Pharmacy technicians manage the supply of medicines and devices in a pharmacy and assist pharmacists with advisory services. You will be responsible for carrying out both routine and specialist services, including highly complex activities requiring the use of your professional judgement.
Pharmacy Technician
Mixing and checking life saving medicine before it's administered to patients
How this role makes a difference
Most of us think of pharmacies being on our local high street, but in fact they exist in several different places. For instance inside prisons and care homes, in hospitals and mental health clinics, in the armed forces and in some GP practices.
In all these environments, pharmacies support a range of health needs, providing professional advice and dispensing medicines and treatments. In some, however, there may be more direct contact with patients: people who could have multiple conditions or potentially addictions to consider. You could be the technician who provides the right medicine at the right time, helping people to feel better and recover fully.
The kind of work you’ll do
- Assembling medicines for prescriptions
- Providing information to patients and other healthcare professionals
- Managing areas of medicine supply and maintain stocks
- Supervising other pharmacy staff
- Answering customers questions face to face or by phone
- Pre-packing, assembling and labelling medicines
- Referring problems or queries to the pharmacist
What you can bring to the role
Future career opportunities
A career in pharmacy can take you in lots of different directions, to the wide range of settings where pharmacies are located. In each location you will gain the primary skills of a pharmacist but also gain specialist knowledge that supports the environment you’re working in.
With experience you will be expected to instruct and train other people and could develop your career as a trainer. There are also opportunities in academia where you can carry out research, apply innovative teaching methods, and contribute to national and international pharmacy policy. You may also choose to open your own pharmacy.
How to get into this role
There’s no perfect career path or ideal way into your dream job.
But if you’re interested in education and training options that could be relevant to this role, you might want to consider:
- A T-level in Science or Healthcare Science after you finish your GCSEs
- An apprenticeship as a Pharmacy Technician after finishing school or college
Schools and colleges each have their own career guidance plan and can provide detailed information, advice, and guidance on options and next steps.
A little more about the role
Exciting features...
