32124 Pharmacy technicians

What this occupation covers

Pharmacy technicians perform technical functions relating to prescriptions including gathering patients' information, product preparation, product distribution and inventory control. They work closely with pharmacists to provide pharmaceutical care to clients. Pharmacy technicians are employed in retail and hospital pharmacies, long-term care facilities and by pharmaceutical manufacturers. Pharmacy technicians who are supervisors are included in this unit group.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 7 main duties for this code.

• Assist pharmacists to maintain inventories of medications and prescription records of pharmaceutical products
• Assess prescriptions for completeness and ensure information is accurate
• Gather and enter client information in databases and prepare medications for clients in collaboration with pharmacists
• Compound pharmaceutical products such as intravenous injections, oral solutions, ointments and creams
• Process payment of prescriptions and other pharmacy services including direct billing to third party insurers
• Provide instructions on how to use health aids, and medical devices such as drug administration devices and monitoring devices
• May help with scheduling and workflow.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 7 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 64100 Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers
• 33103 Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants

Excluded from this code

• Pharmacy clerk (See 64100 Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers)
• Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants (See 33103 Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

certified pharmacy technician · pharmaceutical technician · pharmacy technician · pharmacy technician supervisor · registered pharmacy technician · regulated pharmacy technician · senior pharmacy technician

Employment requirements

• Pharmacy technicians usually require a two-year pharmacy technician college program or completion of a two- to three-year college program in pharmaceutics and supervised practical training.
• Completion of the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) certification exams is required for pharmacy technicians.
• Registration with a regulatory body is required for pharmacy technicians in all provinces except Quebec.