Pharmacy Assistant: Job Description, Salary, Duties & More (2024)

The pharmaceutical industry is rapidly outpacing other departments in the healthcare system.

Hence, there is always room to hire people for assistance purposes.

However, not everyone has the potency of becoming a pharmacy assistant.

This is because there are distinctive qualities that registered pharmacists, pharmaceutical companies, and other healthcare practitioners cannot overlook in their recruitment processes.

Hence, they might not consider some persons even though academic qualifications are not so important to toll this career path.

Pharmacy Assistant Information

Official Job Title	Pharmacy Assistant
Average Salary	$50,707
Stress Level	High
Work/ Life	Average
Job Satisfaction	Average
Career Advancement	Below Average

Pharmacy Assistant Job Description

What Is A Pharmacy Assistant?

A pharmacy assistant is someone that handles the administrative aspects of a pharmaceutical company and operations.

Supervised by registered pharmacists, he helps with the dispensing of drugs by measuring, packaging, and distributing medications.

Aside from performing administrative duties, a pharmacy assistant also works directly with customers to meet their prescriptions.

What Does A Pharmacy Assistant Do On A Daily Basis?

This depends on the type of work setting and pharmacy capacities one would find himself.

For instance, one may be shouldered with the responsibility of performing ordering and clerical activities or just one of them.

A pharmacy assistant suggests drug prescriptions and answers client questions about health predicaments, either virtually or through face-to-face interactions.

As part of his administrative responsibility, he assists with the supplies of drugs and maintenance of his employer’s operations.

Responsibilities, Duties & Roles Of A Pharmacy Assistant

In a pharmaceutical company, assistants to registered pharmacists are very essential, such that they are qualified to be the glue holding the firm and its customers together.

As a team player he’s expected to be, a pharmacy assistant performed an array of responsibilities in order to assist the pharmacists and customers.

Some of the responsibilities shouldered on pharmacy assistants are below:

He orders, organizes, and maintains drug supplies for business purposes.
He prepares the billing information for drugs.
He manages customers’ documents.
He counsels patients on how to use the drugs prescribed for them.
A pharmacy assistant attends to customers’ needs via the selling of over-the-counter medications.
He packages and makes available medication shipments to customers.

Pharmacy Assistant Salary

Pharmacy assistants earn differently depending on the industry, location, and social class at which they found themselves functioning.

What this suggests is that there is room for improvement and growth in the career path one has chosen.

While your income may also depend on your employer, it is pertinent to note that one may earn other things like bonuses, healthcare insurance, amongst other things.

However, below are the salary outlook in the United States.

Average Salary

A pharmacy assistant in the United States gets an annual pay of $50,707 on average.

Starting Salary

Due to a lack of experience as a starter, a pharmacy assistant may earn around $31,290 every year.

Senior Salary

Top earners in this field earn as much as $119,000 yearly across the United States.

How To Become A Pharmacy Assistant

The Entry Level: Certification, Training & Degree

Becoming a pharmacy assistant seems easy to do when compared to other fields in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector in general.

One does not necessarily need a bachelor’s degree to start, as you are good to go with just a GED certificate or a high school diploma.

Studies show that many employers in the labor market prefer job candidates in this field with some pharmacy training and previous work experience in related fields.

Those related fields include administration, sales clerk, and customer service.

While a high school diploma is often the prerequisite for landing a job as a pharmacy assistant, most professionals seek informal on-the-job training like internships to leverage them.

So, to get the needed experience, one is advised to seek volunteering services at a community pharmacy and commence work by first observing registered pharmacists and their experienced assistants.

This is very crucial because taking directions is essential, but the ability to work without constant supervision might be a plus.

And because some employers prefer to hire those with formal training, one may take advantage of available certifications.

Some pharmaceutical companies have training programs for those considering to toll the path of pharmacy assistance, and they issue certificates of completion and participation.

Other Skill Sets, Requirements & Qualifications

Be adaptable in knowledge acquisition.
Have the communication prowess that would enable him to explain drug prescriptions.
Be fascinated with healthcare operations and people’s wellness.
Be computer literate.
Know about drugs safety.

How Long Does It Take To Become A Pharmacy Assistant

Having secured a high school diploma or GED certificate, one may launch his career as a professional pharmacy assistant in less than a year.

Is It Hard To Become A Pharmacy Assistant?

Working as a pharmacy assistant is easy compared to other fields in the healthcare industry.

Being a pharmacy assistant only comes with a few challenges, some of which are -managing difficult customers and coping with demands.

Pharmacy Assistant Career Paths

The Pharmacy Assistant Roadmap

Unlike other professions that a university degree is essential to practice, becoming a pharmacy assistant doesn’t require that.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in the United States, one only needs a high school diploma or GED certificate to explore this career path.

Taking professional courses can leverage one’s chances of getting employed.

Amongst the reasons one should consider this is because one would be exposed to knowledge from experienced professionals.

