Average salary of a UK retail pharmacist - the truth?

[Tony Schofield]

Originally Posted by Web Ferret

Rates are from £35k to around £55k if you are a manager assuming a 40ish hour week.

Depends on the work load and how good you are.

Can you put 20% on the business in your first year, if so ask for the higher figure! If you want to use the phone and do the bear minimum as its below you to dispense, expect to get paid less.

Salaries are highest in England (highest in London but then so is the cost of living) Scotland is a bit lower (but its a nice place to be). No idea about Wales, I've never worked there and don't know any pharmacists there.

This is close to the real world. Some pharmacists earn a lot more than £55k when they have experience, manage busy/difficult pharmacies and manage to achieve performance targets eg MURs etc.

A common complaint is that newly qualified pharmacists start on comparably big money but it never goes up. A pharmacist who has an excellent relationship with local surgeries, patients, staff and who does a good job of efficiently managing a busy pharmacy can make him/herself irreplaceable. Consequently significantly higher salaries may be achievable working for small independents over time. Don't expect a particularly high salary on a council estate with no surgery and a steady trickle of patients each day.

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by Tony Schofield

A pharmacist who has an excellent relationship with local surgeries, patients, staff and who does a good job of efficiently managing a busy pharmacy can make him/herself irreplaceable.

That's the trap that as a career locum I have to avoid. Hence my commitment to a team approach that works without me.

Nurses are good team members - ones from local nursing homes, used to dealing with the elderly, and already known by the relatives of those they have cared for, and wise to the needs of the care home environment. Don't suppose you could find one who wants to re-train as a tech and is into websites ;-)

Jeff