Pharmacy assistants play an integral role within a pharmacy. They work alongside and under the supervision of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians as they greet customers, help to fill prescriptions under the supervision of a pharmacist, and help with several other tasks.Â
Helping out with inventory management may also be part of your future career. Inventory management refers to managing the medical supplies and medications that are used within a pharmacy. Effective inventory management is important, as it helps make sure that prescriptions can be properly filled and that customers have access to the medications that they need.Â
At Medix College, you’ll get hands-on training that will prepare you to launch a successful career as a pharmacy assistant. Read on to learn some tips for managing inventory!
1. Do Physical Inventory Checks After Your Pharmacy Assistant Training
To become good at inventory management after your pharmacy assistant training, you’ll need to–under the supervision and guidance of a pharmacist and/or pharmacy technician–be familiar with the inventory at the pharmacy. By performing regular physical inventory checks, you will know exactly which products are in the pharmacy. This will help you notify the pharmacy team of any important inventory updates they might need to know about. For example, if you see that a medication is about to expire, or that the supply of a particular product is running low, you can inform the pharmacy team so that they can handle orders accordingly. A physical inventory check helps you match the computerized inventory system with what you currently have on the shelves.Â
2. Watch Out for High Costs
After completing your pharmacy assistant course, you’ll get to work alongside pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, and may be tasked under their supervision with helping to manage the supply of different types of medications. One important point to consider with regards to inventory management is cost. Ordering too much of a product, especially an expensive product that will expire quickly, can lead to high costs and wasted money.
Good data on how much of different products are needed can help to ensure that your team doesn’t accidentally overstock shelves. Implementing a next-day delivery system with distributors can also help to address this issue.Â
3. Don’t Let Medications Run Out
While it’s important to avoid overstocking, it’s also important to make sure that enough products are stocked so that medications don’t run out. Customers stepping into a pharmacy want to know that they’ll be able to fill their prescriptions and get the products they came for. If they consistently can’t, and need to return once products have been reordered, then they may eventually decide to go elsewhere.Â
For many, their prescription can be vital to their health and wellbeing, and so difficulties filling their prescription can cause stress. For this reason, proper planning is important. For pharmacies, proper inventory management is essential to success.
Are you interested in a pharmacy assistant diploma in Ontario?
Contact Medix College for more information!
