Pharmacy technicians

Pharmacy technicians

NOC
32124

perform technical functions relating to prescriptions including, inventory control, gathering patients' information, and preparing and distributing product.

Quick facts

3-Year Outlook

Good
Good

3-Year Job Openings

-22
 

Median Hourly Wage

$18.00
$14.40
Low
$25.00
High

Average Salary

$44,200
 

Typically Required

College or apprenticeship

Employed

715
 
Job details

Full NOC Description

Pharmacy technicians perform technical functions relating to prescriptions including gathering patients' information, product preparation, product distribution and inventory control. They work closely with pharmacists to provide pharmaceutical care to clients. Pharmacy technicians are employed in retail and hospital pharmacies, long-term care facilities and by pharmaceutical manufacturers. Pharmacy technicians who are supervisors are included in this unit group.

Main Duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:
 

  • Assist pharmacists to maintain inventories of medications and prescription records of pharmaceutical products
  • Assess prescriptions for completeness and ensure information is accurate
  • Gather and enter client information in databases and prepare medications for clients in collaboration with pharmacists
  • Compound pharmaceutical products such as intravenous injections, oral solutions, ointments and creams
  • Process payment of prescriptions and other pharmacy services including direct billing to third party insurers
  • Provide instructions on how to use health aids, and medical devices such as drug administration devices and monitoring devices
  • May help with scheduling and workflow.

Also Known As

  • pharmacy technician
  • pharmacy technician supervisor
Requirements

Employment Requirements

  • Pharmacy technicians usually require a two-year pharmacy technician college program or completion of a two- to three-year college program in pharmaceutics and supervised practical training.
  • Completion of the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) certification exams is required for pharmacy technicians.
  • Registration with a regulatory body is required for pharmacy technicians in all provinces except Quebec.

Provincial Regulation

Not Provincially Regulated

Employment by Sex

The following graph shows the percentage of men and women working in this occupation in New Brunswick.

Data legend

93.9%
Female
6.1%
Male
Employment by age

The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick by age group.

Data legend

15.5%
15-24
29.3%
25-34
32.8%
35-44
19.0%
45-54
3.4%
55-64
0.0%
65+
Employment by highest level of education

The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick by highest level of education achieved.

Data legend

0.0%
No Certificate, Diploma or Degree
12.9%
High School, Diploma or Equivalent
6.9%
Apprenticeship or Trades Certificate or Diploma
71.6%
College or University Below Bachelor Level
8.6%
University - Bachelor Level or Above
Employment by Industry

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

70.7%
Retail trade
26.7%
Health care and social assistance
N/A
N/A
2.6%
All Other Industries
Employment by Economic Regions

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

27.00%
Northeast
26.10%
Southeast
23.50%
Southwest
13.00%
Central
10.40%
Northwest
Province of New Brunswick Economic Regions

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.

Annual Average Salary by Economic Regions

The following graph shows the average salary of all persons employed in this occupation in each of New Brunswick’s five economic regions.

Data legend

$39,500
Northeast
$47,000
Southeast
$52,000
Southwest
$40,000
Central
$37,000
Northwest
Province of New Brunswick Economic Regions

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.

Hourly Median Wages by Economic Regions

The following represents the median hourly wage of all persons employed in this occupation in each of New Brunswick’s five economic regions.

No Data Available
Salary

The following shows the average salary of everyone who worked full-time and year-round in this occupation across each of the Atlantic Provinces and nationally.

New Brunswick

$44,200

Newfoundland

$43,600

Prince Edward Island

$50,000

Nova Scotia

$42,400

Canada

$51,700
Employment Outlook

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).

Three Year Outlook

Total Openings: 3-Year

-22
 

New Jobs: 3-Year

-47
 

Retirements/Deaths: 3-Year

26
 

Ten Year Outlook

Total Openings: 10-Year

111
 

New Jobs: 10-Year

-3
 

Retirements/Deaths: 10-Year

113