Pharmacy assistants serve an important function within a pharmacy setting, performing duties such as filling prescriptions, maintaining inventory, organizing prescription records, managing sales transactions, compounding medications, and speaking to customers.Â
If you’re considering a rewarding career as a pharmacy assistant, you’ll be able to work in a number of different environments once you gain certification. With demand for pharmacy assistants rising as Ontario’s population grows and ages, there are a variety of employment opportunities available to these professionals. Below, explore three different work environments available to you as a trained pharmacy assistant.
After Pharmacy Assistant School, You Can Work in a Retail Pharmacy
Once you’ve completed your pharmacy assistant training, one of the most common employment opportunities you’ll encounter will be within retail pharmacies. In this setting, pharmacy assistants spend much of their time interacting with customers–both in person and by phone. Pharmacy assistants will process patient insurance claims, keep inventory stocked, maintain inventory records, update patient information, and operate the cash register. As much of working in a retail pharmacy revolves around performing duties and providing good customer service, you’ll be a great fit for this position if you love working with people.Â
You May Find Employment in an Assisted Living Facility
Some pharmacy assistants may choose to work in an assisted living facility or a long-term care home. Within these environments, pharmacy assistants support pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to fill prescriptions and provide medications for those living within the care home. A pharmacist will counsel patients and provide recommendations to prescribers or doctors, review a patient’s medication history, and determine the best treatment path forward. As a pharmacy assistant, your job will be to help the pharmacists fulfill these prescriptions, keep patient files in order, and ensure that inventory is well stocked.
Pharmacy Assistants Can Work in Hospitals
If customer service isn’t your thing, you can still enjoy a career as a pharmacy assistant. After graduating from pharmacy assistant school, many professionals choose to work in hospitals. In this work environment, pharmacy assistants spend the majority of their time keeping up with prescription orders for patients within the hospital. Within hospitals, doctors request prescriptions for their patients, which are fulfilled by the hospital pharmacy.Â
Instead of interacting directly with customers, hospital pharmacy assistants will instead assist with preparing prescriptions that are sent for delivery to the patient. When working in hospitals, pharmacy assistants will also spend plenty of time maintaining inventory. This is a greater task in hospitals, as the demands for medication are often higher than they would be in retail pharmacies. If you thrive in a fast-paced environment, working as a pharmacy assistant in a hospital could be right for you.
In addition to these three work environments, pharmacy assistants can also find work in public health service clinics, pharmaceutical manufacturing sites, and in other settings. If you’re seeking a rewarding career with plenty of employment opportunities, working as a pharmacy assistant could be right for you.
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