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Pharmacy Aides


At a Glance

  • Perform clerical duties
  • Work with pharmacists and pharmacy technicians
  • Have a high level of social interaction
  • Almost always work indoors
  • Usually work less than 40 hours a week
  • Train on the job

Career summary

Pharmacy aides help pharmacists with clerical duties.

Pharmacy aides may also be called pharmacy assistants.

Pharmacy aides greet customers, answer the telephone, ring up sales, and handle money. They refer any questions regarding prescriptions or health matters to a pharmacist.

Pharmacy aides help to maintain patient profiles that contain information about the patient’s medication history. Aides also fill out insurance claim forms.

Aides take inventory of over-the-counter drugs. They also stock incoming supplies. They clean and maintain pharmacy equipment.

Pharmacy aides prepare packaging and prescription labels. Under the direction of a pharmacist some mix, package, and label medications. Aides also operate capsule and tablet counting machines. They deliver medication to treatment areas, such as in a hospital.

Related careers

This career is part of the Health Science cluster of careers.

Related careers include:

Job duties

Task list

The following list of tasks is specific to pharmacy aides.

Common work activities

Pharmacy aides perform the following tasks. These tasks are common to many careers.

Work requirements

Working conditions

In a typical work setting, pharmacy aides:

Interpersonal relationships

Physical work conditions

Work performance

Hours/travel

Physical demands

Pharmacy aides frequently:

It is important for pharmacy aides to be able to:

It is not as important, but still necessary, for pharmacy aides to be able to:

Skills and abilities

Pharmacy aides need to:

Communicate

Reason and problem solve

Work with people

Education and training

Educational programs

The programs of study listed below will help you prepare for the occupation or career cluster you are exploring.

Programs of study directly related to this occupation

Training

To work as a pharmacy aide, you typically need to:

Education after high school

No formal education is required beyond high school.

Work experience

Experience helping and working with people is good preparation for this occupation.

On-the-job training

Most pharmacy aides learn their skills on the job from experienced workers. You may spend up to one month in training. During training, you learn how to:

Helpful high school courses

You should take a general high school curriculum that meets the state's graduation requirements. You will be required to take both math and science classes to graduate. You should consider taking Algebra and Geometry as your math courses and Chemistry and Physics as your science courses.

Helpful electives to take in high school that prepare you for this career include:

The courses listed above are meant to help you create your high school plan. If you have not already done so, talk to a school counselor or parent about the courses you are considering taking.

You should also check with a teacher or counselor to see if work-based learning opportunities are available in your school and community. These might include field trips, job shadowing, internships, and actual work experience. The goal of these activities is to help you connect your school experiences with real-life work.

Join some groups, try some hobbies, or volunteer with an organization that interests you. By participating in activities you can have fun, make new friends, and learn about yourself. Maybe one of them will help direct you to a future career. Here are examples of activities and groups that may be available in your high school or community.

Things to know

Employers prefer applicants who have at least a high school diploma or equivalent. In addition, employers look for applicants who have good interpersonal and computer skills.

Licensing/certification

Pharmacy aides must be registered with the State through the pharmacy in which they work and work under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist. They are called pharmacy assistants under the state law that regulates them. There are no educational or age requirements. They must meet on-the-job training requirements established by their employer, answer personal data questions, and have completed four hours of HIV/AIDS training. They are also required to provide the board with a current address and notify them if the address changes. Pharmacy aides who have contact with patients or the general public must wear badges that identify them as aides. Pharmacy aides must renew their registration every two years, but the cost for doing so is covered by the pharmacy for which they work.

For more information, contact:

Washington State Department of Health
Board of Pharmacy (external link)

PO Box 47877
Olympia, WA 98504
360.236.4700

#updated url 3/20/14 lh. Info above ok 3/17/15, 12/14/16, 4/5/19 cj.

Job listings

Listed below are links to job categories from the National Labor Exchange that relate to this career. Once you get a list of jobs, you can view information about individual jobs and find out how to apply. If your job search finds too many openings, or if you wish to search for jobs outside of Washington, you will need to refine your search.

To get a listing of current jobs from the WorkSource system, go to the WorkSource website (external link).

Wages

The minimum wage for Washington State as of January 1, 2020 is $13.50 per hour. Some areas of the state may have a higher minimum wage.

Pharmacy aides (SOC 31-9095)

