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Pharmacy and Optical Dispensing Assistants

Pharmacy and optical dispensing assistants work under the supervision of pharmacists and opticians or optometrists to dispense drugs and medicines, issue pre-packaged prescriptions, sell over-the-counter medication, dispense spectacles and contact lenses and other related products.

Wages

New workers
AVERAGE
Experienced
£7,597
£15,626
£30,614

New workers start around £7,597. Normal pay is £15,626 per year.
Highly experienced workers can earn up to £30,614.

Available jobs

In the past year there were 74,316 vacancies for this type of job

-0.37%

Projected job growth over the next 8 years

Related courses

People work towards these careers by taking these courses at college and uni.

What they do most days?

  • Carries out sales transaction, wraps and packages goods.

  • Relays information to customers under the direction of pharmacist and opticians or optometrists.

  • Arranges displays of merchandise.

  • Checks stock levels, rotates stock, orders new stock from supplying companies and ensures that products are stored appropriately.

  • Maintains records of prescriptions received and drugs issued.

  • Checks received prescriptions for legality and accuracy and confirms patients’ or customers’ details.

Hard Skills

Hard skills are specific, learnable, measurable, often industry or occupation-specific abilities related to a position.

Skills are ranked based on the number of job adverts that list them as required skills.

  • Medical Prescription

  • Pharmaceuticals

  • Medication Dispensation

  • Standard Operating Procedure

  • Sales Prospecting

  • Pharmacy Experience

  • Stock Rotation

  • Housekeeping

  • Stock Management

  • Surgery

Soft Skills

Soft skills can be self-taught and usually do not necessitate a certain completed level of education.

Skills are ranked based on the number of job adverts that list them as required skills.

  • Customer Service

  • Communication

  • Detail Oriented

  • English Language

  • Mathematics

  • Teamwork

  • Organizational Skills

  • Management

  • Patience

  • Sales

How do I get a job like this?

People in these types of job started their career paths after studying courses like the ones below.