As a vital member of the healthcare team, your role as a pharmacy assistant supports and empowers patients to receive the prescribed medications they need to heal, and your compassion helps to ease their fears. If you’re currently enrolled in pharmacy assistant classes/pharmacy training courses at a pharmacy assistant school, you’re getting a feel for how rewarding this career can be, but we’ve got the specifics. There are myriad benefits to becoming a pharmacy assistant, but these are the top ones to consider and then you can dive into how you can graduate in just 44 weeks.
5 Compelling Reasons to Become a Pharmacy Assistant
1. Recession-Proof Career
In this economy, at this time, at the top of many a mind is how a one can ensure that the services they offer, the jobs they know how to do, are in demand. With an aging population in need of both preventative measures and those that cure, prescription medications are always a must. As key support in a pharmacy environment, from preparing and distributing prescribed medications, entering orders and filling prescriptions, to ensuring that the pharmacist has verified and approved the prescription before giving the medication to the patient, your career is almost as recession proof as one can get. There is always a need for the services you deliver in this role.
2. Rewarding Career
If you care for others and want a position that helps those in need of compassion, education, and support, this is for you. You directly connect with the patient and help people in your community every day. From measuring medications to ensure they’re accurate to talking a customer through what’s needed and cashing them out, your days are filled with fulfilling moments.
3. Job Variety and Opportunities for Advancement
If you like a challenge, variety in your days and want to expand your career over time, a pharmacy assistant position is ideal. Pharmacy is a booming industry that allows for opportunities, and this role paves the way for you to work in various environments, from hospitals, nursing homes and mail-order pharmacies to compounding pharmacies and hospice care facilities. And if you want to expand your training, you can easily work from your pharmacy assistant course in Ontario to a pharmacy technician program that will allow you to offer even more to patients and customers.
4. Lucrative Pay Structure
Because this is an in-demand role within an expanding industry, the pay structure is in pace with what the patient and healthcare needs are. On average pharmacy assistants make $17.82 per hour according to Indeed, and top companies pay $21.00 to $28.00 per hour. And there is always room for growth and advancement.
5. Flexible Education and Learning Opportunities
In Canada, there are no mandatory requirements to work as a pharmacy assistant. However, you want to select a leading-edge pharmacy assistant program and college with a reputation for empowering students with the knowledge and skills to be in demand and evolve within the industry.
Anderson College’s Pharmacy Assistant program is 44 weeks, including 240 hours of practicum with on-the-job training, offsite with potential employers. It is designed to provide you with an interactive learning experience on key topics such as compounding and dispensing prescriptions and customer care. The curriculum covers areas such as: role of the assistant, dispensing, provincial and federal legislation, pharmacology, community procedures, compounding drug distribution systems, pharmaceutical calculations and more. You will also learn computer and communication skills and come away feeling confident in your ability to provide exceptional patient care. Upon graduation, you will be highly skilled and have the opportunity to pursue employment in retail pharmacies, public or private school boards, home healthcare or long-term care facilities, community pharmacies or within the public health service.
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If you’re still exploring whether this career aligns with your interests, you can take the “Pharmacy Assistant Discovery Quiz”. If you’re ready to launch your Pharmacy Assistant career, book a virtual appointment with our Admissions team today. We’re here to help you navigate your options and best-fit program, every step of the way.
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