Pharmacists
Prepare and dispense prescribed medications and advise patients how to use them. They also answer questions regarding the use of non-prescribed medications.
On This Page
Note: The data presented in this profile does not take into account the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and labour market. Consequently, the accuracy of some of the estimates that appear in this profile may be affected.
Full NOC Description
Community pharmacists and hospital pharmacists compound and dispense prescribed pharmaceuticals and provide consultative services to both clients and health care providers. They are employed in retail and hospital pharmacies, or they may be self-employed. Industrial pharmacists participate in the research, development, promotion and manufacture of pharmaceutical products. They are employed in pharmaceutical companies and government departments and agencies.
Main Duties
Pharmacists perform some or all of the following duties:
Community pharmacists and hospital pharmacists
- Check prescriptions for proper dosage
- Compound prescribed pharmaceutical products by calculating, measuring and mixing the quantities of drugs and other ingredients required and filling appropriate containers with correct quantity
- Dispense prescribed pharmaceuticals to customers or to other health care professionals and advise them on indications, contra-indications, adverse effects, drug interactions and dosage
- Maintain medication profiles of customers including registry of poisons and narcotic and controlled drugs
- Ensure proper preparation, packaging, distribution and storage of vaccines, serums, biologicals and other drugs and pharmaceuticals
- Order and maintain stock of pharmaceutical supplies
- Advise customers on selection and use of non-prescription medication
- Renew existing prescriptions in limited circumstances
- May adapt the formulation, regimen, duration or route of administration of medication
- May supervise and co-ordinate the activities of other pharmacists, pharmacy assistants, pharmacy technicians and other staff.
Industrial pharmacists
- Participate in research for the development of new drugs
- Formulate new drug products developed by medical researchers
- Test new drug products for stability and to determine absorption and elimination patterns
- Co-ordinate clinical investigations of new drugs
- Control the quality of drug products during production to ensure that they meet standards of potency, purity, uniformity, stability and safety
- Develop information materials concerning the uses, properties and risks of particular drugs
- Evaluate labelling, packaging and advertising of drug products
- Promote pharmaceutical products to health professionals.
Also Known As
- clinical pharmacist
- community pharmacist
- hospital pharmacist
- industrial pharmacist
- pharmacist
Employment Requirements
- A university degree in pharmacy and a period of supervised practical training are required.
- Licensure is required in all provinces and territories for community and hospital pharmacists.
Provincial Regulation
- Provincially Regulated: Yes
- Compulsory: Yes
- Red Seal: No
- Certified Interprovincial Mobility: Yes
Regulation Body
The following graph shows the percentage of men and women working in this occupation in New Brunswick.
Data legend
The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick by age group.
Data legend
The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick by highest level of education achieved.
Data legend
The following graph shows the industry groups in which the largest shares of persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick are employed. Small percentages for all top three industry groups may suggest employment for this occupation is widely distributed amongst many industry groups.
Data legend
The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons employed in this occupation in New Brunswick by which economic region they reside in.
Data legend
Economic Regions
The following map displays New Brunswick’s five economic regions. An economic region (ER) is a grouping of counties, created as a standard unit for analysis of regional economic activity across Canada.
The following graph shows the median salary of all persons employed in this occupation in each of New Brunswick’s five economic regions.
Data legend
Economic Regions
The following map displays New Brunswick’s five economic regions. An economic region (ER) is a grouping of counties, created as a standard unit for analysis of regional economic activity across Canada.
The following represents the median hourly wage of all persons employed in this occupation in each of New Brunswick’s five economic regions.
This following represents the median salary of all persons employed in this occupation compared to the median salary of workers employed in this occupation that work full-time year-round.
This following represents the median salary of persons employed in this occupation across each of the Atlantic Provinces and nationally.
The following represents the number of job openings that are expected to occur in this occupation over the next three and ten years respectively, broken down by openings expected to result from growth (“new jobs”) and openings expected to result from attrition (death and retirements).
Share this page
No endorsement of any products or services is expressed or implied.