Table 1Transition record

pharmacy techniciantospecialist pharmacist

A pharmacy technician already meets 53% of what the specialist pharmacist role asks for. The move turns on 22 required skills not yet in the profile.

From pharmacy technician

53%

Overlap1

To specialist pharmacist

29 Skills carried over

22 Required, not held

61.4 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 61.4

This move: 61.4 of 100 · substantial

1 Share of the specialist pharmacist role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the pharmacy technician profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 29 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A specialist pharmacist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a pharmacy technician background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held provide medication information communication, collaboration and creativity
already held provide pharmaceutical advice communication, collaboration and creativity
already held advise on poisoning incidents communication, collaboration and creativity
already held educate on the prevention of illness communication, collaboration and creativity
already held use foreign languages for health-related research communication, collaboration and creativity
already held advise on healthcare users' informed consent communication, collaboration and creativity

All 29 carried skills, including the 28 the specialist pharmacist role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 31 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 8 required

required, not held botany required
required, not held microbiology-bacteriology required
required, not held inorganic chemistry required
required, not held organic chemistry required
required, not held pharmaceutical chemistry required
required, not held pharmacology required
required, not held physics required
required, not held toxicology required

02 health and welfare 7 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held cancer risks required
required, not held pharmacognosy required
required, not held pharmacotherapy required
required, not held human anatomy required
required, not held pharmaceutical industry required
required, not held pharmaceutical technology required
required, not held pharmacokinetics required

optional, not held homeopathy optional
optional, not held medical devices optional

03 assisting and caring 3 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held apply person-centred care required
required, not held provide anti-cancer medical treatment required
required, not held provide specialist pharmaceutical care required

optional, not held manage adverse reactions to drugs optional
optional, not held prescribe medication optional

04 information skills 1 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held review patient's medical data required

optional, not held perform diagnostic testing for allergies optional
optional, not held conduct health related research optional

05 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held provide specialist pharmaceutical advice required

optional, not held use foreign languages in patient care optional

06 management skills 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held provide treatment strategies for challenges to human health required

optional, not held improve safety of medicines optional

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a specialist pharmacist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 29 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held accept own accountability skill
already held adhere to organisational guidelines skill
already held advise on healthcare users' informed consent skill
already held advise on poisoning incidents skill
already held apply context specific clinical competences skill
already held apply organisational techniques skill
already held communicate in healthcare skill
already held comply with legislation related to health care skill
already held comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice skill
already held contribute to continuity of health care skill
already held deal with emergency care situations skill
already held develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship skill
already held educate on the prevention of illness skill
already held empathise with the healthcare user skill
already held ensure safety of healthcare users skill
already held follow clinical guidelines skill
already held inform policy makers on health-related challenges skill
already held interact with healthcare users skill
already held listen actively skill
already held manage healthcare users' data skill
already held promote inclusion skill
already held provide health education skill
already held provide medication information skill
already held provide pharmaceutical advice skill
already held respond to changing situations in health care skill
already held use e-health and mobile health technologies skill
already held work in a multicultural environment in health care skill
already held work in multidisciplinary health teams skill
already held use foreign languages for health-related research skill

The 2 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 business, administration and law 1 required

required, not held pharmacy law required

08 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 supplementary

optional, not held maintain medical devices optional

9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held improve safety of medicines optional
optional, not held manage adverse reactions to drugs optional
optional, not held perform diagnostic testing for allergies optional
optional, not held prescribe medication optional
optional, not held conduct health related research optional
optional, not held homeopathy optional
optional, not held maintain medical devices optional
optional, not held medical devices optional
optional, not held use foreign languages in patient care optional

23 held skills the specialist pharmacist role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role check information on prescriptions skill
not needed by the target role communicate by telephone skill
not needed by the target role communicate in foreign languages with health service providers skill
not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
not needed by the target role ensure quality assurance for pharmaceutical products skill
not needed by the target role ensure the appropriate supply in pharmacy skill
not needed by the target role follow procedures to control substances hazardous to health skill
not needed by the target role handle the logistics of medicinal products skill
not needed by the target role maintain adequate medication storage conditions skill
not needed by the target role maintain pharmaceutical records skill
not needed by the target role manage schedule of tasks skill
not needed by the target role medicines for self-medication knowledge
not needed by the target role obtain healthcare user's medical status information skill
not needed by the target role operate cash register skill
not needed by the target role prepare doses of medication according to patient needs skill
not needed by the target role prepare intravenous packs skill
not needed by the target role prepare medication from prescription skill
not needed by the target role prepare prescription labels skill
not needed by the target role process medical insurance claims skill
not needed by the target role refer healthcare users skill
not needed by the target role report medication interaction to pharmacist skill
not needed by the target role take pharmaceutical inventory skill
not needed by the target role transfer medication skill

18 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier

required, not held botany required
required, not held cancer risks required
required, not held microbiology-bacteriology required
required, not held pharmacognosy required
required, not held pharmacotherapy required
required, not held human anatomy required
required, not held inorganic chemistry required
required, not held organic chemistry required
required, not held pharmaceutical chemistry required
required, not held pharmaceutical industry required
required, not held pharmaceutical technology required
required, not held pharmacokinetics required
required, not held pharmacology required
required, not held pharmacy law required
required, not held physics required
required, not held toxicology required
optional, not held homeopathy optional
optional, not held medical devices optional

Index

Other moves recorded from pharmacy technician

Full index of moves from pharmacy technician

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.