Fills and labels patients’ prescriptions under the supervision of a Pharmacist. May record details of, place orders for, take stock of, and store medications and medical supplies and deliver them to patients.
Dispensary assistants work under the supervision of a pharmacist to prepare
medicines, advise customers on non-medicinal products and assist with stock
control.
Dispensary assistants have a high level of contact with the public and may
have to work nights and weekends. They must also work within the bounds of
legislation when providing advice to customers and selling certain medicines.
How much can I expect to earn?
Full-time employed Dispensary Assistant earn an average of $854 per week. The
[average annual salary for this job is $44408 excluding super.]
Personal requirements
careful and methodical
willing to learn new skills
good communication skills
able to deal sensitively with customers’ needs.
This job also involves:
Full use of hands/fingers
Use of precision or semi-precision tools or instruments or deft hand movements
are required for these occupations. Included are jobs where poor co-ordination
or incomplete use of hands or fingers may make tasks dangerous or difficult to
undertake.
Good vision for detail
These jobs require you to be able to see clearly to examine items close-up. It
covers jobs where poor vision e.g. tunnel vision, could make the work place
unsafe or the job difficult to undertake, e.g. draftsperson working with
detailed drawings; checkout operator reading dockets; work requiring good
hand-eye co-ordination for working with precision or semi-precision tools.
Mainly indoor work
Workers performing these jobs would usually be expected to spend more than
three-quarters of their day indoors, in an office, factory or other enclosed
area protected from the weather.
Reading or writing
These jobs require moderate or better reading and writing skills. Workers may
be expected to prepare, understand or act on written materials, such as
letters or reports. People may wish to avoid these jobs if their reading or
writing English skills are limited to a small range of words or phrases and
symbols. Jobs remaining may still require very basic reading or writing
skills.
Standing for long periods
The main duties and tasks involved in these jobs are usually performed
standing up for periods of at least two hours at a stretch.
This occupation offers jobs at the following skill levels:
Skilled Non-trade Jobs
These jobs do not usually require completion of secondary education, however
further part-time study such as a Certificate III or IV, and on-the-job
training, may be required.
Study requirements
At school, you can study these subject(s) to get a good foundation for this
occupation:
Biology
School subjects that include some aspect of BIOLOGY provide a useful
background to these jobs. In some cases a biology-related subject is a pre-
requisite for entry to courses that provide the training for the job.
Chemistry
School subjects that include some aspects of CHEMISTRY provide a useful
background to these jobs. In some cases a chemistry-related subject is a pre-
requisite for entry to courses that provide the training for the job.
Duties and tasks of a Dispensary Assistant
Dispensary assistants may perform the following tasks:
refer prescriptions to the pharmacist
assist in the preparation of medicines
select stock and attach dispensing and cautionary labels
put medication into administration containers
use computers for routine maintenance procedures
carry out customer service duties, such as answering enquiries and advising customers on appropriate products for use in relation to certain health-related conditions