How To Become A Pharmacist Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a pharmacist assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Pharmacist assistants provide support to pharmacists by performing various clerical tasks that are necessary for the smooth operations of the pharmacy. Their main duties are to process sales transactions on the POS, take inventory of medications and supplies, answer incoming phone calls, type out and print prescription labels, and manage fax messages and emails.

Pharmacist assistants are not allowed to answer medical or medication-related questions. Hence, one of their duties is to also refer these questions to the pharmacist on duty. They may also be responsible for communicating with insurance companies or clearinghouses when there are problems with a customer's prescription.

The minimum educational requirement of this position is a high school diploma or GED. Pharmacies usually provide training on the job, but prior experience in pharmacy assistance or another clerical position can be a great advantage. Apart from these requirements, a pharmacist assistant must also be detail-oriented, organized, accurate, and well-versed in HIPPA regulations.

By working as a pharmacist assistant, one can earn an average of $35,000 a year. Pharmacist assistants may also obtain certifications to become licensed pharmacy technicians or another higher position.

ScorePharmacist AssistantUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $37,719

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.7

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.84%

Asian 11.31%

Black or African American 12.73%

Hispanic or Latino 20.35%

Unknown 6.34%

White 48.43%

Gender

female 72.26%

male 27.74%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

7.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.4

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a pharmacist assistant

Explore pharmacist assistant education requirements

Most common pharmacist assistant degrees

Bachelor's

42.2 %

High School Diploma

18.8 %

Associate

18.6 %

Start to develop specific pharmacist assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	33.79%
Customer Service	18.51%
Phone Calls	6.47%
Patient Care	5.16%
Direct Supervision	4.86%

Complete relevant pharmacist assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New pharmacist assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a pharmacist assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real pharmacist assistant resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed pharmacist assistant usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed pharmacist assistant in most of states. 38 states require pharmacist assistants to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alabama	-	-	Licensed Pharmacist Technician
Alaska	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Pharmacist
Arkansas	Degree required	Both state and third-party exams required	Pharmacist
California	Degree required	Both state and third-party exams required	Pharmacist, Registered
Connecticut	Degree required	State exam required	Pharmacist

Gain additional pharmacist assistant certifications

Pharmacist assistant certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific pharmacist assistant certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for pharmacist assistants include Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) and Medical Assistant.

More About Certifications

Research pharmacist assistant duties and responsibilities

Manage assigned pharmacy workstations and tasks while supporting team members in promptly, safely and accurately filling patient prescriptions.
Observe pharmacists and pharmacy technicians input prescription orders and filling medications to be dispense to patients
Order medication when stock is low performs iv preparation per establish protocol; perform chemotherapy preperation per establish protocol.
Operate POS system by ringing up customer orders and reconciling till when pharmacy closes.

Prepare your pharmacist assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your pharmacist assistant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a pharmacist assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable pharmacist assistant resume templates

Build a professional pharmacist assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your pharmacist assistant resume.