How to become a pharmacy assistant in Australia | Pay & salary
Becoming a pharmacy assistant is easier than you think
Pharmacies are everywhere in Australia and every single one of them needs people to keep the place running whilst pharmacists deal with the prescriptions. Pharmacy assistants support pharmacists by serving customers, managing stocks, processing payments and staying on top of operations when things get busy.
The best part is that the job doesn’t require a university degree or years of training. All you have to do is get a Certificate III in Community Pharmacy, complete some practical work, pass a police check and you’re good to go.
With over 42,000 people already working this job, this guide will show you how to become a pharmacy assistant in Australia in a year or less, as well as outline skills, a typical pharmacy assistant salary & pay rates and career advice.
What is a Pharmacy Assistant and what do they do?
Pharmacy assistants handle the frontline customer service, stock management and administrative tasks that free up pharmacists to focus on dispensing medications and providing clinical advice. They’re the first person customers see when they walk in with a prescription or question about over-the-counter products.
You’ll find these jobs mostly in community pharmacies in shopping centres and on suburban streets where people pick up their scripts and grab paracetamol. Hospital pharmacies employ pharmacy assistants too, supporting the team that supplies medications to different wards and departments. Some work in aged care facilities distributing medication for residents, whilst others end up at pharmaceutical wholesalers or compounding pharmacies creating specialised medications.
This role works well if you enjoy helping people and don’t mind being on your feet all day. You won’t be the one dispensing medication or giving medical advice because that’s what the pharmacist trained for years to do. Your job is keeping everyone running smoothly so the pharmacist can focus on the clinical work.
Pharmacy assistant duties and responsibilities
Pharmacy assistants spend their days juggling whatever needs doing to keep customers happy and the pharmacy functional. Some days they’re mostly at the register, other days they unpack stock deliveries for hours.
These are the most important duties and responsibilities of pharmacy assistants in Australia:
- Serve customers: Greet people when they walk in, ring up their purchases and help them find what they’re looking for around the store.
- Help with prescriptions: Take prescriptions from customers and prepare labels whilst the pharmacists deal with the dispensing.
- Manage stock: Unpack deliveries, check what’s running low, rotate products so nothing expires on the shelves and keep everything organised.
- Handle admin work: Answer phones, book appointments, process insurance claims and update patient records in the database.
- Keep things clean: Make sure the dispensary, shop floor and storage areas stay tidy and meet health regulations.
- Point people in the right direction: Help customers find over-the-counter products and explain basic usage, but send any proper medical questions straight to the pharmacist.
Is the Pharmacy Assistant role in demand in Australia?
Yes, absolutely, the pharmacy assistant role is in demand. Australia currently employs around 42,600 pharmacy sales assistants with the field adding roughly 2,100 new positions each year. That’s 5.1% annual growth, which beats most other retail or healthcare support roles. Job boards reflect this demand too, with SEEK listing over 1,000 active pharmacy assistant positions and new roles popping up every day.
This growth is a part of the broader healthcare boom happening across Australia. Health Care and Social Assistance is now the country’s largest employing industry, accounting for about 16.2% of all workers. The sector added 112,000 workers over the past year alone, growing at 4.9% annually. When an industry that massive keeps expanding, the support roles like pharmacy assistant expand right along with it.
The projections look even better long-term. Healthcare and social assistance employment stood at 2.1 million workers in May 2023. Forecasts predict that number will hit 2.4 million workers by May 2028 and reach 2.7 million by May 2033. Pharmacy assistants keep pharmacies staffed and running, so as the sector grows, so does the number of positions available. Needless to say, you won’t struggle to find work once qualified.
What skills do you need as a Pharmacy Assistant?
You don’t need a full medical degree or years of medical school to start as a pharmacy assistant, but some skills make the job much easier and help you stand out when applying. Some of these you might already have from previous jobs or just from how you naturally operate. Others you’ll develop through training and on-the-job experience as you get comfortable with the role.
Here are the most important skills to be a good pharmacy assistant:
- Customer service: You’ll spend most of your day helping people who are sick, stressed out about medications or frustrated with wait times. Being patient and friendly makes their experience better whilst keeping the pharmacy running smoothly.
- Product knowledge: You need to know basic health terms, remember where everything lives on the shelves and explain how over-the-counter medication works. Otherwise, you’ll have to bother the pharmacist with questions that pharmacy assistants should know the answer to.
- Communication skills: You’re the bridge between customers who don’t speak medical and pharmacists who do. Clear communication prevents mix-ups and helps customers understand their instructions.
- Attention to detail: Getting prescription details wrong, labelling things incorrectly or missing expiry dates when you’re rotating stock can cause serious problems. You need to double-check everything and catch mistakes before they hurt a customer.
