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Catherine Graham |
Catherine Graham is Wellington born and raised but thinks Taranaki is a great place to live. She is employed by the Taranaki District Health Board (TDHB) as a Pharmacist and says Taranaki people are friendly and easy to work alongside.
Catherine decided around the age of fifteen that she ...
Alternative Career Options
Pharmacy Technician and Pharmacy Assistant
Job Overview: Situated in cities, hospitals, shopping malls and rural towns, the community and hospital pharmacy is familiar to everyone. Pharmacists are specialists in medicines understanding their actions, side effects and any special precautions relating to their use. They prepare and give out prescribed medicines and advise on their use and effects. They also advise customers on health and medicine issues, and give advice to other health professionals on medicine use.
ALTERNATIVE TITLES
Other career options in the pharmacy industry are:
Community Pharmacist
Hospital Pharmacist
Pharmacy Technician
Pharmacy Assistant
TASKS AND DUTIES
Pharmacists are specialists in medication management and they work closely with doctors and nurses, as well as the patient. They are involved in every aspect of the preparation and use of medicines, to ensure patients are taking the correct medicine. They specifically do some or all of the following:
- prepare medicine prescriptions for customers
- check medication is the correct dose and that it wont interfere with other medications the person is taking
- calculate the cost of medicines
- advise customers on the effective use of medicines and other health products, health issues and lifestyle choices
- sell medical and surgical aids, and other health products
- keep accurate records of ingredients held on their premises and of all treatments given
- train and supervise pharmacy staff
- provide services to nursing homes and private hospitals
- communicate with other health professionals in the community to care for patients' needs
- give talks and lectures on pharmaceutical issues for community groups
TRAITS OF A GOOD PHARMACISTThey must have good communication, problem-solving and listening skills.
Pharmacists must have knowledge and understanding of:
-medicines and how they affect the human body
-chemistry, biology and mathematics
-the laws that relate to pharmaceutical practices
-how to use reference materials
-alternative health treatments and practices
-basic computer knowledge
-If they work in a community pharmacy pharmacists must also be able to manage and train staff, as well as having business skills for the day-to-day running of a pharmacy
Personal qualities needed are:
-enjoy dealing with the public and should be good listeners, friendly, patient and helpful
-be responsible, and work within a professional code of ethics, as they deal with sensitive information about people
-be able to maintain a special relationship of trust and confidentiality with their patients
-be calm and able to work well under pressure
Pharmacists Decisions and actions may involve human life and well-being. They must be constantly vigilant to avoid errors that could endanger patients lives or reduce the effectiveness of treatments.
QUALIFICATIONS / TRAINING NEEDED
A tertiary entrance qualification is needed to enter training to become a pharmacist. Bursary, NCEA or CIE in science subjects are required (particularly biology and chemistry) and English is helpful. The Bachelor of Pharmacy degree (BPharm) is a four year university course that is offered at the Schools of Pharmacy at both the University of Otago (www.pharmacy.otago.ac.nz) and University of Auckland (www.fmhs.auckland.ac.nz/pharmacy). Entry is limited and competitive, and selection is based on academic merit and interview - so visit these links for detailed information on the entry requirements.
To be eligible for registration as a pharmacist, an applicant must hold a BPharm and complete the Preregistration Training Programme.  Pharmacists must be registered with the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand in order to practice. To achieve this, graduates need to successfully complete a pre-registration year while working. This involves assignments and assessments through the practical training year. It takes a minimum of 5 years to become a registered pharmacist.
Pharmacists are required to undertake a university degree and practical training, whereas pharmacy technicians and assistants can either train on the job and earn whilst gaining their qualifications, or gain a qualification through full time study. Related career and training options are available to become a Pharmacy Technician and Pharmacy Assistant.
STUDY COSTS
Study costs for a Bachelor of Pharmacy is around $5,000 full-time each year.
CAREER PATHWAYS
Click here to view the Career Pathways diagram
WORK ENVIRONMENT AND EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS
Community and hospital pharmacies are located in all cities and towns. Pharmacists generally work on one site, but may travel to rest homes, hospitals and private homes to educate people on medicines and their uses. Community pharmacists work indoors in a clean and well-lit environment. The work may be stressful at times. A neat and tidy appearance is important. Pharmacists also need to have good hand-eye co-ordination.
Community pharmacists usually work between 40 and 50 hours per week. Most community pharmacists open their pharmacies at weekends. Some may work at after-hour pharmacies. Hospital pharmacists work 40 hours per week and take part in an on-call roster to cover after hours and weekends.
Experienced pharmacists usually earn between $60,000 and $100,000 per year.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES - Where can this qualification lead to in the future?
Pharmacy is an ever-developing profession that offers excellent career prospects. The work is interesting and varied, offering the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life and a choice of working environments and geographical locations.Due to the different careers pharmacists can follow, there are a number of options open to them after registration. Pharmacists work in community and hospital pharmacy, industry, marketing and sales, Government agencies, teaching, publishing and pharmaceutical related agencies.
There is currently a shortage of both hospital and community pharmacists in New Zealand. This is due to limited numbers of people being trained and the increasing need for pharmacists. Entry into studying pharmacy is very competitive and only a few hundred people graduate each year.
Some pharmacies in Taranaki, particularly in small rural owns, are currently short staffed.
New Zealand has an ageing population, and as many people seeking pharmaceutical medication are elderly, it is expected that the need for community pharmacists will increase.
Pharmacists continually need to up skill in their profession. They need to keep up to date with new information on medicines through reading journals and articles, and attending conferences and drug company presentations.
COMPANY PROFILES
Below is a list of Taranaki businesses that employ pharmacists (these are only example businesses for you to research this particular career choice). In addition, write-ups featured in the Career Profiles section provide some insight into the work environment and opportunities available within the industry.
- Peter Budden Chemist Ltd, McLean Street, Waitara
- Inglewood Unichem Ducks Pharmacy, Matai Street, Inglewood
- Unichem Peter Rhodes Pharmacy, High Street, Hawera
RELEVANT CONTACTS
University of Otago| Taranaki Contact: | School of Pharmacy |
| Phone: | +64 3 479 7275 |
| Email: | pharmacy@otago.ac.nz |
| Website: | http://www.pharmacy.otago.ac.nz |
University of Auckland
| Taranaki Contact: | School of Pharmacy |
| Phone: | +64 9 373 7599 |
| Email: | enquiries@auckland.ac.nz |
| Website: | http://www.health.auckland.ac.nz/pharmacy |
Pharmacy Industry Training Organisation
| Phone: | (04) 802 0030 |
Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand
| Phone: | (04) 802 0030 |
| Email: | p.society@psnz.org.nz |
| Website: | http://www.psnz.org.nz |
New Zealand Pharmacy Employment
| Website: | http://www.pharmacy.net.nz/nzpe |
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