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The differences between pharmacist clerks and pharmacist assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a pharmacist assistant has an average salary of $37,719, which is higher than the $32,705 average annual salary of a pharmacist clerk.
The top three skills for a pharmacist clerk include patients, HIPAA and basic math. The most important skills for a pharmacist assistant are patients, customer service, and phone calls.
| Pharmacist Clerk | Pharmacist Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $32,705 | $37,719 |
| Hourly rate | $15.72 | $18.13 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 112,499 | 47,082 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 30% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A pharmacist clerk is responsible for performing clerical duties in the pharmacy setting, processing prescription orders, and accepting payments for the medications. Pharmacist clerks provide the best customer service by responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns regarding their medications, instructing them on the correct intake, including the dosage, time, and safe storage based on the physician's prescriptions. They also monitor inventories, create request reports, and updating stock information on the database. A pharmacist clerk must have excellent communication and organizational skills, analyzing customer information, as well as evaluating the daily sales transactions.
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.
Pharmacist clerks and pharmacist assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pharmacist Clerk | Pharmacist Assistant | |
| Average salary | $32,705 | $37,719 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $41,000 | Between $28,000 And $50,000 |
| Highest paying City | Woburn, MA | Carmel, NY |
| Highest paying state | Maine | New York |
| Best paying company | SSM Health | Sutter Health |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a pharmacist clerk and a pharmacist assistant in terms of educational background:
| Pharmacist Clerk | Pharmacist Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 30% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Most common major | Pharmacy | Pharmacy |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between pharmacist clerks' and pharmacist assistants' demographics:
| Pharmacist Clerk | Pharmacist Assistant | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 21.1% Female, 78.9% | Male, 27.7% Female, 72.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 24.4% Asian, 10.2% White, 46.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |