Pharmacy aides
Record drugs delivered to the pharmacy, store incoming merchandise, and inform the supervisor of stock needs. May operate cash register and accept prescriptions for filling.
Pharmacy aides record drugs delivered to the pharmacy, store incoming merchandise, and inform the supervisor of stock needs. May operate cash register and accept prescriptions for filling. The role reports a median annual salary of $37,000 in the US and is projected to decline by 10% over the next decade. Entry typically requires a High school diploma or equivalent, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.67 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Active Listening, Service Orientation, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Social Perceptiveness.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £29,084 a year for Nursing auxiliaries and assistants (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £25,189 to £33,294 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 6131). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Service and sales workers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Pharmacy aides, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 5. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Administrative
- Sales and Marketing
- Law and Government
- Administration and Management
- Mathematics
- Medicine and Dentistry
What you'd actually do
- Greet customers and help them locate merchandise.
- Accept prescriptions for filling, gathering and processing necessary information.
- Operate cash register to process cash or credit sales.
- Answer telephone inquiries, referring callers to pharmacist when necessary.
- Receive, store, and inventory pharmaceutical supplies or medications, check for out-of-date medications, and notify pharmacist when inventory levels are low.
- Unpack, sort, count, and label incoming merchandise, including items requiring special handling or refrigeration.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Pharmacy aides do?
Record drugs delivered to the pharmacy, store incoming merchandise, and inform the supervisor of stock needs. May operate cash register and accept prescriptions for filling.
How much does Pharmacy aides earn?
The median annual salary for Pharmacy aides in the US is $37,000.
What is the job outlook for Pharmacy aides?
The role is projected to decline by 10% over the next decade. Current US employment is approximately 41,100 workers.
How do I become pharmacy aides?
The typical entry education is a High school diploma or equivalent. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Pharmacy aides need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Active Listening, Service Orientation, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Social Perceptiveness, Critical Thinking. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Pharmacy aides?
Our AI-durability model gives Pharmacy aides a score of 0.67 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Pharmacy aides has low barrier to entry — generally accessible — you can enter with basic credentials and on-the-job learning.