indicating that an employee cannot attend work due to personal illness or the need to care for a family or household member.

Equivalent Term: Certificate

Carer’s Leave

Paid or unpaid leave that allows employees to take time off work to care for an immediate family or household member who is ill, injured, or experiencing an unexpected emergency.

Employee

An individual defined under the Fair Work Act 2009 and respective state industrial relations legislation as performing work under an employer’s direction in exchange for payment.

Employment

The relationship between an employee and employer, where work is performed under the employer’s direction in return for payment.

Equivalent Term: Work

Household Member

Any individual living in the same residence as the person requesting a certificate for absence from work.

Immediate Family Member

A person’s spouse, de factoe partner, former spouse, former de facto partner, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling. It also includes these relations of a spouse or de facto partner and encompasses step-relations (e.g., step-parents, step-children) and adoptive relations.

Medical Certificate

A document signed by a medical practitioner to verify a person’s fitness for work or lack thereof.

Equivalent Terms: Doctor’s Certificate

Medical Practitioner

A healthcare professional registered with the Medical Board of Australia under the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). This includes general and specialist registrations.

Equivalent Terms: General Practitioner, Doctor

Minor Ailment

A condition that is generally self-limiting, with symptoms easily identified by the patient and manageable within a pharmacist’s training and knowledge (e.g., colds, minor burns, allergies, nausea).

Personal Leave

Paid or unpaid leave taken when an employee is unable to work due to illness or injury.

Equivalent Term: Sick Leave

Registered Pharmacist

A pharmacist registered with the Pharmacy Board of Australia and listed on the AHPRA’s online Register of Practitioners.

Regulated Health Service

A service provided by or typically associated with a registered health practitioner, as defined in Australian health legislation.

Statutory Declaration

A legally binding written statement declared as true in the presence of an authorized witness.

Workers’ Compensation

Insurance benefits provided to employees who are injured or become ill due to their employment.

Refernace Absence from Work Certificates: Guidelines for Pharmacists 2018