Career choices are often difficult, so it’s important to take stock of your own individual skills and qualifications when making a decision. Once you recognize your strengths, it’s much easier to pinpoint the line of work to which you are best suited.
A career as a pharmacy assistant, for instance, is one which requires a specialized skillset that includes a broad range of technical and soft skills, including customer service, attention to detail, and the ability to retain complex medical knowledge. Here’s how to tell if it is the right career for you.
Pharmacy Assistants Possess Great Organizational Skills
Pharmacy assistants are often tasked with the distribution of complex medications through the filling of prescriptions. Walk into any pharmacy and you’ll see a variety of different products in front of and behind the counter, and excellent attention to detail is required to ensure that no errors are made during drug dispensing.
This is done by maintaining an organized workspace, where products are stored correctly at all times. If you like to stay organized and tidy in your personal and working lives, then pharmacy assistant training could be a great fit.
Effective Communicators are a Great Asset in Pharmacies
Communication skills are valuable in so many careers, and it’s no different for pharmacy assistants. They must maintain close interaction with work colleagues, including pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, to ensure that all staff are notified of potential problems.
Pharmacy assistants are also in close contact with customers, many of whom may be in distress as they seek a remedy for their own ailment. Effective communication skills are vital in providing clarity to customers about the medication they are about to take, including the directions for use.
Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition Can Make Pharmacy Assistant Training Easier
Some students may already possess knowledge or experience in a pharmacy environment or another course, and this can be used to your advantage in the pharmacy assistant training program at KLC College.
Before beginning your course, you can take a Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) challenge exam. If you achieve a score of at least 75%, then you can use that certification as part of your further studies. This is a great way to get a head start on the path to a pharmacy assistant career, so find out more about your eligibility.
The Modern Pharmacy Needs Students With Excellent IT Skills
Pharmacies include a wide variety of medication and other health-related items, and computer software is important in tracking their ongoing availability. Customer records must also be maintained, so proficiency in computer skills is highly valuable among pharmacy assistants.
Many modern pharmacies are able to accept prescription details online, too, which speeds up the distribution of necessary medication even further. If you enjoy working on computers, then you’ll be able to put those skills to good use as a pharmacy assistant.
Use Your Math Skills to Good Effect When You Become a Pharmacy Assistant
The medication distributed by pharmacies is complex, and pharmacy assistants need math skills to perform calculations and ensure customers are being given the right prescriptions. KLC College’s program, for example, requires that students have a minimum of one senior math subject with their Grade 12 Provincial Secondary School Diploma. If you’re a wiz with numbers, a pharmacy assistant career is a great way to put your skills to good use in the modern workplace.
Does it sound like you have what it takes to become a pharmacy assistant?
Find out more about our dedicated pharmacy assistant diploma program at KLC College.