- Working under pressure: Pharmacies can get absolutely slammed during lunch, when the local GP sends over a batch of scripts or when someone’s having a real medication emergency. You need to stay calm, figure out what’s urgent and handle difficult customers without losing it.
- Organisation: You’ll be managing prescriptions, phone calls, deliveries and customers, all at the same time. Staying organised so you can juggle competing priorities without forgetting anything is one of the best skills you could have for this job.
Pharmacy assistant salary: How much do Pharmacy Assistants earn in Australia?
Pharmacy assistants earn an average of $932 per week, which works out to roughly $48,000 per year. That’s decent pay for an entry-level healthcare support role that doesn’t require years of university study. You won’t get rich quick, but it’s a stable income whilst you’re studying or figuring out your next career move.
Your real take-home pay as a pharmacy assistant also depends on these factors:
- Location: Metro pharmacies in Sydney or Melbourne pay more than regional locations, but your cost of living is also higher. Remote areas sometimes pay premium rates to attract workers willing to relocate.
- Experience level: You’ll start on the lower end as a beginner. Once you’ve worked for a year or two and can handle the job independently, your pay will increase.
- Qualifications: Completing a Certificate III in Community Pharmacy can bump your pay above people without qualifications. Additional certifications in first aid or medication management can increase your value, too.
- Type of employer: Large pharmacy chains have structured pay scales. Independent pharmacies might pay slightly less but give you more flexibility in terms of job duties and schedule. Hospital pharmacies, on the other hand, tend to pay more but have stricter requirements.
Pharmacy assistant pay rate
What you actually earn depends on more than just your base hourly pay. Pharmacy assistants work under award conditions that set minimum pay for different classification levels, times of day and days of the week. These rates go up as you gain experience and move through the levels, with decent penalty rates kicking in for evenings, weekends and public holidays.
Your classification level reflects your qualifications, responsibilities and how long you’ve been working. Level 1 is where everyone starts as a new pharmacy assistant, whilst Level 4 is for senior assistants handling supervision or specialised tasks. The tables below show the current pay rates for pharmacy assistants in Australia.
Rates of pay for pharmacy assistants, full-time and part-time
Weekday and Saturday morning rates:
| Classification | Weekly pay rate | Hourly pay rate | Morning work (Mon–Fri, 7–8 a.m.) | Evening work (Mon–Fri, 7–9 p.m.) | Late evening work (Mon–Fri, 9 p.m.–midnight) | Saturday morning work (7–8 a.m.) |
| Pharmacy assistant – level 1 | $1,008.90 | $26.55 | $39.83 | $33.19 | $39.83 | $53.10 |
| Pharmacy assistant – level 2 | $1,032.00 | $27.16 | $40.74 | $33.95 | $40.74 | $54.32 |
| Pharmacy assistant – level 3 | $1,068.40 | $28.12 | $42.18 | $35.15 | $42.18 | $56.24 |
| Pharmacy assistant – level 4 | $1,112.30 | $29.27 | $43.91 | $36.59 | $43.91 | $58.54 |
Saturday and Sunday rates:
| Classification | Saturday (8 a.m.–6 p.m.) | Saturday evening (6–9 p.m.) | Saturday late evening (9 p.m.–midnight) | Sunday (7 a.m.–9 p.m.) | Sunday (before 7 a.m. and after 9 p.m.) |
| Pharmacy assistant – level 1 | $33.19 | $39.83 | $46.46 | $39.83 | $53.10 |
| Pharmacy assistant – level 2 | $33.95 | $40.74 | $47.53 | $40.74 | $54.32 |
| Pharmacy assistant – level 3 | $35.15 | $42.18 | $49.21 | $42.18 | $56.24 |
| Pharmacy assistant – level 4 | $36.59 | $43.91 | $51.22 | $43.91 | $58.54 |
Public holiday and overtime rates:
| Classification | Public holiday | Overtime (Mon–Sat, first 2 hours) | Overtime (Mon–Sat, after 2 hours) | Overtime (Sunday) | Overtime (Public holiday) |
| Pharmacy assistant – level 1 | $59.74 | $39.83 | $53.10 | $53.10 | $66.38 |
| Pharmacy assistant – level 2 | $61.11 | $40.74 | $54.32 | $54.32 | $67.90 |
| Pharmacy assistant – level 3 | $63.27 | $42.18 | $56.24 | $56.24 | $70.30 |
| Pharmacy assistant – level 4 | $65.86 | $43.91 | $58.54 | $58.54 | $73.18 |
Source: FairWork Ombudsman
How to become a Pharmacy Assistant
Becoming a pharmacy assistant in Australia is pretty straightforward. All you need is a Certificate III, do some practical training, pass a police check and start applying for jobs. Most people finish their training within 6–12 months and start working whilst still studying or right after completing their course. This is how to become a pharmacy assistant in Australia, step by step:
1. Understand the role and pharmaceutical industry
Figure out what pharmacy assistants do every day and how you’ll work under a pharmacist’s supervision. You’re handling customer service, stock management and admin tasks rather than dispensing medications or giving clinical advice.
