Find your mark

Your role is integral in supporting and collaborating with pharmacists, like your PT colleagues. However, what sets you apart is that you are the primary point of contact for customers on a day-to-day basis. In this capacity, discretion and respect are paramount as you navigate interactions with customers. If you enjoy working collaboratively in a team, value direct contact with people, and possess excellent listening skills, this role is tailored for you!

As a PTA, you your role is pivotal in supporting pharmacists in their clinical endeavors, actively contributing to patient care. You’re the first face patients see, saying hello, checking their history, and updating records on the computer. You’re in charge of getting medicines ready, filling prescriptions, and giving them out. With some extra training, you can also engage in packaging medications and performing sterile and non-sterile preparations, including personalized formulas. You may even administer medications via various routes, such as orally, topically, and subcutaneously. Additionally, you guide patients through the medication section, ensuring they understand and adhere to their prescribed regimens.

You play a crucial role in patient safety by verifying that the contents match the prescription, contributing to one of the key steps in ensuring patient well-being. Your duties may involve preparing pill boxes, answering patient calls, and screening calls requiring pharmacist intervention. You are also actively involved in inventory management, document production, and participation in special projects.

In your capacity as a PTA, you optimize billing in alignment with negotiated agreements and maintain inventories, placing orders with various suppliers to ensure a seamless supply chain.

Finally, you conduct pharmaco-administrative follow-ups for different patient support programs and provide crucial support to pharmacists in their clinical role, particularly with specialty drugs.

For more information on the role and duties of the PT, please consult the Profil de compétences – Personnel technique (in French only)  available on the Ordre des pharmaciens website.

Your pivotal role involves providing crucial support to pharmacists by executing intricate technical pharmacy activities under their guidance. Depending on your interests, you may also engage in clinical tasks such as vaccinations and handling specific specimens.

Additionally, you might find yourself responsible for on-the-job training of PTAs and overseeing trainees. Since you play a direct part in patient care, from greeting patients to processing prescriptions and dispensing medications, discretion and respect are integral to your responsibilities.

This position demands autonomy, specific analytical skills, and the ability to thrive in an interdisciplinary environment. If you derive satisfaction from understanding and resolving complex situations, and if your nature is methodical and structured, with a genuine desire to assist people in managing their health, then this role aligns perfectly with your aspirations.

Your tasks span the entire spectrum of medication services and clinical activities to support pharmacists. Your leadership extends to the laboratory, where you actively contribute to managing operations. This involves inventory management, document production, and participation in special projects. Additionally, you may play a crucial role in risk management activities and peer training.

In the realm of patient support programs, you execute pharmaco-administrative follow-ups, providing essential support to pharmacists in their clinical duties, particularly with specialty drugs. Your responsibilities also encompass aiding in pharmaceutical care and services. For instance, you may educate patients on the administration of injectable drugs or inhalers, conduct strep tests, and assist in monitoring elderly patients in private residences.

With additional training, your capabilities expand to include packaging medications and preparing both sterile and non-sterile preparations. Your expertise may even extend to administering medications via various routes, including orally, topically, subcutaneously, and others, while offering necessary support to patients in the medication area.

Patient care remains central to your responsibilities, involving greeting patients, processing prescriptions, and dispensing medications. Moreover, you play a vital role in optimizing billing in accordance with negotiated agreements, validating pharmaceutical profiles, ensuring billing accuracy, managing procedures related to the medication circuit, and overseeing stock management. Your role is dynamic and integral to the smooth functioning of the pharmacy.

For more information on the role and duties of the PT, please consult the Profil de compétences – Personnel technique (in French only)  available on the Ordre des pharmaciens website.

As a community pharmacist and a proficient expert in medications, your role has become increasingly pivotal in our healthcare system, particularly in contexts where accessing medical care is challenging. Your services are not only widely recognized but also highly valued by the public.

Within each patient’s multidisciplinary team, you collaborate not just with physicians, but also with nurses and various health professionals. Your primary responsibility lies in ensuring the proper use of medications by patients. Beyond verifying the appropriateness of drug therapy, you meticulously assess and adjust doses when needed, considering potential interactions.

