A pharmacy assistant provides assistance to registered pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. These individuals may be responsible for a number of tasks related to hospital or community pharmacies but are not able to provide customer advice or fill prescriptions as a technician or pharmacist does. The role has numerous other common titles including dispensing assistant, assistant technical officer, dispenser and health-care assistant
Day-to-day tasks for job holders in this position may include ordering and assembling medical products, coordinating with wholesalers, inventory duties, delivering products, labelling and pre-packing products, and directing enquires to pharmacists and technicians, among other tasks; however, these duties can vary greatly depending on the employer
The position requires good communication skills, outstanding attention to detail and Level 2 NVQ certificate in pharmacy service skills. On-the-job training is generally provided. Many working in this post choose to become a pharmacy technician
The average salary for a pharmacy assistant is £15,000 per annum, though figures can range from £11,000 to around £20,000 per annum.