Also research job demand in your city or state since community pharmacies and hospitals are constantly hiring. The more you understand about the industry before you start training, the better you’ll be at choosing the right course and workplace.
2. Choose an entry-level qualification
Most employers want you to have a Certificate III in Community Pharmacy before they’ll hire you. This qualification teaches you everything you need to know about pharmacy operations to start doing a fantastic job from day one.
More than 9 out of 10 new jobs expected over the next decade will require post-secondary qualifications like a Certificate III, so you’ll definitely need one of those. You can study online allied health courses through AIPC so you can fit your training around your current schedule. Some employers might accept a Certificate II, but the Certificate III gives you better job prospects and higher starting pay.
3. Complete your training
Your Certificate II or III usually takes 6–12 months to complete, depending on whether you’re studying full-time or part-time. You’ll cover these core areas:
- Over-the-counter medicines and how they work
- Pharmacy products and health promotion basics
- Regulations governing how pharmacies operate
- Customer service in healthcare settings
4. Gain practical experience
Apply for part-time or casual work in pharmacies whilst you’re still studying or immediately after finishing your course. Even if you start in a basic retail position within a pharmacy, you’re building customer service experience that employers value highly.
Look for mentorships or supervision under a qualified pharmacist who can teach you the nuances of pharmacy work that formal training doesn’t always cover. These relationships can lead to a permanent position once you’re fully qualified.
5. Obtain relevant clearances and checks
You’ll need a few clearances before most pharmacies will employ you:
- Police check: Verifies that you don’t have a criminal record that would make you unsuitable to handle medication.
- Working with Children Check: Required if the pharmacy serves paediatric patients or operates near schools.
Vaccination evidence: Many employers require evidence of relevant vaccinations before starting work as a pharmacy assistant.
6. Apply for pharmacy assistant roles
Put together a resume showing off your training, any retail or customer service experience you’ve got and the fact that you pay attention to details and safety. Look for jobs in community pharmacies, hospitals or big healthcare retailers like Chemist Warehouse or Priceline.
7. Continue professional development
Once you’ve got some experience under your belt, you can move up to senior pharmacy assistant roles with more responsibility and better pay. If you want to expand into broader healthcare support work, AIPC’s Certificate IV in Health Administration or Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance can help level you up from a Certificate III.
Pharmacy Assistant FAQ
Do you need qualifications to be a pharmacy assistant?
Most employers require a Certificate III in Community Pharmacy before they’ll hire you. Some might accept a Certificate II, but formal qualifications drastically improve your job prospects and starting pay.
Is it hard to be a pharmacy assistant?
Being a pharmacy assistant isn’t technically difficult, but it does get hectic during busy periods where you’re juggling customers, prescriptions, stock and phone calls at the same time. You need to stay organised and calm under pressure.
How old do you have to be to become a pharmacy assistant?
There is no specific age restriction to become a pharmacy assistant in Australia, but the minimum age to hold a job varies by state or territory. While some states might let you work as a pharmacy assistant at 15, most pharmacies prefer to employ people 18 or older due to insurance requirements.
Can you be a pharmacy assistant with no experience?
Yes, many pharmacies hire people straight out of training with no prior pharmacy experience. Retail or customer service experience from other jobs helps but isn’t mandatory for entry-level positions.
How long does it take to become a Pharmacy Assistant?
A Certificate III in Community Pharmacy takes 12 months of full-time study to complete, but some students start working before they’ve finished their qualification.
Can pharmacy assistants prescribe medicine?
No, only pharmacists can dispense prescription medications or provide clinical advice. Pharmacy assistants help with over-the-counter products and support tasks under the supervision of a pharmacist.
What is the difference between a pharmacist and a pharmacy assistant?
Pharmacists have university degrees and dispense medications whilst providing clinical advice, whereas pharmacy assistants only handle customer service and admin tasks.
Your pharmacy career is closer than you think
Pharmacy assistant positions keep opening up across Australia because pharmacies simply can’t survive without them. And you could have one of them in less time than you might think. You’re just looking at 6–12 months of training, some basic clearances and then you’re employable in a sector that’s adding thousands of jobs every year.
AIPC’s Certificate III in Community Pharmacy teaches you what you need through online study you can do around your current commitments. Talk to our course advisers about when you can start.
