Requirements

Pharmaceutical technician - requirements

As a pharmaceutical technician, you’ll be a key part of the pharmacy team, helping patients get the most from their medicines. Find out where you could be working in this role and what tasks you might be doing day to day.

Know what you'll need to land a job below.

What qualifications do you need to be a pharmaceutical technician?

To become a qualified pharmaceutical technician, you’ll need to complete a level 3 diploma. You can do this course through an apprenticeship, or whilst employed as a trainee.

Once qualified, you’ll need to register with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

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Do you need a postgraduate qualification to be a pharmaceutical technician?

You don’t need a postgraduate qualification to be a pharmaceutical technician.

If you want to go on to become a pharmacist, you’ll have to study a pharmacy foundation course, and then a postgraduate course in pharmacy.

What skills do you need to be a pharmaceutical technician?

Great team working and communication skills are important for this job, as you’ll be working with colleagues to make sure the pharmacy is running smoothly.

Hard skills usually include:

Admin
IT
Maths

Soft skills include:

Attention to detail
Communication
Customer service
Enthusiasm
Teamwork

Do you need work experience to be a pharmaceutical technician?

You don’t need work experience for this role, but it’ll help when applying for jobs. You could contact a local pharmacy and ask if you can shadow staff at a pharmacy for a day, or meet with a pharmaceutical technician for a chat about their work.