Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants

Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants

NOC
33103

Pharmacy technical assistants perform technical tasks related to preparing medications under a pharmacist's supervision. Pharmacy assistants perform clerical functions and assists pharmacists and pharmacy technicians with drug dispensing.

Quick facts

3-Year Outlook

Good
Good

3-Year Job Openings

-60
 

Median Hourly Wage

$21.00
$13.75
Low
$31.00
High

Average Salary

$35,600
 

Typically Required

College or apprenticeship

Employed

912
 
Job details

Full NOC Description

Pharmacy technical assistants perform technical tasks related to preparing medications under a pharmacist's supervision. They also assist in filling prescriptions and managing patient files. Pharmacy assistants perform clerical functions and assists pharmacists and pharmacy technicians with drug dispensing tasks. Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants are employed in retail and hospital pharmacies, long-term care facilities and by pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Main Duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:
 

  • Assess prescriptions for completeness
  • Enter clients' information and prescription details in databases
  • Help pharmacists and other pharmacy staff with preparing, packaging and labelling of pharmaceutical products
  • Assist in maintaining inventories of medications and pharmaceutical products
  • Compound oral solutions, ointments and creams
  • May process medical billing information
  • May price and stock items on shelves.

Also Known As

  • pharmacy aide
  • pharmacy assistant
  • pharmacy technical assistant
Requirements

Employment Requirements

  • Pharmacy technical assistants usually require completion of up to two-years of a Pharmacy Technical Assistance vocational program.
  • Pharmacy assistants usually require completion of a Pharmacy Assistant college program, ranging from six to twelve months or completion of secondary school and several months of on-the-job training.

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

91.2%
Female
8.8%
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

21.1%
15-24
22.4%
25-34
21.1%
35-44
16.3%
45-54
18.4%
55-64
0.7%
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
40.1%
High School, Diploma or Equivalent
2.0%
Apprenticeship or Trades Certificate or Diploma
44.9%
College or University Below Bachelor Level
12.9%
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

94.6%
Retail trade
5.4%
Health care and social assistance
N/A
N/A
N/A
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

19.90%
Northeast
26.70%
Southeast
24.00%
Southwest
21.90%
Central
7.50%
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

$34,000
Northeast
$37,000
Southeast
$35,000
Southwest
$37,000
Central
$33,000
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

$35,600

Newfoundland

$37,200

Prince Edward Island

$35,000

Nova Scotia

$37,000

Canada

$41,280
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

-60
 

New Jobs: 3-Year

-110
 

Retirements/Deaths: 3-Year

49
 

Ten Year Outlook

Total Openings: 10-Year

104
 

New Jobs: 10-Year

-65
 

Retirements/Deaths: 10-Year

168