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.
Job Titles
- Pharmacy aide
- Pharmacy assistant
- Pharmacy technical assistant
Main 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.
Workplaces
- Hospitals
- Medical clinics
- Pharmacies
Skills
- Oral Communication: Active Listening
- Coordinating
- Critical Thinking
- Decision Making
- Evaluation
Abilities
- Auditory Attention
- Finger Dexterity
- Near Vision
- Speech Recognition
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
Personal Attributes
- Attention to Detail
- Adaptability
- Collaboration
- Concern for Others
- Social Orientation
Similar Occupations
- Pharmacy technicians (32124)
Source: OaSIS
Employment Outlook
The employment outlook will be Moderate for pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants (NOC 33103) in Prince Edward Island for the 2025-2027 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
- Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
- Not many positions will become available due to retirements.
- There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
Demand for workers in this occupation will continue to be driven by the province’s aging population, expanded health-care needs, and increasing reliance on prescription drugs and health services. Recent media reports show that staffing shortages in the province are worsening, with vacancies for pharmacists and technicians projected to increase considerably in the coming years, which may force some community pharmacies to reduce their hours. Most positions are found in pharmacies, retail chains, and long-term care facilities, where assistants play a vital role in maintaining prescription records, inventories, and supporting pharmacists in patient care. With healthcare continuing to expand and pharmacies adapting to new technologies and patient services, the outlook for pharmacy assistants should remain favourable in the coming years.
Here are some key facts about Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants in Prince Edward Island:
- Approximately 250 people work in this occupation.
- Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants mainly work in the following sectors:
- Other retail stores (NAICS 44-45, except 445): more than 95%
- The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
- Full-time workers: 81% compared to 84% for all occupations
- Part-time workers: 19% compared to 16% for all occupations
- 62% of pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants work all year, while 38% work only part of the year, compared to 59% and 41% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 41 weeks compared to 41 weeks for all occupations.
- The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
- Men: 8% compared to 51% for all occupations
- Women: 92% compared to 49% for all occupations
- The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
- no high school diploma: n/a
- high school diploma or equivalent: 41% compared to 28% for all occupations
- apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 7% compared to 11% for all occupations
- college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor’s: 28% compared to 25% for all occupations
- bachelor’s degree: 24% compared to 17% for all occupations
- university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: n/a
Source: Job Bank
Prevailing Wages
| AREA | LOW | MEDIAN | HIGH |
|---|---|---|---|
| PEI | $17.00 | $18.00 | $25.00 |
| Canada | $16.00 | $20.00 | $26.00 |
Training
There are no known training programs for this occupation in PEI. If you are aware of a local training program, please contact us.
There are currently no job listings for this occupation on WorkPEI.