Pharmacy assistant
Pharmacy assistants serve customers and patients in chemists and hospital dispensaries.
Also known as: Chemist's assistant, dispensing assistant
- Starter salary£24,000 a year
- Experienced£31,000 a year
- Typical hours36 to 40 a week
What you'll do
As a pharmacy assistant you could:
- serve customers and give advice about non-prescription items
- label products, stock shelves and put orders together
- take calls from GP surgeries, nursing homes and clinics
- deliver medicines to wards
- enter medicine data on computer systems
Working environment
You could work at a health centre, at a store or in an NHS or private hospital.
You may need to wear a uniform.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- customer service skills
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- the ability to work well with others
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- excellent verbal communication skills
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- to enjoy working with other people
- the ability to read English
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
How to become a pharmacy assistant
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 to help get a job as a trainee pharmacy assistant.
Entry requirements
There are no set entry requirements for this route but it may help you to get in if you have:
- 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
Apprenticeship
You could apply to do an apprenticeship, with a high street pharmacy or in a hospital, such as:
- Pharmacy Services Assistant Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
- Retail Service, Supply and Administration Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship
- Retailer Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
Work
You might be able to get a trainee pharmacy assistant job in a pharmacy.
You could work and do a part time qualification like the Level 2 Certificate in the Principles and Practice for Pharmacy Support Staff.
Direct application
You can apply directly for pharmacy assistant roles
You might need:
- experience of customer service
- good reading, number and IT skills
- GCSEs or equivalent
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:
- have an education, health and care (EHC) plan
- are in care or have been in care
- are in prison or have been in prison
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
Career path and progression
With experience and a recognised qualification , you could become a senior pharmacy assistant, supervisor or manager.
With further training, you could become a pharmacy technician .
Guides for this industry
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