Pharmacy assistants, or aides, are clerical and administrative workers, who happen to work in pharmacies. Pharmacy technicians, on the other hand, perform duties specific to pharmacies, along with some administrative work.
- Pharmacy assistants perform duties such as answering the telephone, handling cash and stocking shelves. Pharmacy technicians have duties that include labeling medicine bottles, counting tablets and mixing and weighing medication.
- In some states, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy assistants have overlapping titles and duties, though usually technicians have greater responsibility and more complex jobs.
- Pharmacy assistants don't receive special training. Pharmacy technicians, though it's not required, can receive formal training and certification covering pharmaceutical terminology, calculations, and ethics, among other subjects.
- Pharmacy assistants often use their jobs as a stepping stone to becoming pharmacy technicians, while technicians can gain supervisory positions or develop specialties to become, for instance, a chemotherapy technician.
- As of May 2008, pharmacy technicians earned a median hourly wage of $13.70, with certified technicians able to earn more, according to the United States Department of Labor. During the same time, pharmacy aides earned a median hourly wage of $10.34.
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