Pharmacy Assistants

What is a pharmacy assistant?

Pharmacy assistants work with pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in community pharmacies. Pharmacy assistants are very important members of the pharmacy team as they are generally the first point of contact for pharmacy customers. Although not involved in the dispensing of prescription medicines, pharmacy assistants can sell and advise on a wide range of over the counter medicines.

A pharmacy assistant must be able to assist customers with common health problems and help with the selection of health and grooming products. The advice assistants give is based on their knowledge of the products and of when to refer the customer to a pharmacist or other appropriately qualified person.

What do pharmacy assistants do?

For pharmacy assistants an important responsibility and one that probably takes up most of their time is advising customers on health and grooming requirements.

There are variations between individual pharmacies but as a guide a pharmacy assistant’s tasks may include the following:

• advising customers on the selection and use of health related and grooming products
• managing the presentation and storage of merchandise
• managing stock i.e. ordering, pricing, inventory control
• keeping the pharmacy clean and tidy
• creating in-store and window displays
• providing beauty treatments eg. manicures
• managing loyalty clubs
• running in store promotions
• providing basic first aid
• attending to telephone enquiries
• banking and basic bookkeeping
• selling photographic products and services

Personal qualities

As a pharmacy assistant you must be interested in people. Much of the work involves dealing directly with customers who are sick or in need of personal health advice so you need to be:

• caring
• a good listener
• able to communicate easily with a wide range of people
• tactful and able to keep confidences
• patient
• reliable
• trustworthy
• willing to learn
• able to plan and organise your time
• able to follow set protocols/guidelines
• interested in health and grooming
• clearly focussed and results orientated

All these qualities will be further developed as part of your training.

Why become a pharmacy assistant?

• the work is interesting and varied using a wide range of skills
• you will be part of an essential health service
• there are excellent career opportunities

What skills do you need?

You will have lots of opportunity to learn on the job but it may help you to get your first job in pharmacy if you have:

• customer service skills
• interpersonal communication skills
• experience handling money

- and are willing to learn.

What qualifications are needed?

You can work as a pharmacy assistant without any special qualifications because most pharmacies provide training on the job. Also, cosmetic houses and most pharmaceutical companies provide short training courses for pharmacy staff. Increasingly however, employers are looking to employ people who are already trained and have a qualification. Further, the more knowledge and skills you have the greater the job satisfaction because you are able to use that knowledge to assist more of your customers.

What qualifications are available?

The qualification for pharmacy assistants is the National Certificate in Pharmacy (Assistant) which is registered with NZQA and recognised throughout New Zealand. It is designed for people working or intending to work in community pharmacies.

A second qualification, the National Certificate in Pharmacy (Technician) is also registered on the National Qualifications Framework and the link between the two is designed to provide a career path within the industry. This means that If you decide later to train as a pharmacy technician you will be able to cross credit some of the unit standards from your National Certificate in Pharmacy (Assistant) towards the National Certificate in Pharmacy (Technician).

The content of both these qualifications is listed on the New Zealand Qualifications Authority website http://www.nzqa.govt.nz

How can you gain the National Certificate in Pharmacy (Assistant)?

There are three ways:

1. Study full time for 1 year at Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, Academy New Zealand, or Universal College of Learning (UCOL), Palmerston North where the programmes combine classroom learning with on site pharmacy experience.
2. Earn as you learn with a combination of on the job learning and experience and a distance learning self paced programme of the relevant theory and knowledge through The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand.
3. Learn on the job by working in a pharmacy, after two years, you should have the experience and knowledge to register with the Pharmacy Industry Training Organisation to be assessed against the unit standards.

Some of the general work skills units and the first aid units can be completed before you start working in a pharmacy. However in order to complete the pharmacy specific units you need to have regular access to information on pharmacy products and services.

What do you study?

The qualification includes a broad range of unit standards dealing with all aspects of the job. They cover pharmacy specific skills and knowledge as well as personal development and general work skills.

The pharmacy specific units cover:

treating minor ailments, diet and nutrition, wound management, optical products, sporting injuries, home health care, managing infections and parasitic diseases, handling potentially hazardous goods and legislation concerning pharmacy.

Other units studied deal with:

Customer service, self management and personal presentation, communication with customers and other pharmacy staff, stock management, visual merchandising, workplace health and safety, first aid, advising on and selling beauty care and cosmetic products.

How long is the training programme?

When studying by distance learning the length of time taken by a student to complete the training programme depends on the student’s ability, motivation and interest. As it is a self-study programme it is up to students to determine their own progress. It has been estimated that an average student in full time employment and studying after work should take a maximum of three years to complete the programme.

What are your career prospects?

Once you are working as a pharmacy assistant there will be plenty of scope to develop your skills and knowledge and with experience there will be opportunities for further responsibilities and specialisation. These may include;

Department Supervisor/Manager having responsibility for certain areas of the pharmacy such as the photographic department, particular cosmetic franchises or a section of the pharmacy, for example the vitamin and nutrition section.

Store Buyer Pharmacies carry a wide range of products, all of which have to be purchased from suppliers. A buyer has the important task of deciding which products the pharmacy will stock and in what quantities.

Store Manager and Staff Supervisor are positions more often available in large pharmacies with many staff members. A staff supervisor is responsible for the training and supervision of other staff.

Promotions Manager with the overall responsibility for coordinating in-store promotions.

Pharmacy Technician Many people who begin their career as pharmacy assistants later go on to train as pharmacy technicians.

Sales Representative Companies who sell to pharmacies may employ experienced pharmacy assistants as sales representatives.

How do you get started?

First approach local pharmacists in your area and ask if you can spend some time in the pharmacy to get an idea of what working as a pharmacy assistant is like. You may even be lucky enough to find one who will offer you work after school and at weekends.

Next if you are still at school talk to your careers advisor about the National Certificate Qualification. It may be possible to complete some of the work skills unit standards while you are still at school.

Then prepare your CV and a covering letter saying why you want to become a pharmacy assistant. Look out for jobs advertised in the newspaper or at you local job centre or approach pharmacies directly asking if there are any jobs available.

Where can you find more details about the training programmes?