How to hire a pharmacist associate

How to hire a pharmacist associate, step by step

Here's a step-by-step pharmacist associate hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a pharmacist associate job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new pharmacist associate
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The pharmacist associate hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect pharmacist associate also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of pharmacist associates and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Pharmacist Associate	Description	Hourly rate
   Pharmacist Associate	Pharmacy technicians help pharmacists dispense prescription medication to customers or health professionals.	$12-25
   Med Technician	Typically working in hospitals or private clinics, a med technician specializes in collecting blood or bodily fluids and analyzing them through laboratory tests. The results of these tests will be a vital factor in diagnosing a patient's condition and what treatment a physician should give... Show more	$14-30
   Pharmacy Technician Internship	A pharmacy technician intern is responsible for supporting the pharmacy operations under the supervision of a pharmacy manager or a tenured pharmacist. Pharmacy technician interns assist in responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns, preparing medicines based on the prescription, processing payments, and ensuring the medicine shelves and storage's cleanliness and orderliness... Show more	$12-53

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Pharmacy Inventory
   • Customer Service
   • Hippa
   • Telephone Calls
   • POS
   • Computer System
   • HIPAA
   • Medication Orders
   • Quality Customer Service
   • RX
   • Medicaid
   • Patient Data
   • Prescription Medications

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Handle sales, including cash, credit / debit cards; manage insurance / Medicaid / Medicare documentation as needed.
   • Manage assigned pharmacy workstations and tasks while supporting team members in promptly, safely and accurately filling patient prescriptions.
   • Help in filling Rx's as needed.
   • Check out prescriptions using POS system.
   • Operate POS system to check out customers.
   • Back room office duties such as filing, shredding per HIPAA guidelines, properly stocking prescription medication, etc.

   More pharmacist associate duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your pharmacist associate job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A pharmacist associate salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a pharmacist associate in Oklahoma may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level pharmacist associate usually earns less than a senior-level pharmacist associate. Additionally, a pharmacist associate with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average pharmacist associate salary

   $37,873yearly

   $18.21 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level pharmacist associate salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

   Average pharmacist associate salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Utah	$49,493	$24
   2	Massachusetts	$49,247	$24
   3	Maryland	$47,786	$23
   4	New York	$47,726	$23
   5	New Hampshire	$46,196	$22
   6	Minnesota	$42,741	$21
   7	Wisconsin	$40,024	$19
   8	Illinois	$33,582	$16
   9	Alabama	$31,994	$15

   Average pharmacist associate salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of Massachusetts Medical School	$40,177	$19.32	2
   2	University of Maryland Medical System	$40,147	$19.30	38
   3	Kinney Drugs	$39,471	$18.98	105
   4	HealthDirect Pharmacy Services	$36,079	$17.35
   5	Thrifty White Pharmacy	$36,070	$17.34	251
   6	Northwell Health	$34,479	$16.58	43
   7	Magellan Health	$34,243	$16.46
   8	UofL Hospital	$34,194	$16.44	1

4. Writing a pharmacist associate job description

   A good pharmacist associate job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a pharmacist associate job description:

   Pharmacist associate job description example

   Accepts payment for medications within the Retail/Outpatient Pharmacy. Processes checks, credit cards, and calls bank for check verification. Maintains a “Bad Check” log. Processes voids and refunds in pharmacy systems after verification from staff pharmacist or pharmacist manager. Prepares and balances Cash Reconciliation Report daily. Responsible for assuring cash register supplies are adequate and maintains working order of equipment. Assists pharmacists by providing prescriptions to patients/customers, obtains patient signatures, and preparing various pharmacy reports as needed.
   Assists in maintaining pharmacy patient workflow by aiding pharmacy technicians when needed. Cashier will have the ability to learn on the job, then take the National Pharmacy Tech Certification Exam (PTCE). After successfully passing the exam, may apply for any open Certified Technician (CPhT) positions available within UofL Health. Responsibilities • Collects payment for prescriptions dispensed from the Retail Pharmacy.
   • Handles checks, credit cards, and calls bank for verification of checks.
   • Maintains a “Bad Check” log.
   • Processes voids and refunds in the pharmacy after verification from staff pharmacist or pharmacist manager.
   • Prepares and balances Cash Reconciliation Report daily.
   • Ensures register supplies are adequate and maintains working order of equipment.
   • Assists pharmacists by providing prescriptions to patients, receives patient signatures, and prepares various pharmacy reports as needed.
   • Assists technicians by answering phone calls, entering prescription data into the pharmacy computer, and provides training on the use of the cash register.
   • Other duties as assigned. Qualifications Education / Accreditation / Licensure (required & preferred):
   • High school graduate or GED required.
   • Registered as a pharmacy technician with the Commonwealth of Kentucky Experience (required and preferred):
   • Must demonstrate excellent customer service skills.
   • One year of cashier experience preferred.
   • One year of pharmacy experience preferred.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find pharmacist associates for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any pharmacist associates they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level pharmacist associates with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your pharmacist associate job on Zippia to find and recruit pharmacist associate candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting pharmacist associates requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new pharmacist associate

   Once you've selected the best pharmacist associate candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new pharmacist associate. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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