To think most people have no idea how much a pharmacy dispenser earns?

[Froggy99]

Following on from another thread I’ve seen today about TA’s I was wondering if people had any idea how much a pharmacy dispenser earns? And if you think they should be paid more/less than they currently get.

You need three good science A levels (AAA/AAB etc.) and be able to commit to a demanding 4 year degree, plus a pre-reg. year. Pharmacy isn’t the sort of course you can do at night classes in the local college. It’s a big and expensive commitment that not everyone is able to make, even if they wanted to.

I suppose a job requiring a GCSE-equivalent course is not going to earn much more than minimum wage.

I'm in Nottingham, work for a supermarket, on £11 a hour.

Really? They have to have qualifications & being in recovery from cancer I use mine for medication, they secure the make that makes me feel less unwell. I also use them for advice & guidance instead for clogging up my GP. No disrespect to shop workers who do a fantastic job I do expect a deeper level of knowledge and qualification. They are then in my views grossly underpaid.

Weirdly, I’d not ever thought about this until today - completely independent of this thread. A local branch of Boots is looking to recruit a new dispenser, and although it didn’t say what the pay was on the advert, judging by the list of job requirements I thought to myself that they mustn’t be on much more than minimum wage.

Yes, a dispenser is different to the pharmacist, aren't they? So, I would class it as a retail job, so it's pretty low down there.

Are you for real ?!?!??
wow.

The time to be responsible and gain a lot of knowledge and qualifications is at school and then going on to further education. Being a pharmacy dispenser is a job, not a career with advancement. You're either the pharmacist with a lot of knowledge and qualifications, or you're the assistant. Go into a career in local Government or Social Care, if you want a job that offers further training and qualifications and a rising salary band according to experience. Otherwise you have an extraordinarily wide range of jobs suited to different people and skills and lifestyles, all on minimum wage. Your real fight is why minimum wage is not a living wage for so many. (Roof over head, all bills paid, food on table, without Gov handouts)

The pay is £10.75-11 in my area Cheshire for a Dispenser. I used to work on the counter and did OTC training, I gained my Medicine Counter Assistant qualification. I used to earn about £10 an hour

I do! But I’m a pharmacist. To be quite honest the whole profession is very very under valued both monetarily & in public attitudes. Because of its high street locations & accessibility people don’t compute that the whole team are highly trained nor what we actually do. It’s definitely not just sticking a label on a box or scanning a shampoo

Wow this thread is so insulting. I think some PPs are enjoying telling OP that dispensers shouldn’t get paid anything and that it is totally unskilled work. And yet another thread where teachers are claiming that their job is the most important job in the world (they apparently save lives now). It explains why the TAs on that other thread got so much sympathy, but you don’t.

I absolutely think you should earn more, and yes, more than retail workers. As should many HCAs. You have very specific advanced skills. I’m surprised you get paid so little.

Well done OP for not rising to the unwarranted contempt for your profession displayed on this thread. I’ll never understand why some people seem to enjoy being mean.

@Berlioz23
what job did you get? pharmacist here too and thinking about changing profession...

I was led to believe at the time that I began employment I would be put through the pharmacy technicians course after my NVQ and would therefore be able to take up an NHS job at some point.

I haven’t sought work elsewhere yet as although the pay is NMW the hours and location are convenient for me.

In an ideal world I would go back into full time education but it’s just not feasible for me right now.

To be honest it’s basic training work so I’m not surprised . And yes I do believe they should own paid more

I’ve never once said I expect to be paid as much as a teacher, that would be ridiculous in my opinion. Do I think it should be a tiny bit above minimum wage, yes.

After reading many of the responses I think I should have started a thread about how lowly pharmacy is regarded as a whole by the public.
It’s opened my eyes a little as to why we are treated the way we are by customers.

I thought OP was going to say it was more than one would expect. I'm not sure exactly what training they need but surely it can't be that much more than most retail jobs. Don't they just check on the system and then go and take something off the shelf?

I don't think it's unskilled work, and I can think of many people I encounter who I would not want to fill out my prescription, who would not have the reasonable English, Maths, and customer service skills required to do this job. My cleaner gets £15 an hour, so I would expect it to be more than that (although my cleaner is quite skilled in that she knows her products and cleans much better and faster than I ever could).

Maybe you should research what dispensers do. The clue is in the name. I also did two posts earlier in the thread of everything we do. We are not just counter staff.

I work next to a Dr's, the majority of our work comes from them. They make mistakes,
occasionally, dosage of medicines etc. The pharmacist and dispensers check and double check everything and pick errors up and sort it out.
Us mere dispensers, do way more than stick a label on. We help, we listen, we advise, but most of all you can access us straightway. No calling 60 plus times on the phone.
We work bloody hard, as do a lot of under appreciated professionals.

Maybe I can't be arsed. 😂

'Dispenser' implies that you dispense things, which could literally be taking them off a shelf. It's not called 'Pharmacy Consultant' lol.

Why so rude? You're the type of person who laughs at us when we ask for your address when handing out a prescription.

You are required to have an NVQ in pharmacy services and OTC training

Sorry, your reply came across a bit condescending. If unintended then I apologise. I'm never rude to pharmacy staff.

Why so rude? You're the type of person who laughs at us when we ask for your address when handing out a prescription

Some people come on MN just to be arses. Ignore 'em.

I'm an Accuracy Checking Technician. BTEC LEVEL 3 NVQ 2 & 3. Pharmacy manager. Years of experience; in community pharmacies and GP dispensaries.
I am registered with the GPHC, pay annual professional fees; I have to maintain my training each year. I can sign passport applications like a GP.
To all those who think it's " just sticking a label on a box " you're having a laugh.
The level of operating procedures, training and product knowledge we have to learn and follow ( from day one, not just at my advanced level ) is unreal.
And so yes, we as a profession, are vastly unpaid and judging by many on this thread, undervalued.
I have been working as a self employed locum since covid and I can tell you that the public are in for a shock as pharmacies are closing down in huge numbers.
Underfunding means private pharmacy owners no longer see it as a profitable business. Online pharmacies don't work for the majority.

Never ending drug shortages and increasing delays cause patients to lash out verbally ( occasionally physically ) at pharmacy staff.
So we are leaving in droves.
I'm actually shocked at people who think it's like working in a supermarket.