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The differences between pharmacist assistants and senior pharmacist technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior pharmacist technician has an average salary of $68,845, 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 senior pharmacist technician are patients, customer service, and math.
| Pharmacist Assistant | Senior Pharmacist Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $37,719 | $68,845 |
| Hourly rate | $18.13 | $33.10 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 47,082 | 72,832 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Average age | 39 | 38 |
| 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.
A senior pharmacy technician is an individual who assures that pharmacists have access to appropriate pharmaceuticals and supplies as well as provide convenient access to customers on over-the-counter items. Senior pharmacist technicians must assist the pharmacist on duty in filling prescriptions by verifying the correct product and entering the patient's insurance and personal information into the pharmacy software application. They must provide good customer service by coordinating with physicians to obtain refill authorizations and accepting refill requests from customers over the phone. Senior pharmacist technicians must also assist with the annual inventory of prescription drugs and over-the-counter products.
Pharmacist assistants and senior pharmacist technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pharmacist Assistant | Senior Pharmacist Technician | |
| Average salary | $37,719 | $68,845 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $50,000 | Between $37,000 And $126,000 |
| Highest paying City | Carmel, NY | Draper, UT |
| Highest paying state | New York | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Sutter Health | Allergan plc |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a pharmacist assistant and a senior pharmacist technician in terms of educational background:
| Pharmacist Assistant | Senior Pharmacist Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Pharmacy | Pharmacy |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between pharmacist assistants' and senior pharmacist technicians' demographics:
| Pharmacist Assistant | Senior Pharmacist Technician | |
| Average age | 39 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.7% Female, 72.3% | Male, 29.6% Female, 70.4% |
| 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, 8.6% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 10.1% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 5% |