SIR20107 - Certificate II in Community Pharmacy

Certificate II in Community Pharmacy

This qualification provides the skills and knowledge for an individual to be competent to work at entry level in a community pharmacy. Typical functions within the community pharmacy industry for those who achieve this level of competency include serving and interacting with customers, merchandising products and controlling stock, understanding the product range and the roles and responsibilities of pharmacy assistants and pharmacists, communicating with customers to identify needs and provide appropriate product advice and/or referral.

The work role of the community pharmacy assistant is defined by the pharmacy registering authorities (state and territory Pharmacy Boards). When selling pharmacy and pharmacist-only medicines, the pharmacy assistant provides a filter to identify customer information and requirements for referral to the pharmacist.

The structure of this qualification recognises the diversity of business models that characterise the community pharmacy industry. It supports multi-skilling and participation in work teams as appropriate to the size and structure of the business.

This qualification is suitable for an Australian Apprenticeship pathway.

Job roles

Pharmacy assistant

Subjects

QUALIFICATION RULES

To achieve a Certificate II in Community Pharmacy, 22 units must be completed:

all 19 core units

3 elective units from the list below or another endorsed Training Package or accredited course.

In all cases selection of electives must be guided by the job outcome, local industry requirements and the characteristics of this qualification (as per the AQF descriptors).

CORE UNITS
SIRPDIS001A	Accept prescriptions and deliver medicine
SIRPPKS001A	Support the sale of pharmacy and pharmacist-only medicines
SIRPPKS002A	Identify, locate and sell products related to allergies
SIRPPKS003A	Identify, locate and sell analgesic and anti-inflammatory products
SIRPPKS005A	Identify, locate and sell cough and cold products
SIRPPKS006A	Identify, locate and sell eye, ear and oral care products
SIRPPKS007A	Identify, locate and sell products for gastro-intestinal conditions
SIRPPKS008A	Identify, locate and sell first aid and wound care products
SIRPPKS009A	Identify, locate and sell products for skin and fungal conditions
SIRXCCS001A	Apply point-of-sale handling procedures
SIRXCCS002A	Interact with customers
SIRXCLM001A	Organise and maintain work areas
SIRXCOM001A	Communicate in the workplace
SIRXIND001A	Work effectively in a retail environment
SIRXINV001A	Perform stock control procedures
SIRXMER001A	Merchandise products
SIRXOHS001A	Apply safe working practices
SIRXRSK001A	Minimise theft
SIRXSLS001A	Sell products and services

ELECTIVE UNITS
Computer Operations and ICT Management
SIRXICT001A	Operate retail technology

Dispensary
SIRPDIS002A	Deliver prescription medicines to customers outside the pharmacy

Finance
SIRXFIN001A	Balance point-of-sale terminal

Community Pharmacy: Product
SIRPPKS004A	Identify, locate and sell baby and infant products

Retail Product Knowledge
SIRXRPK001A	Recommend health and nutritional products and services
SIRXRPK002A	Recommend hair, beauty and cosmetic products and services

Pathways...

Not applicable.

Entry Requirements

Entry requirements

There are no prerequisites for entry to this qualification.

Licensing Information

Not applicable.

Employability Skills

SUMMARY

SIR20107 Certificate II in Community Pharmacy

The following table contains a summary of the employability skills required by the community pharmacy industry for this qualification. The employability skills facets described here are broad industry requirements that may vary depending on qualification packaging options.

Employability skill	Industry/enterprise requirements for this qualification include:
Communication	Use communication skills to establish customer requirements, answer questions and provide information on pharmacy products and services. Communicate about highly personal and sensitive information that requires empathy, tact and confidentiality. Understand how to interact with customers to sell products within business and ethical standards. Maintain regular communication with the pharmacist, such as alerting them to situations requiring their attention.
Problem solving	Solve problems within a framework of established business procedures and protocols and with reference to the pharmacist. Problems may relate to matching appropriate products to meet customer needs or identifying and investigating stock discrepancies.
Initiative and enterprise	Use initiative in identifying the most appropriate products and services for customers. Opportunities for initiative and enterprise occur within established business procedures and protocols and with reference to the pharmacist.
Teamwork	Work closely with the pharmacist to identify and sell appropriate products and services to community pharmacy customers. Work with other pharmacy team members as required and according to business size and structure.
Planning and organising	Understand the boundaries of their job role, established by legislation, guidelines and business protocols and procedures. Collect necessary information from customers to assess and respond to their needs. Ensure the timely delivery of products, services and information to both customers and other team members, such as the pharmacist.
Self-management	Understand the legal context, including the boundaries of the job role and also an awareness of the special requirements for selling medicines and managing scheduled medicines. This involves a detailed understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the pharmacy assistant and how these relate to the role of the pharmacist. Take responsibility for their own time management within established routines. An example is receiving prescriptions and delivering prescription medicines to customers to meet the workflow of the dispensary and the expectations of the customers. This may involve communicating with customers to manage their expectations.
Learning	Locate information required for their role. This could include information on product range and application, health and lifestyle information.
Technology	Use point-of-sale technology and computer-based information and database systems on a routine basis. Sell a range of products including kits, aids and equipment. Understand how these items operate and to demonstrate safe use to the customer.

Due to the high proportion of electives required by this qualification, the industry/enterprise requirements described above for each employability skill are representative of community pharmacy in general and may not reflect specific job roles. Learning and assessment strategies for this qualification should be based on the requirements of the units of competency for this qualification.