A great day involves shadowing/working on the wards as a medical student; examining and assessing patients, performing work-ups, sitting in on clinics and teaching. It's pretty cool because you see a range of different conditions and have to divulge from the patient and clinical data what is wrong with them and what we can do to help; I like to think of it as detective work.
CAREER
Pharmacy Aides
Overview
Salary Median (2020)
$29,280
Projected Job Growth (2019-2029)
-15.7% (decline)
Most Common Level of Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Career
Roadtrip Nation Leaders in This Career
What Pharmacy Aides Do
Record drugs delivered to the pharmacy, store incoming merchandise, and inform the supervisor of stock needs. May operate cash register and accept prescriptions for filling.
Other Job Titles Pharmacy Aides May Have
Certified Pharmacist Assistant, Drug Purchaser, Front Counter Clerk, Pharmacist Assistant, Pharmacy Aide, Pharmacy Ancillary, Pharmacy Assistant, Pharmacy Cashier, Pharmacy Clerk
How Leaders Describe a Typical Day at Work
Tasks & Responsibilities May Include
- Greet customers and help them locate merchandise.
- Accept prescriptions for filling, gathering and processing necessary information.
- Operate cash register to process cash or credit sales.
- Answer telephone inquiries, referring callers to pharmacist when necessary.
- Receive, store, and inventory pharmaceutical supplies or medications, check for out-of-date medications, and notify pharmacist when inventory levels are low.
Education
Level of Education Attained by Pharmacy Aides
Most common level of education among people in
this career: High school diploma or equivalent (31%)
High school diploma or equivalent
Some college, no degree
Bachelor's degree
Other*
*All other responses combined for clarity.
Educational Paths Suggested by Leaders
Suggested Path
High School
Bachelor
Pharmacy
Graduate
Medicine
Doctorate
Medicine
Additional Skills & Experiences That Can Help You Excel
Communication skills! So, so important. Medical teaching from a textbook and a lecture theatre can only get you so far. You need hands-on, practical experience - to see someone drowning in their own bodily fluids from a drug reaction, or to be keeled over in pain that could mean a thousand things. Or to see the better side; to see how patients improve, and get better, and to know that you've helped them in that.
Getting Started
Recommended First Step for:
High School Students
Be enthusiastic; be keen and involved; try and ignore what everyone else that wants to do what you're interested in (to an extent) - otherwise everyone ends up with the same application form essays. It's so important to consider WHY you want to do medicine (and don't worry about being selfish - it doesn't all have to be about "changing the world". There's nothing wrong with being entrepreneurial about it).
This page includes information from theO*NET 26.1 Databaseby the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under theCC BY 4.0license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
