We are looking for three dynamic and enthusiastic GPhC registered
pharmacists to join our teams in our North of Scotland pharmacies.
With nine pharmacies located across some of the most beautiful
parts of rural Scotland - Caithness, Orkney and Shetland - this is an
opportunity to experience life at a whole new pace.
These roles will give you the enjoyment of working in a range of
pharmacies in your chosen location, each with different opportunities,
all with the same great support from our experienced pharmacy teams,
within a well-developed framework, and with plenty of support from our
experienced Senior Managers and Head Office Staff.
We will give you:
- A competitive salary - £54k to 74k for full-time hours
(depending experience and qualifications)
- Great work/life balance
- Company Pension Scheme
- 35 days leave entitlement p.a., inc public holidays
- Some potential for flexible/part-time working
- Relocation assistance, if needed
- Recruitment and retention bonuses
Your local community pharmacy team is made up of Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians, Dispensary Assistants and Medicine Counter Assistants, as well as other retail support staff.
Our community pharmacists work at the front line of healthcare in our branches across the north of Scotland. Their focus is helping the folk in your local community, dispensing medicines and offering advice and practical help on keeping healthy.
As our NHS Services change the role of the community pharmacist is also changing, as they take on more of the clinical roles that have traditionally been done by doctors. These new roles could include the management and monitoring of long term conditions, such as asthma and diabetes, or running vaccination programmes, or perhaps helping people to give up smoking or to become healthier eaters.
Being a pharmacist is a very responsible job and if it sounds like the job for you you must first do an undergraduate degree before undertaking a pre-registration year. Once this is completed you can work as a Community Pharmacist, but the training does not stop there, as there will be many more opportunities throughout your career to further develop your skills, knowledge and specialisms.
Pharmacy technicians are a vital part of the pharmacy team and work under the supervision, direction, or guidance of a pharmacist. As a pharmacy technician you will be involved in dispensing prescription medicines, but also take an active role in advising your patients on how to take their medicines. You may also be involved in providing safe and effective pharmacy services, managing your dispensary and helping with the supervision and training of other pharmacy staff.
To qualify as a pharmacy technician you need to complete a GPhC-approved course. The training to be a pharmacy technician is vocational. This means you learn in your own workplace. The training can be delivered face-to-face, at a distance, online or a combination of these. The training usually consists of two years consecutive work-based experience under the direction of a pharmacist.
Like Pharmacists, newly qualified pharmacy technicians join the GPhC register, and will continue to improve their knowledge and skills through continuing professional development.
Dispensary Assistants are as important a part of the pharmacy team as any other person. They work under the supervision and guidance of a pharmacist, or a Senior Pharmacy Technician. Their role is likely to include:
The training to become a dispensary assistant is undertaken in your workplace. It can be delivered face-to-face, at a distance, online or a combination of these. The training usually consists of a 6 month programme, with a number of modules, covering important aspects of working in a community pharmacy as a dispenser of medicines.
Whilst Dispensary Assistants do not join a professional register once their training is complete it is important to realise that the role they play in supporting the pharmacist in their work is as vital as any other. And because of this Dispensary Assistants are expected to make a commitment to continuing their professional development.
Medicine Counter Assistants (MCA) are involved in the sale of over-the-counter medicines (medicines that don't need a prescription). They work under the supervision of a pharmacist. Anyone working in a pharmacy who supplies medicine as part of their job must do an accredited MCA course.
As with other roles in the Pharmacy you work through your MCA course in the workplace. The course should normally take from 3-6 months to complete, and once qualified you should feel confident enough to be able to offer advice on common ailments, but you should also know when to refer a customer to a pharmacist.
Like Dispensary Assistants, as an MCA you are not professionally registered but there are still opportunities to continue learning and developing your skills and knowledge.