Willis News

Hi Amanda! Thanks for agreeing to chat with us today. Can you tell us what a Pharmacy Assistant does?

Amanda:
A pharmacy assistant is responsible for a lot of the day-to-day technical stuff at a pharmacy. They’re often the person that a person sees when they first walk up to the pharmacy, so they’re the one who receives the prescription, types it in, grabs the product off the shelf, does the counting, packaging, that kind of thing. They do a lot in terms of inventory management and even sales. They actually do most of the work in the pharmacy!

Is there a big demand for Pharmacy Assistants?

Amanda:
Pharmacy Assistants will always be needed. The Canadian population is aging – we simply know that. And that comes with more complex healthcare needs, more complex pharmacy needs as well as newer medications, or more effective medications coming out on the market. Especially in the community setting, there’s always going to be pharmacy assistants needed, and I tell people, “Have a look, within walking distance of your home, how many pharmacies are there?” There’s always a handful, so there is obviously a need.

What kind of person is best suited for this career?

Amanda:
It’s very much a retail environment but at a whole other level because we also need people in pharmacy who have incredible attention to detail. That detail-oriented person is going to thrive in a pharmacy environment. If they can be friendly on top of that, that’s going to put them at the top of the stack.

What will I learn throughout the Pharmacy Assistant program?

Amanda:
Every student goes through the soft skills portion, which is computer knowledge, which is super important. We want people who are familiar with the computer because that’s a big chunk of what we do is in terms of processing. We start off the core program with theory-based knowledge, anatomy, terminology, pharmacology, math, law; those are all the theory-based chunks where we know what we can and cannot do. We know the drugs, we know how to calculate a dose. Then we get into community pharmacy procedures and institutional pharmacy procedures; this is where we get really hands-on.

Are there different job opportunities available with this program?

Amanda:
Most people think that community pharmacy assistants, that that’s the only place they can work, but that’s not true. If that’s not what they’re looking for, there are other things, including long-term care facilities; they will sometimes run their own mini pharmacy. There are even hospital pharmacies that are still needed to fulfill some of those other technical roles as well. There are insurance companies. Their call centers will want somebody with some drug knowledge; they’re going, “Hey, well, is this drug covered? What is this drug being used for?” There are some specialty pharmacies, special compounding pharmacies, and home healthcare. There are a lot of different niches for people if they want to get into that.

Do you have any advice for someone considering the program?

Amanda:
Go for it because it can be a huge benefit in terms of a career that will always be in demand. Be ready to put in the work because the program goes fast, but the knowledge is always beneficial. People are always afraid of the math that comes in with pharmacy because we actually have a whole course on math. The hardest part of math is about junior high level, so it’s not that scary.

Are you ready to make a difference in healthcare? Learn more about our Pharmacy Assistant program and get started today!