If you are looking for where to take courses that will increase your chance of landing your dream job, International Career Institute (ICI) offers a diploma course in pharmacy assistance.

The following consists of the subjects under the ICI course and what one would learn from them.

History:
- This is a symbolic subject of study for anyone considering this career path because it teaches how pharmacy operations revolutionalized into what it is in the modern age.
Medical language:
- One would be exposed to medical terms and their meaning via this subject.
Physiology and human anatomy:
- This subject would teach one about human organs and how they function.
- One would also be taught the skeletal, muscular, and tissue systems.
Sales and customer service:
- This subject would help one understand how retail and pharmaceutical operations work.
- You would learn how to interact with customers to encourage sales and improve customer relationships with the company.

Projections For Growth In Being A Pharmacy Assistant

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 5% increase in this position through 2031.

Given that professional courses are encouraged for portfolio improvement purposes, one is advised to take as much as possible to grow on the job.

More so, depending on one’s career objective, one may choose to explore other areas of the healthcare system like pharmaceutical chemistry or pharmaceutics.

In Summary: Is Being A Pharmacy Assistant A Good Career Choice?

This is a good profession for anyone that doesn’t have a problem interacting with patients.

Working Conditions

Can A Pharmacy Assistant Work Remotely From Home?

This depends on the kind of company one would find itself.

Although in most cases, a pharmacy assistant would be required to report physically to his office, in some cases, they are not required to do that.

Some employers may prefer their pharmacy assistants to work remotely from home as long as they are keeping up with their responsibilities.

How Many Hours Does A Pharmacy Assistant Work?

Normally a pharmacy assistant is expected to work 40 hours per week, which would be eight hours from Monday to Friday.

Can A Pharmacy Assistant Work Part-Time?

Yes, a pharmacy assistant may be hired on a part-time basis depending on the need and capacity of a pharmaceutical company or store.

For instance, in a company that operates 24/7, pharmacy assistants may be required to work on shift. In this setting, one may only be scheduled for weekend operations.

What Are The Average Vacation Days Of A Pharmacy Assistant?

It depends on the company policy.

On average, a pharmacy assistant should be allowed a 10-day vacation having worked a year.

Alternative Careers & Similar Jobs to a Pharmacy Assistant

Pharmacy Assistant Resume Tips

An impressive resume may not be all you need to convince a potential employer that you are rights for an advertised vacant job, but it will leverage your chances of being considered.

So, if you are intentional about landing your dream job as a pharmacy assistant, follow the tips below to craft your resume:

Study the job vacancy to understand what is expected of you and to know if you are qualified.
Having done this, it is important to talk about your academic background and milestones.
Highlight the skills you have for the job that may amuse your potential employer.
Exercise your bragging rights when explaining your core competence.

Pharmacy Assistant Interview Questions

Q1: Why do you desire to have this job?

Why it works: This is a common interview question that is not peculiar to pharmacists.

Amongst other reasons, asking a job-seeking pharmacy assistant this quiz, would make one realize if he’s not just applying because of money.

An employer would prefer someone with an interest in the core values of a business entity.

Q2: Suggest how you would manage a situation from a problematic customer…

Why it works: Being a pharmacy assistant requires one to be patient with customers.

Running a pharmaceutical company is dependent on customers because, without them, the firm would not be able to survive.

So, an employer would seek to know if a job applicant has customer relations values.

Q3: In your previous roles, at what point did you demonstrate outstanding service?

Why it works: This is an important question because it would afford you the opportunity to make your potential employer know that you are an experienced job applicant.

Most importantly, you would be able to take pride in how you have impacted the success of your previous employer.

Jobs Related To Pharmacy Assistant

Pharmacy technician.
Pharmacy clerks.
Customer service personnel.
Registered pharmacist.
Nurse assistant.
Pharmacy storekeeper.
Pharmacy cashier.
Pharmacy receptionist.
Pharmacy account manager.
Pharmacy delivery manager.
Pharmacy store manager.
Pharmacy store procurement manager.

For HR Manager: Tipps For Hiring A Pharmacy Assistant

Pharmacy assistants play crucial roles in ensuring that pharmacies function well.

From tracking new products to processing payments for customers, they ensure that patients have impressive experience with their employers when they come for medications.

To hire the right candidate for an available role in your pharmacy as an HR manager, considering the following in your recruitment process would be helpful.

Look for communication skills.
Study the candidate’s approach to fielding responses to your queries.
Make an effort to know about the candidate’s experience(s).
Confirm whether the candidate’s certificate and professional courses are legit.

References

https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Pharmacist-Assistant-Salary
https://study.com/articles/Assistant_Pharmacist_Salary_Duties_and_Requirements.html
https://www.livecareer.com/resume/examples/pharmaceutical/pharmacy-assistant
https://www.robertsoncollege.com/news/school-of-health/pharmacy-assistants-interview-questions/