Career Suggestion

Pharmacy assistant

Pharmacy assistants serve customers and patients in chemists and hospital dispensaries.

Average salary (a year)

£24000.0 to £31000.0 (starter to experienced)

Typical hours (a week)

36.0 to 40.0

You could work

evenings / weekends / bank holidays on shifts

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • a trainee position
  • applying directly

College

You could do a college course in retail skills or retail knowledge to help get a job as a trainee pharmacy assistant.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an apprenticeship, with a high street pharmacy or in a hospital. These include:

  • Retail Service, Supply and Administration Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship
  • Pharmacy Services Assistant Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
  • Retailer Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship

Foundation apprenticeship

You can apply for a foundation apprenticeship if you're aged 16 to 21.

If you're aged 22 to 24, you can apply if you:

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • no specific qualifications or experience to apply for a foundation apprenticeship

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

More Information

  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
  • search for apprenticeships on NHS Jobs|https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate
  • find an apprenticeship|https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship

Work

You could work in a pharmacy as a retail assistant and do a qualification part time on the job, like the Level 2 Certificate in the Principles and Practice for Pharmacy Support Staff.

Direct Application

You can apply directly for pharmacy assistant roles.

It can help if you have:

  • experience in customer service
  • good reading, number and IT skills
  • GCSEs or equivalent

More Information

Further Information

You can find out more about working as a pharmacy assistant from Health Careers .

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • customer service skills
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • the ability to work well with others
  • administration skills
  • maths knowledge
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • knowledge of English language
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Day-to-day tasks

As a pharmacy assistant, you could:

  • serve customers and give advice about non-prescription items
  • check that patients understand dosage instructions
  • label items, stock shelves and put together orders
  • take calls from GP surgeries, community clinics and nursing homes
  • deliver medicines to hospital wards and health centres
  • follow instructions given by pharmacy technicians and pharmacists
  • enter medicine data onto a computer system

Working environment

You could work at a store, at a health centre or in an NHS or private hospital.

You may need to wear a uniform.

With experience and a recognised qualification , you could become a senior pharmacy assistant, supervisor or manager.

With further training, you could work as a pharmacy technician .

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