Career Profiles

Overview for Pharmacy Aides

Pharmacy aides perform administrative duties in pharmacies. Aides often are clerks or cashiers whose chief responsibilities are to answer telephones, handle money, stock shelves, and perform other clerical duties. They work closely with pharmacy technicians. Pharmacy technicians usually perform more complex tasks than do aides, although in some States the duties and titles of the jobs overlap.

Pharmacy aides may create and maintain patient profiles, prepare insurance claim forms, and stock and take inventory of prescription and over-the-counter medications. Accurate recordkeeping is necessary to help avert dangerous drug interactions. It is essential that pharmacy aides be able to communicate efficiently and correctly with third-party insurance providers to obtain payment. Pharmacy aides maintain inventory and inform the supervisor of stock needs so that the pharmacy does not run out of necessary and vital medications. Some aides also help with the maintenance of equipment and supplies.

Employment Situation

Employment of pharmacy aides is expected to decrease rapidly, dropping by 11 percent over the 2006 to 2016 period. Demand for pharmacy aides will fall as more responsibility is given to pharmacy technicians for answering phones, stocking shelves, operating cash registers, and performing other administrative tasks. In addition, with increased training, many pharmacy aides will become pharmacy technicians, which will result in further declines in pharmacy aide jobs.

In spire of decreasing employment, job opportunities for full-time and part-time work are expected to be good. The frequent need to replace workers who leave the occupation will create opportunities for interested applicants. Aides with related work experience in pharmacies, or as cashiers or stock clerks in other retail settings, will have the best opportunities.

Education Outlook

Most pharmacy aides are trained on the job. Employers favor those with at least a high school diploma and previous experience and strong customer service skills. Many pharmacy aides go on to become pharmacy technicians. Prospective pharmacy aides with experience working as cashiers may have an advantage when applying for jobs. Employers also prefer applicants with experience managing inventories and using computers.

Training for pharmacy aides begins by observing a more experienced worker. As they become familiar with the store’s equipment, policies, and procedures, aides start to work on their own.

Salary Expectations for Pharmacy Aides

Median hourly earnings of pharmacy aides totaled $9.35 in May 2006. Hourly pay ranged between $7.89 and over $14.64. Median hourly earnings in general medical and surgical hospitals totaled $11.53, while grocery stores paid a median of $9.87 per hour, and pharmacies and drug stores paid $8.97 as the median hourly wage.

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Overview for Community Pharmacists

Pharmacists in health care facilities dispense medications and advise the medical staff on the selection and effects of drugs. They may also make up sterile solutions to be administered through intravenous lines.. These professionals plan, monitor and evaluate drug programs or regimens. They may advise hospitalized patients on the use of drugs before the patients are discharged.

Pharmacists who work in home health care monitor drug therapy and prepare infusions—solutions that are injected into patients—and other medications for use in the home. Some pharmacists specialize in specific drug therapy areas, such as intravenous nutrition support, oncology (cancer), nuclear pharmacy (used for chemotherapy), geriatric pharmacy, and psychiatric pharmacy (the use of drugs to treat mental disorders).

Employment Situation

Employment of pharmacists is expected to grow by 22 percent between 2006 and 2016, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. As the population ages, assisted living facilities and home care organizations should see particularly rapid growth. Demand will also increase as cost-conscious insurers use pharmacists to educate patients and administer vaccinations in an effort to control expenses.

Education Outlook

A license is required, and individuals who want to become professional pharmacists must graduate from an accredited college of pharmacy and pass a series of examinations.

In the 2006–07 academic year, 70 colleges of pharmacy also awarded the master-of-science degree or the Ph.D. degree. Both of these degrees are awarded after the completion of a Pharm.D. degree. They are designed for individuals who want additional clinical, laboratory, and research experience. Areas of graduate study include pharmaceutics and pharmaceutical chemistry (physical and chemical properties of drugs and dosage forms), pharmacology (effects of drugs on the body), and pharmacy administration. Many pharmacists with master’s and PhDs work in research at a drug company or teach at a university.

