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The differences between pharmacist assistants and pharmacists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a pharmacist has an average salary of $118,968, which is higher than the $37,719 average annual salary of a pharmacist assistant.
The top three skills for a pharmacist assistant include patients, customer service and phone calls. The most important skills for a pharmacist are patients, customer service, and employee development.
| Pharmacist Assistant | Pharmacist | |
| Yearly salary | $37,719 | $118,968 |
| Hourly rate | $18.13 | $57.20 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 47,082 | 50,943 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.67 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 39 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Pharmacist assistants require skills in teamwork, organization, problem-solving, computer literacy, communication, and mathematics. Paid anywhere from $24K to $200K per year, those who choose this career will be expected to work alongside licensed pharmacists and pharmacist technicians to help process prescriptions. They also perform clerical and organizational duties.
Pharmacists are medical experts who distribute prescribed medications and immunizations to individuals. They are responsible for ensuring the quality of medicines supplied to patients, which should be within the law and prescribing only what is suitable to the condition of the user and provide proper knowledge on how to take them and possible reactions or side effects that may occur. Pharmacists could work in all environments where medications are used, or medication therapy is appraised as part of patients' care plan but most commonly in hospitals, community-based setting, and health systems.
Pharmacist assistants and pharmacists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pharmacist Assistant | Pharmacist | |
| Average salary | $37,719 | $118,968 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $50,000 | Between $93,000 And $151,000 |
| Highest paying City | Carmel, NY | Sacramento, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Sutter Health | Safeway |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Retail |
There are a few differences between a pharmacist assistant and a pharmacist in terms of educational background:
| Pharmacist Assistant | Pharmacist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Pharmacy | Pharmacy |
| Most common college | - | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between pharmacist assistants' and pharmacists' demographics:
| Pharmacist Assistant | Pharmacist | |
| Average age | 39 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.7% Female, 72.3% | Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 11.3% White, 48.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 5.6% Asian, 20.9% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 11% |