Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants
High opportunity occupation
Career Overview
Pharmacy technical assistants help prepare medications and fill prescriptions under a pharmacist’s supervision. They also help manage patient files.
Pharmacy assistants help with the day-to-day running of a pharmacy. They do clerical tasks and help pharmacists and pharmacy technicians dispense drugs.
Job Titles
Duties
Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants:
- Work under the supervision of a pharmacist or pharmacy technician
- Help pharmacists compound, measure, package and label medications
- Check to ensure that prescriptions are complete
- Interact with customers
- Enter customers’ information and prescription details into computer databases
- Keep customers’ electronic files up to date
- Handle sales transactions and process insurance information
- Stock shelves and manage inventory
- Answer phone calls
Pharmacy technical assistants usually focus on the more technical tasks, like helping prepare medications and manage patient records. Pharmacy assistants tend to do more of the clerical tasks, like dealing with customers and stocking shelves.
Earnings
Earnings is income that workers receive in exchange for their labour. Depending on the type of employment, earnings can be in the form of wages (hourly), salaries (fixed monthly or annual) or self-employed earnings.
Work Environment
# Workers Employed
3,855% Employed Full Time
46%Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants work in pharmacies and compounding pharmacies. These are sometimes located within hospitals, department stores and grocery stores. They also work in health clinics and long-term care facilities. Some work for drug manufacturers.
Because most pharmacies are open weekends and evenings, employees often work outside of regular daytime hours.
Dispensing medications requires focus and precision. Workers also need the stamina to be on their feet all day. They must also have the patience, enthusiasm and tact to deal with customers and their personal information.
This work involves using computers to manage electronic records, deal with inventory and complete other clerical tasks.
Career Pathways
With experience, pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants may become supervisors.
With extra education and certification, they may move on to become registered pharmacy technicians.
Related Careers
Occupational Interests
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For more about occupational interests visit Skills for the Future Workforce > Characteristics.
Here are the top occupational interest(s) for this career profile:
Education, Training and Skills
Pharmacy technical assistants usually need to complete a vocational program in pharmacy technical assistance.
Pharmacy assistants need to have a high school diploma and several months of on-the-job training. Some employers need workers to have completed a six- to twelve-month post-secondary program in pharmacy assistance.
Education programs in B.C.
The following program areas are related to this occupation:
- Rehabilitation/Therapeutic Services
Skills
Every job calls for a certain set of skills. Knowing those skills is the first step in finding a good career fit.
Here, you will find the 10 most relevant workplace skills. Some are more important to achieving success in a certain career than others. These skills may come naturally to you or you may need to gain them through education, training and experience.
See the list of work-related skills below, ranked in order of importance for this career. Check out the list and see if this career matches your skills—take that first step!
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Talking to others to share information effectively.
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Keeping track of and assessing your performance, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Labour Market Statistics
Discover data, facts and information that have been gathered and analyzed. Learn about the characteristics of the economy and labour market in B.C.
Employment
Find out about employment types and trends by region and industry.
Employment
3,855Employment by Region
| Region | Employment | % Employment of this Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 105 | 2.7% |
| Kootenay | 100 | 2.6% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 2,415 | 62.6% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 75 | 1.9% |
| Northeast | 50 | 1.3% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 440 | 11.4% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 675 | 17.5% |
Labour Market Outlook
The B.C. Labour Market Outlook is a 10-year forecast of the expected supply and demand for labour in the province. It’s usually updated every year. The purpose is to provide British Columbians with the knowledge to make informed decisions on careers, skills training, education and hiring.
Forecasted Job Openings (2024-2034)
1,600Forecasted Job Openings
Forecasted Employment Growth Rate
Composition of Job Openings
Job Openings by Region (2024-2034)
| Region | Job Openings | Avg. Annual Employment Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 20 | 0.4% |
| Kootenay | 0 | -2.0% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 1,180 | 2.2% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 10 | -0.4% |
| Northeast | 20 | 1.2% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 180 | 0.8% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 190 | 1.0% |
Industry Highlights
Learn about the opportunities in B.C.'s major industries, including employment trends, earning potential, locations of work and more.
Forecasted Job Openings by Industry
| Industry | Job Openings (2024-2034) |
|---|---|
| Retail Trade | 1,490 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 100 |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | 10 |
Insights from Industry
As the population ages, demand for pharmacy workers continues to increase. Recent laws that allow pharmacists to prescribe medications are also boosting demand.
Helping customers meet their health-care needs can be rewarding work.
Resources
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B.C. Ministry of Healthwww.gov.bc.ca/health/
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British Columbia Pharmacy Associationwww.bcpharmacy.ca
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Canadian Association of Pharmacy Technicians (CAPT)www.capt.ca/
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College of Pharmacists of British Columbia (CPBC)www.bcpharmacists.org
