Overview
Outlook
Data
Training
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.
Job Titles
- Pharmacy technician
- Pharmacy technician supervisor
Main 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.
Workplaces
- Hospital pharmacies
- Long-term care facilities
- Pharmaceutical manufacturers
- Retail pharmacies
Skills
- Critical Thinking
- Learning and Teaching Strategies
- Management of Material Resources
- Numeracy
- Oral Communication: Active Listening
Abilities
- Near Vision
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Categorization Flexibility
- Colour Perception
- Finger Dexterity
Personal Attributes
- Attention to Detail
- Adaptability
- Collaboration
- Social Orientation
- Active Learning
Similar Occupations
- Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants (33103)
Source: OaSIS
Employment Outlook
Here are some key facts about Pharmacy technicians in Prince Edward Island:
- Approximately 150 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
- Pharmacy technicians mainly work in the following sectors:
- Other retail stores (NAICS 44-45, except 445): 65%
- Hospitals (NAICS 622): 35%
- The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
- Full-time workers: 84% compared to 84% for all occupations
- Part-time workers: 16% compared to 16% for all occupations
- 64% of pharmacy technicians work all year, while 36% 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 44 weeks compared to 41 weeks for all occupations.
- The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
- Men: less than 5% compared to 51% for all occupations
- Women: more than 95% 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: 19% compared to 28% for all occupations
- apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: n/a
- college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor’s: 54% compared to 25% for all occupations
- bachelor’s degree: 23% 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 | $16.00 | $18.00 | $23.28 |
| Canada | $15.00 | $20.00 | $30.00 |
Training
There are no known training programs for this occupation in PEI. If you are aware of a local training program, please contact us.
More Info
View the full occupational profile with details on work characteristics, interests, employment requirements and more on the Occupational and Skills Information System (OaSIS) website.
Related Jobs
There are currently no job listings for this occupation on WorkPEI.