Trained healthcare professionals

Most of those working at pharmacies are trained health-care professionals. The two main groups are Pharmacists and Pharmacy technicians.  

Pharmacy managers, pharmacists and prescriptionists all share the general title of pharmacist. They are entitled to independently dispense prescribed medications and are highly qualified to advise customers and other healthcare personnel on the correct use of medications.

Pharmacy technicians are not entitled to dispense prescribed medications, but they have a very important role to play in terms of customer service – speaking to customers, providing information to the public, looking after stock and administrative tasks.

Pharmacy manager

The pharmacy manager runs the pharmacy and ensure that the requirements of the pharmacy's business are fulfilled. The pharmacist is responsible for the professional and financial operation of the pharmacy, and the overall responsibility of the pharmacist's employees. You must have a master’s degree or Cand.pharm to become a pharmacy manager.

Pharmacist

A pharmacist is an expert on pharmaceuticals and has taken a five-year (master) university course in the subject. In Norway you can study at University of Oslo, University of Bergen, UiT The Artic University of Norway and NTNU.

Prescriptionist

To become a prescriptionist, you need to take a three-year university college course (Bachelor of Pharmacy). In Norway you can study at OsloMet, Nord University   and UiT The Artic University of Norway.

Pharmacy technician

The training for pharmacy technicians is a sixth-form college course within health and social sciences. 

Total number of employees, type of pharmacy and education level

Recruitment campaign

There is a general lack of pharmacists in Norway. Hence, pharmacies struggle to attract the best candidates. Pharmacies offer good job opportunities, good salary and the ability to work all over the country.

The Norwegian Pharmacy Association has for a long time worked for getting youngster to choose pharmacy education. Every year the Association conducts a student recruitment campaign to attract more applicants to universities providing pharmacy education. The Norwegian website www.farmasifag.no and the Facebook page «Farmasifag» are part of the campaign.