Pharmacist Job Demand – Future Of Pharmacist In Canada

If you’re looking for a job in the healthcare industry, a pharmacy job might be perfect for you. Pharmacists help to provide the community with the medications they need to feel their best. The great news for aspiring pharmacists is there’s a pharmacist job demand currently in Canada.

Not only is there a demand for pharmacists but there is an expectation that this field will have even more job opportunities in the next ten years. To learn more about what pharmacists do, how to become a pharmacist and the pharmacist outlook in Canada, read along! We’re going to cover all of that and more in this article.

Pharmacist Job Description in Canada – What Do Pharmacists Do?

Working as a pharmacist is a great option for Canadians interested in a career that heavily relies on multitasking and communication. When you work as a pharmacist, you often spend much of your time communicating with both patients and your coworkers. This is why communication is such an important skill for pharmacists to have.

Whether you’re communicating to delegate tasks or you’re instructing a patient on how to take their medication, how their medication works or the potential warnings or side effects, it is important you are clear and precise, as we know how important accuracy is when it comes to the drugs we are taking. 

Pharmacists may also be responsible for checking patient’s medical histories and filling their prescriptions. They may be preparing the mediation and reviewing how the doctor wishes to prescribe the medication. When preparing the medication they may be counting pills or putting labels on the medication. 

There are many different tasks that a pharmacist does daily, which is why the ability to multitask will aid you in this position. You may bounce between 10 different tasks within one hour, so having the ability to adapt is so important. 

How Much Do Pharmacists Make – Is Pharmacy a Good Career?

It may differ from province to province, but typically in Canada pharmacists make somewhere between $91,053. There is an opportunity for more money to be made if you explore other opportunities in the pharmacy industry or if you open an independent pharmacy.

Where Do Pharmacists Work? 

Pharmacists have the opportunity to work in several different industries but the majority of opportunities are found in the retail sector, working at a drugstore or a pharmacy. It’s not uncommon for pharmacists to also work in a hospital setting as there is a greater need for medications and drugs.

A pharmacist can provide medications to individuals with a prescription, prepare medications, identify medications and understand the purpose of the medication that is being prescribed. One of the main roles of a pharmacist is to help the customer understand what they’ve been prescribed and guide them on how they should be taking it.

They are legally allowed to counsel patients and offer advice to doctors on how they should be prescribing the medication.

Is Being a Pharmacist Hard?

Being a pharmacist can be a very demanding job. Depending on the type of pharmacist job you have, you can be in very busy stores or have many people coming in to get prescriptions filled each day. You must be very good at multitasking, communicating, paying attention to detail, patience, problem-solving and must be able to prioritize tasks to do this type of job well.

Is Becoming a Pharmacist Hard?

Becoming a pharmacist can also be hard as you do have to go to pharmacy school. These schools are offered through universities such as the University of Toronto, University of Manitoba and more. After obtaining your Bachelor of Pharmacy degree you then must complete the nation board exam through the PEBC (Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada). After completing this exam, you then complete a practical internship program before you are a fully licensed pharmacist in Canada. 

There may be additional requirements depending on what province you live in as pharmacies are regulated by the provincial and territorial levels. 

Overall, it is not an easy career to pursue. It requires a lot of time and education, but once you have completed the requirements, you are locked in for a stable career. 

Pharmacist Job Outlook Canada

The pharmacy field is a good one to be in as it will always be in demand. People will always need to visit the pharmacy to get their prescriptions filled and there are thousands of drugs out there which people take daily depending on their health and medical conditions. 

Overall Canada has a good amount of job prospects for pharmacist candidates over the next three years. 

How Many Pharmacists Are There in Canada

According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information as of 2019, there were 43,744 pharmacists in Canada. This means that for every 100,000 Canadians, there were 118 pharmacists.

The Future of Pharmacy in Canada

From 2019-2028 there are expected to be a total of 12,500 new job openings and 16,600 new pharmacists to fill them. This doesn’t account for the existing jobs or retiring pharmacists. This is great news for aspiring pharmacists as jobs are being created for your taking. 

Study at Robertson

If you’re interested in working in a pharmacy setting, Robertson College may be able to help you! Robertson offers two pharmacy-related programs through the School of Health: the Pharmacy Assistant program, and the Pharmacy Technician program. 

Pharmacy Assistant 

Pharmacy Assistants play an important role in the pharmacy setting as they deal with customers, prepare prescriptions, count tablets, prepare labels, answer phone calls and assist with any issues that may arise. You work with the pharmacists to ensure customers receive their medications as quickly as possible and that the pharmacy runs smoothly.

This program prepares you for all of this while allowing you to learn the procedures of community and institutional pharmacy, basic mathematical calculations needed in the pharmacy environment and basic anatomy and medical terminology to help you identify the major classes of drugs to treat different conditions.

Pharmacy Technician 

Pharmacy Technicians do many of the same tasks as pharmacists, however, they are not legally entitled to guide patients and doctors regarding the medication type and dosage that should be prescribed. While pharmacists may work independently, pharmacy technicians must work under the supervision of a pharmacist.  

This program prepares pharmacy technicians by providing them with the education and understanding of human anatomy, medication dispensing, jurisprudence and ethics, institutional pharmacy, sterile product preparations and more.

Working in a Pharmacy

Now that you’ve learned a bit about what it would be like to work in a pharmacy, an important takeaway you should consider is that you will have excellent job security. There is and will always be a job demand for pharmacists. People will always need medications, which means it isn’t an industry that will be going out of business or losing customers at any point. 

Pharmacists are an important part of our lives – they help to provide us with the guidance and medication we need to feel our best.