Salary Expectations for Pharmacists

Median annual of wage-and-salary pharmacists in May 2006 were $94,520. The middle 50 percent earned between $83,180 and $108,140 a year. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $67,860, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $119,480 a year.

Related Information

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Overview for Pharmacy Technicians

Pharmacy technicians help licensed pharmacists provide medication and other health care products to patients. Technicians usually perform routine tasks to help prepare prescribed medication, such as counting tablets and labeling bottles. They also perform administrative tasks like answering phones, stocking shelves, and operating cash registers.

Pharmacy technicians who work in retail or mail-order pharmacies have varying responsibilities that vary from state to state. Technicians receive written prescriptions or requests for prescription refills from patients. They also may receive prescriptions sent electronically from the doctor’s office.

Pharmacy technicians must verify that information on the prescription is complete and accurate. To prepare the prescription, technicians must retrieve, count, pour, weigh, measure, and sometimes mix the medication. Then, they prepare the prescription labels, select the type of prescription container, and affix the prescription and auxiliary labels to the container. Once the prescription is filled, technicians price and file the prescription, which must be checked by a pharmacist before it is given to the patient. Technicians may establish and maintain patient profiles, prepare insurance claim forms, and stock and take inventory of prescription and over-the-counter medications.

In hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted-living facilities, technicians have more responsibility, which include reading patients’ charts and preparing the appropriate medication. After the pharmacist checks the prescription for accuracy, a pharmacy technician may deliver it to the patient and copy the information about the medication onto the patient’s profile. Technicians also may assemble a 24-hour supply of medicine for every patient, package and label each dose separately, then place the doses in the medicine cabinets of patients until the supervising pharmacist checks them for accuracy.

Salary Expectations for Pharmacy Technicians

Median hourly earnings of pharmacy technicians in May 2006 totaled $12.32. The Hourly pay ranged between $10.10 and more than $17.65. General medical and surgical hospitals paid the highest median hourly earnings with $13.86, followed by grocery stories at $12.78, and pharmacies and drug stores at $11.50. Certified pharmacy technicians may earn more, and shift differentials for working evenings or weekends also can increase earnings.

Employment Situation

Employment of pharmacy technicians is expected to increase by 32 percent from 2006 to 2016, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. The increased number of middle-aged and elderly people—who use more prescription drugs than younger people—will spur demand for technicians throughout the projection period. In addition, as scientific advances bring treatments for an increasing number of conditions, more pharmacy technicians will be needed to fill a growing number of prescriptions.

Education Outlook

Most pharmacy technicians are trained on the job, but many employers prefer applicants who have formal training, certification, or previous experience. Strong customer service skills also are important. Pharmacy technicians may become supervisors, may move into specialty positions or into sales, or may become pharmacists.

There are few state and no federal requirements for formal training or certification of pharmacy technicians. Formal education programs and certification emphasize the technician’s interest in and dedication to the work. The military, some hospitals, proprietary schools, vocational or technical colleges, and community colleges offer formal education programs.

Formal pharmacy technician education programs require classroom and laboratory work in a variety of areas, including medical and pharmaceutical terminology, pharmaceutical calculations, pharmacy recordkeeping, pharmaceutical techniques, and pharmacy law and ethics. Technicians must learn medication names, actions, uses, and doses. Many training programs include internships, in which students gain hands-on experience in actual pharmacies. After completion, students receive a diploma, a certificate, or an associate’s degree, depending on the program.

Salary Expectations for Pharmacy Technicians

Median hourly earnings of pharmacy technicians in May 2006 totaled $12.32. The Hourly pay ranged between $10.10 and more than $17.65. General medical and surgical hospitals paid the highest median hourly earnings with $13.86, followed by grocery stories at $12.78, and pharmacies and drug stores at $11.50. Certified pharmacy technicians may earn more, and shift differentials for working evenings or weekends also can increase earnings.

