Career Overlap Transition record Edition 1 · ESCO v1.2.1
Table 1Transition record

pharmacisttopharmacy assistant

A pharmacist already meets 63% of what the pharmacy assistant role asks for. The move turns on 15 required skills not yet in the profile.

From pharmacist
63%
Overlap1
To pharmacy assistant
32 Skills carried over
15 Required, not held
48.7 Difficulty2
adjacent 0–30
moderate 30–55
substantial 55–75
career change 75–100
this move, 48.7

This move: 48.7 of 100 · moderate

1 Share of the pharmacy assistant role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the pharmacist profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 32 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A pharmacy assistant role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a pharmacist background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held check information on prescriptions information skills
  • already held handle the logistics of medicinal products handling and moving
  • already held ensure the appropriate supply in pharmacy management skills
  • already held maintain adequate medication storage conditions handling and moving
  • already held pharmacokinetics health and welfare
  • already held provide pharmaceutical advice communication, collaboration and creativity

All 32 carried skills, including the 26 the pharmacy assistant role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 19 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier
01 information skills 4 required
  • required, not held check for medication expiry terms required
  • required, not held maintain pharmaceutical records required
  • required, not held take pharmaceutical inventory required
  • required, not held ensure quality assurance for pharmaceutical products required
02 communication, collaboration and creativity 3 required, 4 supplementary
  • required, not held communicate by telephone required
  • required, not held inform policy makers on health-related challenges required
  • required, not held work in a multicultural environment in health care required
  • optional, not held apply context specific clinical competences optional
  • optional, not held communicate in foreign languages with health service providers optional
  • optional, not held develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship optional
  • optional, not held educate on the prevention of illness optional
03 handling and moving 3 required
  • required, not held follow procedures to control substances hazardous to health required
  • required, not held prepare prescription labels required
  • required, not held transfer medication required
04 assisting and caring 2 required
  • required, not held adhere to organisational guidelines required
  • required, not held promote inclusion required
05 management skills 2 required
  • required, not held handle petty cash required
  • required, not held respond to changing situations in health care required
06 health and welfare 1 required
  • required, not held medicines for self-medication required
Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a pharmacy assistant role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 32 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held accept own accountability skill
  • already held advise on healthcare users' informed consent skill
  • already held apply organisational techniques skill
  • already held check information on prescriptions skill
  • already held communicate in healthcare skill
  • already held communicate with customers skill
  • already held comply with legislation related to health care skill
  • already held comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice skill
  • already held contribute to continuity of health care skill
  • already held deal with emergency care situations skill
  • already held empathise with the healthcare user skill
  • already held ensure safety of healthcare users skill
  • already held ensure the appropriate supply in pharmacy skill
  • already held follow clinical guidelines skill
  • already held handle the logistics of medicinal products skill
  • already held hygiene in a health care setting knowledge
  • already held interact with healthcare users skill
  • already held listen actively skill
  • already held maintain adequate medication storage conditions skill
  • already held manage healthcare users' data skill
  • already held medicines knowledge
  • already held obtain healthcare user's medical status information skill
  • already held process medical insurance claims skill
  • already held provide health education skill
  • already held use e-health and mobile health technologies skill
  • already held work in multidisciplinary health teams skill
  • already held homeopathy knowledge
  • already held operate cash register skill
  • already held pharmaceutical chemistry knowledge
  • already held pharmacokinetics knowledge
  • already held phytotherapy knowledge
  • already held provide pharmaceutical advice skill
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held apply context specific clinical competences optional
  • optional, not held communicate in foreign languages with health service providers optional
  • optional, not held develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship optional
  • optional, not held educate on the prevention of illness optional
54 held skills the pharmacy assistant role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role accounting techniques knowledge
  • not needed by the target role advise on poisoning incidents skill
  • not needed by the target role analytical chemistry knowledge
  • not needed by the target role applied therapeutics related to medicines knowledge
  • not needed by the target role apply blended learning skill
  • not needed by the target role biological chemistry knowledge
  • not needed by the target role botany knowledge
  • not needed by the target role conduct health related research skill
  • not needed by the target role contribute to public health campaigns skill
  • not needed by the target role counsel healthcare users on medicines skill
  • not needed by the target role dispense medicines skill
  • not needed by the target role ensure client orientation skill
  • not needed by the target role ensure pharmacovigilance skill
  • not needed by the target role evaluate scientific data concerning medicines skill
  • not needed by the target role human anatomy knowledge
  • not needed by the target role improve safety of medicines skill
  • not needed by the target role inorganic chemistry knowledge
  • not needed by the target role maintain medical devices skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain pharmacy records skill
  • not needed by the target role manage adverse reactions to drugs skill
  • not needed by the target role manage medical supply chains skill
  • not needed by the target role manage medication safety issues skill
  • not needed by the target role manage personal professional development skill
  • not needed by the target role manufacture medicines skill
  • not needed by the target role medical devices knowledge
  • not needed by the target role medical statistics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role microbiology-bacteriology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role monitor patients' medication skill
  • not needed by the target role nutrition knowledge
  • not needed by the target role organic chemistry knowledge
  • not needed by the target role participate in medical inventory control skill
  • not needed by the target role pedagogy knowledge
  • not needed by the target role perform project management skill
  • not needed by the target role perform therapeutic drug monitoring skill
  • not needed by the target role pharmaceutical technology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role pharmacognosy knowledge
  • not needed by the target role pharmacology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role pharmacotherapy knowledge
  • not needed by the target role pharmacy law knowledge
  • not needed by the target role physics knowledge

14 further entries not listed here

1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier
  • required, not held medicines for self-medication required
Index
Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.