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Pharmacy technician

Alternative titles for this job include Pharmaceutical technician

Pharmacy technicians prepare and supply medicines for prescriptions, under the supervision of a pharmacist.

Average salary (a year)

£27,000 Starter

to

£38,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

37 to 40 a week

You could work

evenings / weekends / bank holidays on a rota

Meet Will

Will works as a pharmacy accuracy checking technician.

1 minute 30 second watch

View transcript

Hiya, my name is Will. I'm an accuracy checking technician, having recently qualified, and I'm working at Wicker Pharmacy in Sheffield.

I always had an inkling I wanted to work in healthcare, but I ended up going to uni to do engineering. Quickly realised it wasn't for me and left to find something different. Found a job in community pharmacy. Discovered I enjoyed it. That's when I decided to continue working in pharmacy and start an apprenticeship.

So it involved one day at college each week. I spent 3 days in a community pharmacy, and I also had one day working in a GP surgery.

I found it really good to be able to apply what I was learning in college to work the next day. It really helps build your confidence in your role.

So I dispense medications, check they've been prescribed safely. Giving advice to patients on their conditions and the medications they're taking. I also provide public health care initiatives. So I've administered thousands of vaccinations.

Being compassionate is a very big part of my role. You meet a lot of people, and you don't know what they're going through. So it's important to you know, treat everyone the same.

So the good thing about pharmacy is there's so many different career paths you can take, which is what I discovered when I first started the course. You know you can work in community, hospital, prison. You can go into teaching, manufacturing. There's so many options.

Personally, I've just been offered a place at university to do an MPharm degree and become a pharmacist, which I've accepted and will be starting next year, which I'm looking forward to.

How to become

Explore the different ways to get into this role.

How to become

You can get into this job through:

  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role

Apprenticeship

You could do a Pharmacy Technician Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

You can also train to be a pharmacy technician through an apprenticeship with the NHS or the armed forces.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

More Information

Work

You can apply for a trainee pharmacy technician position and learn on the job.

Employers will often ask for 4 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including English, maths and science, Level 2 Diploma in Applied Science, or equivalent qualifications.

You'll do on-the-job training over 2 years and work towards a Level 3 Diploma in the Principles and Practice for Pharmacy Technicians.

More Information

Registration

Professional and industry bodies

Once qualified you can join the Association of Pharmacy Technicians for continuous professional development.

Further information

You can find out more about becoming a pharmacy technician from Health Careers and the Association of Pharmacy Technicians.

What it takes

Find out what skills you’ll use in this role.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • customer service skills
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • active listening skills
  • maths knowledge
  • the ability to work well with others
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • administration skills
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

What you’ll do

Discover the day to day tasks you’ll do in this role.

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

In this role you could:

  • prepare prescription items
  • make sure prescriptions are legal and accurate
  • order new stock using computerised systems
  • give advice to customers about medicines and refer complex queries to the pharmacist
  • handle confidential information

Working environment

You could work in an NHS or private hospital, at a health centre, in a prison or at a store.

You may need to wear protective clothing and a uniform.

Career path and progression

Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities.

Career path and progression

With experience you could become a lead pharmacy technician or a department manager.

You could take on a specialist role like clinical technician, working with healthcare professionals and patients on wards. There may also be opportunities to move into areas like oncology, paediatrics or clinical trials.

Some pharmacy technicians go into research and development work, or move into pharmaceutical production, sales or marketing.

You could train to be a pharmacist.

Another option is to become a pharmacy assessor working with trainee pharmacy technicians.

Current opportunities

Find apprenticeships, courses and jobs available near you.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

Pharmacy Level 3 Apprenticeship

  • Wage: £15,704 to £25,396.80 a year Annually
  • Location: Handsworth, Birmingham

L3 Pharmacy Technician Apprentice

  • Wage: £12,955.80 a year Annually
  • Location: BARRA HALL CIRCUS, HAYES
Find apprenticeships near you

Courses In England

Applied Science

  • Provider: KINGS ACADEMY BINFIELD
  • Start date: 01 September 2026
  • Location: Bracknell

Applied Science

  • Provider: EPSOM AND EWELL HIGH SCHOOL
  • Start date: Flexible
  • Location: Epsom
Find courses near you

Jobs In the United Kingdom

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