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Exploring Trades and Occupations

Pharmacy Technical Assistants

On this page

  • Job description
  • Hourly wage
  • Job prospects for 2024-2028
  • Sectors of activity
  • Training and requirements
  • Main skills and characteristics
  • Personality profiles (RIASEC)
  • Additional information

Job description

These individuals assist Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians in their tasks. They work in:

  • Hospitals
  • University health and social services centres
  • Pharmacies

Environment

  • Controlled ambient temperature

Main tasks

  • Assist pharmacists with drug inventory and records.
  • Greet and welcome customers at the prescription counter.
  • Verify the accuracy of information recorded on prescriptions.
  • Enter customer information into databases.
  • Prepare medications and mix oral solutions, ointments, and creams.
  • Produce invoices for insurance.
  • Assist with scheduling and workflow planning as required.

Hourly wage

The hourly wage is calculated by averaging wages from 2022 to 2024.
Minimum
$16.10
Median
$20.57
Maximum
$27.00

Job prospects for 2024-2028

Les 2 champs de sélection ci-dessous vous permettent de comparer 2 régions. Les données des régions seront automatiquement mises à jour à la sélection. Par défaut, la province de Québec est sélectionnée pour la première région.

Job prospects for 2024-2028

Job prospects

All of Québec

Non available
Limited
Good
Very good
Very good

All of Québec

Non available
Limited
Good
Very good
Non available

Total jobs for 2023

All of Québec

8,000

All of Québec

na

Gender distribution

All of Québec

Not available.
90.6% Female
9.4% Male

Not available.
  • 90.6% Female
  • 9.4% Male

Job types

All of Québec

Not available.
Full time
Part time

Not available.
  • Full time
  • Part time

Yearly wage on 2020

All of Québec

$41,200

All of Québec

Other characteristics

All of Québec

  • Non traditional for men
  • None

All of Québec

  • Non traditional for men
  • None

Sectors of activity

All of Québec

Not available.
  1. Retail Trade
    NAICS 44, 45
    71% of jobs
  2. Health Care
    NAICS 621, 622, 623
    26% of jobs
  3. Business, building and other support services
    NAICS 55, 56
    1% of jobs
  4. Petroleum, Coal and Chemical Manufacturing
    NAICS 324, 325
    1% of jobs
  5. Educational Services
    NAICS 61
    1% of jobs
  6. Others
    0% of jobs

All of Québec

Not available.
  1. Retail Trade
    NAICS 44, 45
    71% of jobs
  2. Health Care
    NAICS 621, 622, 623
    26% of jobs
  3. Business, building and other support services
    NAICS 55, 56
    1% of jobs
  4. Petroleum, Coal and Chemical Manufacturing
    NAICS 324, 325
    1% of jobs
  5. Educational Services
    NAICS 61
    1% of jobs
  6. Others
    0% of jobs

Training and requirements

Formation

Most training programs are offered in French only.

Secondary

DVS in assistance technique en pharmacie (Nouvelle version)
Code : 5394
DVS in pharmacy Technical Assistance
Code : 5841

Placement rate: 80.5%

7% of graduates pursue further studies

More on graduates’ employment situation

College

DCS in techniques de pharmacie
Code : 165A0

Sometimes required

  • Knowledge of the existing computerized system may be required or considered an asset.
  • Update to the program leading to a diploma of vocational studies (DVS) in pharmacy technical assistance (1230 to 1590 hours)

Main skills and characteristics

Skills

  • Data collection
  • Active listening
  • Quality control analysis
  • Critical thought
  • Reading comprehension
  • Troubleshooting
  • Oral expression
  • Social perception
  • Monitoring operations
  • Solving complex problems
  • Information processing
  • Result evaluation
  • Judgment and decision-making
  • Service oriented
  • Active learning
  • Coordination
  • Teaching
  • Equipment maintenance
  • Written expression
  • Time management
  • Repair
More Less skills

Abilities

  • Oral comprehension
  • Awareness of issues
  • Near vision
  • Verbal skills
  • Deductive reasoning
  • Hand-arm stability
  • Visualization
  • Digital dexterity
  • Information organization
  • Memorization
  • Speech clarity
  • Manual dexterity
  • Inductive reasoning
  • Speech recognition
  • Limb coordination
  • Control accuracy
  • Written comprehension
  • Selective attention
  • Classification
  • Written expression
  • Core strength
  • Originality
  • Depth perception
  • Colour perception and distinction
  • Hearing sensitivity
More Less abilities

Knowledge and attributes

  • Autonomy
  • Knowledge of customer and personalized services
  • Capacity to work in a team
  • Versatility
  • Attention to detail
  • Capacity to be discrete
  • Vitality
  • Friendliness
  • Commitment to quality
  • Knowledge of medicine or dentistry

Interests

  • Assist and advise
  • Collect, verify, sort, and classify data or information
  • Assist or care for people

Personality profiles (RIASEC)

Realistic
People with this profile prefer carrying out concrete tasks and being physically involved in what they do.
Social
People with this profile prefer to be in contact with others, in particular to entertain, help or teach them.
Conventional
People with this profile prefer specific, well-defined tasks. They like to respect the order of things and follow established rules.
Additional information

Official name of the NOC 33103

Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants

Job titles

  • Pharmacy technical assistant
  • Dispensary assistant
  • Pharmacy helper
  • Pharmacy assistant
  • Pharmacy supply assistant
  • Drugstore side room attendant
More Less job titles

Skill type

Health

Related occupations

  • Pharmacists
  • Pharmacy technicians

See also

  • Glossary (PDF 229 Kb)
  • Québec emploi

Last update: January 29, 2026

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