Pharmacist Pharmacy assistant jobs

If you have ever picked up a prescription from your neighborhood pharmacy, there is a strong probability that a pharmacy assistant was involved in the preparation of that prescription for you. You are undoubtedly curious about the tasks that a pharmacy assistant is responsible for.

Pharmacy assistants are typically responsible for the administrative tasks associated with running a pharmacy. These tasks include counting medication, labeling bottles, stocking pharmacy shelves, answering customer phone calls, and managing the cash register. Pharmacy assistants work directly under the supervision of pharmacy technicians and pharmacists. According to Meenakshi Sharma, who serves as the Head of the Pharmacy Assistant Faculty at triOS College, "A competent pharmacy assistant enables the pharmacy team to achieve better patient health result."

What kind of salary can one expect to get working at a pharmacy?

According to the roles that are currently available on Job Bank Canada, pharmacy assistants often make somewhere from $15 and $25 per hour. The compensation of a pharmacy assistant may range widely based on factors such as location, qualifications, and years of experience. As is the case with the vast majority of occupations, the more experience one has, the greater the likelihood that one will get a salary raise. Enrolling in a Pharmacy Assistant Program that provides students with opportunities to do internships in order to obtain practical experience is one of the most effective methods to gain experience in this area.

Work Duties of a Pharmacy Assistant

The duties and responsibilities of a pharmacy assistant may change depending on whether they are performed in a retail pharmacy like Shoppers Drug Mart or Rexall, a medical center pharmacy, a community pharmacy, or a hospital pharmacy. Other possible settings include: Some find work in the pharmaceutical industry, while others are employed by drug distributors or firms that supply pharmacies. The basic responsibilities of a pharmacy assistant may be broken down into three key skill categories: medical, mathematical, and customer service.

The following are examples of typical day-to-day responsibilities:

providing answers to queries about medicine both over the phone and in person

determining whether or not the patient's prescription is full

assisting in the processing of claims for third-party insurance

Keeping a supply of drugs available without a prescription

pill counting, ointment and cream weighing, and measuring

the process of packing and labeling prescribed pharmaceuticals

putting in the patient's information as well as the prescription into the system

putting in orders for more product in order to keep up with inventory

allowing customers to pay for their medications

Pharmacy assistants need to be able to carry out regular activities while keeping a high level of precision and attention throughout the whole process. There are certain things that pharmacy assistants are not allowed to do, including but not limited to signing off on prescriptions, providing recommendations on over-the-counter medication, or advising a customer on their medication. This is despite the fact that pharmacy assistants perform important daily tasks. These responsibilities may only be fulfilled by a licensed pharmacist or a qualified pharmacy technician.

Is Being a Pharmacy Assistant a Rewarding Profession?

In addition to administrative abilities, contact with customers is required for this position. Alongside pharmacists, pharmacy assistants serve as the forefront of patient care in the healthcare system. They demand you to work nights, weekends, and maybe even holidays since you play an important part in ensuring that people have easy access to their medications when they need them. On the other hand, the work is fulfilling since you are able to assist individuals on a daily basis in achieving better health, and the services you provide may enhance the overall quality of their lives. Because of the nature of the job and the fact that it demands you to interact with new clients, prescriptions, and drugs, there is always something new to learn.

A pharmacy assistant needs to have the following skills and qualities in order to be successful in their position: the ability to pay close attention to detail, the capacity to communicate effectively, a caring attitude, and the capacity to maintain composure in the face of an urgent or stressful situation. In addition to this, Sharma said that an aptitude for life-long learning might be beneficial to the success of a pharmacy assistant. A professional of this kind has to be current on the legislation at the provincial and federal levels, as well as the computer systems used in pharmacies, as well as the widely used branded and generic pharmaceuticals in Canada.

The pharmaceutical sector is a terrific place to get experience, and one of the best ways to do so is to work as a pharmacy assistant. You may advance your career to one that involves more responsibility by obtaining the necessary further training, such as working as a pharmacy technician.

How Does One Obtain a Position as a Pharmacy Assistant?

In Canada, career opportunities for pharmacy assistants are expected to remain favorable for the foreseeable future. If you have made the decision that working in a pharmacy as an assistant is the appropriate path for your career, then one of the first things you need to do is get a certification in pharmacy assisting. If you lack schooling and previous work experience, it may be quite difficult to get gainful job.

In Ontario, there are no regulations governing pharmacy assistants. To become a pharmacy assistant, all you need to do is finish a training program at a reputed institution, and then you may start working at any retail, community, or hospital pharmacy. The Canadian computer system that is used in pharmacies is one of the many topics that are covered in this program. Other topics that are covered include the terminology used in anatomy and physiology, how to process a prescription, basic pharmacy math, how to avoid medication errors, retail pharmacy best practices, and a great deal more.

In most cases, the program may be finished in much less than a year. Internships over the course of the program are an excellent opportunity to put all of the skills you have gained into practice, to network with other professionals, and to increase your chances of being employed following the end of the program.