Types of Pharmacist jobs in New Zealand

With over 50 million prescription drugs dispensed each year in New Zealand, pharmacists are vital professionals in New Zealand's healthcare system. But in addition to community pharmacy, pharmacists can work in a variety of areas and roles, some of which we'll explore below.
Pharmacy is a challenging profession as it requires continuous learning and development, but it also offers excellent career prospects, a good income and the opportunity to meet many people in different environments. In 2019, according to the NZ Census Statistics, the average salary of pharmacists was estimated to be around $81,700.

Community Pharmacists

There are over 900 pharmacies in New Zealand, visited every day by thousands of patients seeking advice about their health problems. Community pharmacists (also called Chemists in New Zealand), in addition to dispensing medicines, play an important role in advising patients about their medications and medical conditions in order to ensure a safe and effective use of medications. If you are customer-focused and like to help patients have optimal health, then community pharmacy may be the right choice for you!

Hospital Pharmacists

Hospital pharmacists work alongside doctors, nurses and other hospital staff. They play a very important role in the hospital environment, as they ensure that the patient's medication is adequate, safe and effective during the patient's hospital stay. They also help and advise hospital patients on their medications, watch for any adverse drug reactions, and follow up to ensure that the prescribed medications are working well.

Industry Pharmacists

The pharmaceutical industry has had a great development in recent years, particularly in the last year due to the pandemic. It is responsible for creating, developing and researching new drugs and ensuring that they are safe for use by the population. There are not many job opportunities in this field for pharmacists in New Zealand, but there are opportunities for pharmacists to work in formulation and product information and also develop the marketing side of products coming to the market.

Prescribing Pharmacists

Pharmacists can become a prescribing pharmacist if they complete specialized postgraduate training for this purpose at the university. It takes at least 7 to 8 years of university education in total to become a prescribing pharmacist. These professionals can work in different environments, whether in hospitals, clinics or other places such as nursing homes.

To become a pharmacist in New Zealand, you need to have a degree in Pharmacy from the University of Auckland or University of Otago or have a Pharmacy degree from another country. You can learn more about working and registering as a pharmacist in New Zealand in our previous blog article here.

If you are looking for a job, either permanent or locum, in the community pharmacy setting, Clarity is the best choice you can make! We have years of experience in recruiting pharmacists and will be able to assist you through the entire process. In addition, you will have personalized support from Justin, who is also a pharmacist working in New Zealand.

Book your career consultation today to discuss the possibilities.