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Pharmacist technician trainee vs pharmacist clerk

The differences between pharmacist technician trainees and pharmacist clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a pharmacist technician trainee has an average salary of $50,647, which is higher than the $32,705 average annual salary of a pharmacist clerk.

The top three skills for a pharmacist technician trainee include patients, HIPAA and phone calls. The most important skills for a pharmacist clerk are patients, HIPAA, and basic math.

Pharmacist technician trainee vs pharmacist clerk overview

Pharmacist Technician TraineePharmacist Clerk
Yearly salary$50,647$32,705
Hourly rate$24.35$15.72
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs97,227112,499
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 29%Bachelor's Degree, 30%
Average age3839
Years of experience--

What does a pharmacist technician trainee do?

A pharmacist technician trainee is responsible for supporting the staff on pharmacy operations, assisting patients on their medications, and providing other needs according to prescriptions. Pharmacist technician trainees maintain the cleanliness and orderliness of the facility, including the adequacy of medicine storage and creating purchase requests. They also respond to patients' inquiries and concerns, as well as reiterating the instructions and dosage of medicines to take. A pharmacist technician trainee verifies order forms and processes payment accurately, escalating discrepancies to the supervisor immediately.

What does a pharmacist clerk do?

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 technician trainee vs pharmacist clerk salary

Pharmacist technician trainees and pharmacist clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

Pharmacist Technician TraineePharmacist Clerk
Average salary$50,647$32,705
Salary rangeBetween $24,000 And $105,000Between $25,000 And $41,000
Highest paying CityMilford, CTWoburn, MA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaMaine
Best paying companyAmazonSSM Health
Best paying industry-Health Care

Differences between pharmacist technician trainee and pharmacist clerk education

There are a few differences between a pharmacist technician trainee and a pharmacist clerk in terms of educational background:

Pharmacist Technician TraineePharmacist Clerk
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 29%Bachelor's Degree, 30%
Most common majorPharmacyPharmacy
Most common college--

Pharmacist technician trainee vs pharmacist clerk demographics

Here are the differences between pharmacist technician trainees' and pharmacist clerks' demographics:

Pharmacist Technician TraineePharmacist Clerk
Average age3839
Gender ratioMale, 21.5% Female, 78.5%Male, 21.1% Female, 78.9%
Race ratioBlack 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%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%
LGBT Percentage5%9%

Differences between pharmacist technician trainee and pharmacist clerk duties and responsibilities

Pharmacist technician trainee example responsibilities.

  • Manage assigned pharmacy workstations and tasks while supporting team members in promptly, safely and accurately filling patient prescriptions.
  • Master Sig codes and math skills require to accurately input prescriptions.
  • Restock Pyxis machines, emergency crash carts, and patient cart medications.
  • Perform chemotherapy calculations and prepare chemotherapy drugs.
  • Maintain confidentiality and adhere to strict HIPAA guidelines.
  • Fill medication in Pyxis machines on each individual floor
  • Show more

Pharmacist clerk example responsibilities.

  • Manage assigned pharmacy workstations and tasks while supporting team members in promptly, safely and accurately filling patient prescriptions.
  • Operate cash register, provide excellent customer service, maintain store cleanliness, help file papers/prescriptions
  • Master customer satisfaction by assisting customers and maintaining patient confidentiality according to HIPAA and company standards.
  • Provide excellent customer service by assisting patients with pickups, transactions, and consultations regarding their medications.
  • Operate with PYXIS, OMNICELL, PHARMOGISTICS, on daily basis.
  • Receive drug and iv orders from local distributor.
  • Show more

Pharmacist technician trainee vs pharmacist clerk skills

Common pharmacist technician trainee skills
  • Patients, 31%
  • HIPAA, 6%
  • Phone Calls, 6%
  • Quality Customer Service, 5%
  • Math, 5%
  • Compassion, 4%
Common pharmacist clerk skills
  • Patients, 26%
  • HIPAA, 11%
  • Basic Math, 10%
  • Allergies, 10%
  • Math, 9%
  • Customer Service, 4%

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