Your role extends to monitoring patients’ conditions and adherence to treatment, with proactive follow-ups to gauge the effectiveness of their prescribed regimens on their overall health. Additionally, you possess the authority to prescribe and initiate certain drugs, extend prescriptions, request laboratory analyses, substitute medications, and even provide instruction on injection techniques or administer vaccinations.

Beyond these clinical responsibilities, you serve as a crucial advisor to patients. Conducting multiple consultations each day, you offer guidance on the use of over-the-counter medications and appropriately refer patients to other healthcare professionals when necessary. In essence, your role as a pharmacist is both advisory and clinical, integral to the well-being of those you serve.

You’re a vital part of the healthcare system. Simply put, your job is to meet the needs of folks in your community for all things related to medicines. This includes making sure people use their medications safely and effectively, looking at patient records, and giving advice tailored to each person.

You work closely with other health pros to manage and follow up on patients. Plus, you get a good amount of say in how their meds are handled. Since you’re the go-to healthcare pro, you get the chance to build trust with the people in your community. You might even have the authority to prescribe some meds, run tests, and treat small health issues. Lastly, you guide people on over-the-counter meds and push for healthy habits to keep everyone well. If you end up owning or managing the pharmacy, you’ll also be in charge of the business side and handling the team. No matter what, being good at talking to people and getting along with them is a must

Absolutely! The job outlook for pharmacy PTs and PTAs is promising. On average in Quebec, there are over 9 positions available per pharmacy, the number varying based on the region and the pharmacy’s prescription volume.

As you progress, you could take on roles such as heading the laboratory (1 or 2 positions, depending on the pharmacy) or leading the pill dispenser section, especially if it’s a significant department in the pharmacy. Additionally, there are diverse support positions available in specialized areas. These include roles like inventory manager, pill dispenser manager (if a separate role is warranted), container-content delegation manager, private insurance communications manager, and representative discussion manager, among others.

Every PT or PTA can play a vital role in the pharmacy, contributing uniquely to its functions. In smaller pharmacies, these responsibilities might be shouldered by the head PTA or head PT, while larger pharmacies might distribute these tasks among multiple team members. The opportunities are diverse, offering avenues for growth and specialization within the community pharmacy setting.

Obtaining your pharmacist’s license opens doors to various paths—you can be a salaried pharmacist, lead the pharmacy as a head pharmacist, or even step into ownership as a sole proprietor or partner. Being an owner or partner can be especially exciting, offering a mix of challenges—from managing finances and human resources to innovating ways to enhance patient care.

Like a PT, you operate under the guidance of a pharmacist. Working in a pharmacy offers a harmonious blend of work and personal life, with flexible hours. While your schedule aligns with the pharmacy’s opening hours, it is shared among the PTA team, providing a collaborative environment. Part-time and student employment opportunities add to the flexibility, and you can explore these options in discussion with your employer.

The average salary is $22.45/hour, but it varies based on your years of experience and location. Disability, life, and drug insurance are commonly provided by most pharmacies. Over half offer dental insurance, and nearly half provide vision care. Training is offered across the board. Vacation entitlement increases with your years of experience, starting with up to 3 weeks after two years, and continues to grow in alignment with your evolving expertise.

While PT positions are relatively recent, the working conditions generally mirror those of other pharmacy employees. PTs and PTAs operate under pharmacist supervision, and most pharmacies provide disability, life, and drug insurance. Over half offer dental insurance, and nearly half include vision care. Training is almost universally provided.

Vacation entitlement increases with experience, typically reaching up to 3 weeks after two years, and subsequently grows with additional years of service. A pharmacy job allows for a work-life balance, with flexible hours, even though the schedule aligns with pharmacy opening hours, distributed among the PTA team. Part-time and student employment opportunities are also available, offering flexibility that you can discuss with your employer.

As the PT role is relatively new, the average salary is yet to be determined since it will be introduced to the job market in 2024. In the community, your earning potential is in your hands! Hourly pay generally exceeds twenty dollars, and while benefits and vacation time vary by owner, you have the opportunity to negotiate. Your salary will be influenced by the responsibilities you take on, and the pharmacy field provides ample room for growth, allowing you to become indispensable.