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Overview for Specialty Pharmacists

Pharmacists are increasingly moving into nontraditional pharmacy work. Some are involved in research for pharmaceutical manufacturers, developing new drugs and testing their effects. Others work in marketing or sales, providing clients with expertise on the use, effectiveness, and possible side effects of drugs.

Some pharmacists work for health insurance companies, developing pharmacy benefit packages and carrying out cost-benefit analyses on certain drugs. Other pharmacists work for the government, managed care organizations, public health care services, the armed services, or pharmacy associations. Finally, some pharmacists are employed full time or part time as college faculty, teaching classes and performing research in a wide range of areas.

Employment Situation

Employment of all pharmacists is expected to grow by 22 percent between 2006 and 2016, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. As the population ages, assisted living facilities and home care organizations should see particularly rapid growth. Demand will also increase as cost-conscious insurers use pharmacists to educate patients and administer vaccinations in an effort to control expenses. Excellent opportunities are expected for specialty pharmacists between 2006 and 2016. Job openings will result from rapid job growth and the need to replace workers who retire or leave the field for other reasons.

Education Outlook

A license is required, and individuals who want to become professional pharmacists must graduate from an accredited college of pharmacy and pass a series of examinations. Those wanting to specialize will need advanced education in their chosen areas.

In the 2006–07 academic year, 70 colleges of pharmacy also awarded the master-of-science degree or the Ph.D. degree. Both of these degrees are awarded after the completion of a Pharm.D. degree. They are designed for individuals who want additional clinical, laboratory, and research experience. Areas of graduate study include pharmaceutics and pharmaceutical chemistry (physical and chemical properties of drugs and dosage forms), pharmacology (effects of drugs on the body), and pharmacy administration. Many pharmacists with master’s and PhDs work in research at a drug company or teach at a university.

Salary Expectations for Specialty Pharmacists

Median annual wage of pharmacists in May 2006 was$94,520. The middle 50 percent earned between $83,180 and $108,140 a year. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $67,860, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $119,480 a year.

Related Information

• All advertised pharmacy jobs
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Overview for Pharmacists

Pharmacists distribute prescription drugs to individuals. They also advise patients, physicians and other health practitioners on the selection, dosages, interactions, and side effects of medications. Pharmacists monitor the health and progress of patients to ensure safe and effective use of medication. Compounding, which is the actual mixing of ingredients to form medications, represents only a small part of a pharmacist’s practice, since most medicines are produced by pharmaceutical companies in a standard dosage and drug delivery form. Most pharmacists work in a community setting or in a health care facility, such as a hospital, nursing home, mental health institution, or neighborhood health clinic.

Employment Situation

There were 243,000 pharmacists working in the U.S. in 2006. Employment of pharmacists is expected to grow by 22 percent between 2006 and 2016, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. The growing numbers of middle-aged and elderly people will continue to raise the demand for pharmacists over this period. Other factors likely to increase demand for pharmacists include scientific advances that will make more drug products available and coverage of prescription drugs by more health insurance plans and Medicare.

Education Outlook

A license is required, and individuals who want to become professional pharmacists must graduate from an accredited college of pharmacy and pass a series of examinations.

In the 2006–07 academic year, 70 colleges of pharmacy also awarded the master-of-science degree or the Ph.D. degree. Both of these degrees are awarded after the completion of a Pharm.D. degree. They are designed for individuals who want additional clinical, laboratory, and research experience. Areas of graduate study include pharmaceutics and pharmaceutical chemistry (physical and chemical properties of drugs and dosage forms), pharmacology (effects of drugs on the body), and pharmacy administration. Many pharmacists with master’s and PhDs work in research at a drug company or teach at a university.

Salary Expectations for Pharmacists

Median annual wages of pharmacists in May 2006 totaled $94,520. Pay ranged from less than $67,860 to more than $119,480 a year. Median yearly earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of pharmacists in May 2006 were Department stores ($99,050), grocery stores ($95,600), drug stores ($94,640), and general medical and surgical hospitals ($93,640).

Related Information

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