Location
Pay Period
10%
25%
Median
75%
90%
Washington Hourly $11.75 $12.58 $14.17 $17.41 $22.31
Monthly $2,036 $2,180 $2,456 $3,017 $3,866
Yearly $24,440 $26,160 $29,470 $36,210 $46,390
    Bellingham Hourly $12.19 $12.98 $14.48 $17.10 $21.64
Monthly $2,113 $2,249 $2,509 $2,963 $3,750
Yearly $25,362 $27,010 $30,117 $35,571 $45,009
    Bremerton-Silverdale Hourly $12.62 $13.44 $14.98 $21.75 $23.67
Monthly $2,187 $2,329 $2,596 $3,769 $4,102
Yearly $26,244 $27,943 $31,160 $45,223 $49,232
    Kennewick-Richland Hourly $12.02 $12.63 $13.72 $14.86 $15.58
Monthly $2,083 $2,189 $2,378 $2,575 $2,700
Yearly $25,008 $26,281 $28,534 $30,905 $32,414
    Longview Hourly $12.01 $12.65 $14.32 $18.22 $22.20
Monthly $2,081 $2,192 $2,482 $3,158 $3,847
Yearly $24,998 $26,330 $29,773 $37,887 $46,186
    Mount Vernon-Anacortes Hourly $12.22 $12.65 $14.48 $17.13 $19.22
Monthly $2,118 $2,192 $2,509 $2,969 $3,331
Yearly $25,411 $26,319 $30,111 $35,633 $39,978
    Olympia-Tumwater Hourly $12.53 $14.36 $17.66 $20.29 $23.45
Monthly $2,171 $2,489 $3,060 $3,516 $4,064
Yearly $26,067 $29,853 $36,732 $42,208 $48,764
    Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue Hourly $12.16 $13.09 $14.65 $18.93 $24.02
Monthly $2,107 $2,268 $2,539 $3,281 $4,163
Yearly $25,290 $27,213 $30,470 $39,361 $49,962
    Spokane-Spokane Valley Hourly $12.21 $13.06 $15.10 $18.58 $21.91
Monthly $2,116 $2,263 $2,617 $3,220 $3,797
Yearly $25,398 $27,151 $31,405 $38,648 $45,582
    Vancouver Hourly $11.87 $14.95 $18.88 $24.48 $29.84
Monthly $2,057 $2,591 $3,272 $4,242 $5,171
Yearly $24,692 $31,108 $39,268 $50,928 $62,065
    Wenatchee Hourly $12.04 $13.17 $15.10 $18.76 $23.05
Monthly $2,087 $2,282 $2,617 $3,251 $3,995
Yearly $25,048 $27,390 $31,400 $39,019 $47,937
    Yakima Hourly $12.21 $12.92 $13.95 $14.99 $15.66
Monthly $2,116 $2,239 $2,418 $2,598 $2,714
Yearly $25,398 $26,880 $29,017 $31,161 $32,559
United States Hourly $9.31 $10.82 $12.72 $16.00 $21.37
Monthly $1,613 $1,875 $2,204 $2,773 $3,703
Yearly $19,370 $22,510 $26,450 $33,280 $44,450

Wages vary by shift and employer. Aides may receive higher wages for working evenings or weekends.

Full-time pharmacy aides usually receive benefits. Typical benefits include paid vacation, sick leave, and health insurance. Those who work part time may not receive benefits.

Employment and outlook

#Updated via email from Doreen Beebe (Doreen.Beebe@DOH.WA.GOV) 5/16/13 cj. sent 3/20/14 lh. Rec'd licensing data from Doreen 3/17/15 cj. Doreen on medical leave so sent request for new data to Angelica Pauley, Pharmacy Consultant (Angelica.Pauley@doh.wa.gov) 3/7/17. No response from Angelica so sent again 4/5/17 to wspqac@doh.wa.gov. Initial response from Leeann George was needed to submit Public Disclosure form, etc. Then Doreen B. contacted me provided the new data 4/12/17 cj.

Washington outlook

#Between 2014 and 2024, it is estimated that there will be 18 openings annually due to new positions and 28 openings annually from workers leaving this career.

#Updated outlook 06.16 sd

The table below provides information about the number of workers in this career in various regions. It also provides information about the expected growth rate and future job openings.

Pharmacy Aides (SOC 31-9095)

Location Current employment Growth over 10 years Annual openings
This
occupation
All
occupations
Washington 1,119 -7.2% 16.1% 128
    Adams, Chelan, Douglas, Grant, and Okanogan Counties 43 0.0% 13.4% 5
    Asotin, Columbia, Ferry, Garfield, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Stevens, Walla Walla, and Whitman Counties 66 -13.6% 8.6% 6
    Benton and Franklin Counties 37 -10.8% 15.0% 3
    Clallam, Jefferson, and Kitsap Counties 27 -7.4% 11.9% 3
    Clark, Cowlitz, and Wahkiakum Counties 31 6.5% 15.2% 4
    Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, and Thurston Counties 75 -14.7% 14.1% 7
    Island, San Juan, Skagit, and Whatcom Counties 111 -9.0% 14.6% 12
    King County 363 -7.7% 19.6% 41
    Kittitas, Klickitat, Skamania, and Yakima Counties 69 1.4% 13.8% 9
    Pierce County 106 -3.8% 15.2% 13
    Snohomish County 127 -11.0% 12.4% 13
    Spokane County 73 -5.5% 13.9% 8
United States 37,000 -11.9% 5.2% 4,000

National employment

Major employers:

National outlook

Demand for this occupation will decline. As the population ages, more people will need medications. The demand for pharmacy aides will not grow as fast as for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians due to laws that limit their duties.

Many jobs will be available as current pharmacy aides move to other occupations. However, this is a small occupation which limits job openings.

Other resources

American Association of Pharmacy Technicians (external link)
PO Box 391043
Omaha, NE 68139
336.333.9356
336.333.9356
Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (external link)
2215 Constitution Avenue NW, Suite 101
Washington, DC 20037

References

Career cluster

Career path

O*Net (external link) occupation

O*Net job zone (external link)

DOT occupation

Holland occupational clusters

COPSystem