Pharmacy assistant course: here's how it works

If you have any questions about how the pharmacy attendant course works, we'll tell you everything and more today.

Come with us to understand more:

What does a pharmacy attendant do?

When we go to a pharmacy, we will probably be served by a professional who has completed a pharmacy assistant course.

He plays a crucial role in a pharmacy environment, providing support and assistance to customers.

Their main function is to serve customers, welcome them and help them when needed. In addition, they offer information on sales of medicines, supplements and other health products.

They can also answer questions about mild symptoms and advise on suitable products.

Another responsibility is controlling and organizing stock, as well as organizing shelves, always checking expiration dates and product labels.

The pharmacy attendant does not need to be extremely experienced in medicines, but he or she needs to know the basics of the subject, legislation and professional ethics as well.

This professional will work with pharmacists, offering assistance and screening medical prescriptions, if it is a controlled medication they cannot release it, but the pharmacist can.

What is the difference between a pharmacy attendant and a pharmacist?

With this in mind, we can mention that there are some activities that the pharmacy attendant is not qualified to do, and that require exclusivity from pharmacists.

The first point that demonstrates this difference is in the training of the two professionals, while the pharmacy attendant can take a shorter, technical course, the pharmacist needs to have a degree in pharmacy from a university.

As we have already noticed, the attendant is responsible for tasks and activities more related to administration and customer service, while the pharmacist will be responsible for more complex and technical tasks.

This includes dispensing prescription medications, interpreting prescriptions, preventing and identifying drug interactions, and providing expert advice to patients.

How does the pharmacy attendant course work?

The pharmacy assistant course will prepare professionals to work at pharmacy counters. Compared to being a pharmacist, this option is ideal for those who want to enter the job market more quickly.

It can last from 3 months to 2 years depending on the option chosen, it is often characterized as a free course, but it can also be a type of technical course.

If it is a free course, it can be very short, while for technical courses the minimum duration is usually 1 year.

Although it is most commonly found in distance learning, EAD, it can be found in certain institutions in person or in a blended format. It all depends on who is offering the course in question.

Who can take this course?

The pharmacy attendant course is generally done in a free or technical format, therefore, as long as the interested individual has graduated from high school and is over 18 years old, he or she will be eligible to take the course.

No prior training in the health field is required to work or take this course for this specific position.

What will I learn in the pharmacy attendant course?

During the pharmacy assistant course, you will acquire specific knowledge for this area that is important for your training as a professional.

The idea behind these courses is to prepare you to provide good service, keeping in mind some notions of pharmacy and medicines.

It is worth remembering that the curriculum of these courses will vary depending on the educational institution you are looking for.

So the first thing you will learn are basic concepts that introduce you to this sector, such as the functions of a pharmacist, what types of medicine there are, which ones can be sold without a prescription and much more.

As the idea is not to go into depth, the professional will learn the basics to have notions of classification, formulas, drug interactions and others.

In addition, customer service techniques are taught, focusing on developing communication skills and how to deal with more challenging situations.

It is also important for pharmacy assistants to know the basics of first aid. It may happen that someone in the pharmacy needs primary care, so it would be good to know what to do in these situations.

What is the methodology?

Generally, the teaching methodology for these courses will vary according to each educational institution. However, it is very common for theory to be combined with practice, to provide these professionals with more experience and knowledge.

The transmission of theoretical concepts often occurs through lectures given by specialized instructors, or through video classes in the case of an online course.

And practice can be brought in the form of simulations or role play, which is when students put themselves in the shoes of a customer to test their customer service skills.

Depending on the type of course, you may even be able to do an internship to put your techniques into practice and gain more experience.

Where to take the pharmacy attendant course?

Now that you know everything about how the pharmacy attendant course works, you can find out about some educational institutions that offer this option.

Let's go:

Senac

Senac offers a free pharmacy attendant course, which has a workload of 240 hours and can be taken by people over 17 years of age.

At the end of the course, the student will also be able to receive a certificate that is accepted throughout the national territory.

Microlins

Microlins also offers this course in person in all states of the country. It has a workload of 64 hours and lasts 8 months.

When you finish the course, you will be able to obtain a professional qualification certificate valid throughout Brazil.

Mix Institute

Instituto Mix is a reference when it comes to professional training, and they also offer Pharmacy and Drugstore Attendant Course.

It is present in more than 50% across Brazil, and has a teaching methodology for every need, whether in-person, hybrid or online.

With all this information in hand, you can now take the next step in your career after the pharmacy attendant course.