Pharmaceutical-commercial assistance

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Pharmaceutical commercial assistance (PKA) is a teaching profession in Austria. Pharmaceutical commercial assistants work primarily in public pharmacies and support the pharmacists there in sales. You advise customers, assist e.g. B. in the manufacture of ointments and preparing medicines. They also have important commercial tasks in purchasing, warehouse management and product presentation. The profession is mainly carried out by women.

This article describes the situation in Austria. In Germany, the job title PKA stands for the occupation of a pharmaceutical-commercial employee .

history

The PKA profession was developed in 1994 from the profession of pharmacy assistant. On June 30, 1994, the regulation on vocational training in the apprenticeship of pharmaceutical-commercial assistant (pharmaceutical-commercial assistant-training regulation) Federal Law Gazette No. 495/1994 came into force.

  • Amendment 2001: Ordinance on vocational training in the apprenticeship in pharmaceutical-commercial assistance (PKA training regulations) BGBl. 407/2001
  • Amendment 2014 :: Ordinance on vocational training in the apprenticeship in pharmaceutical-commercial assistance (PKA training regulations) BGBl. 137/2014

education

The training is basically open to all young people who have completed their nine years of compulsory schooling. Access to teaching is not tied to any specific school qualification. As a rule, the apprenticeship period is three years. After completing a general or vocational high or middle school as well as training in related professions, the apprenticeship period is shortened to two years. The dual training takes place on the one hand in the training company, i.e. in a pharmacy - and also in the vocational school. The apprentice is in an apprenticeship relationship with his training company and is at the same time a student in a vocational school.

In-company training

About 2/3 of the apprenticeship working apprentice in a pharmacy, wherein the training areas are in the following ranges:

  • First year of apprenticeship: warehouse management
  • Second year of apprenticeship: Participation in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals
  • Third year of apprenticeship: purchasing and sales, customer service

School education

Since the school year 2017/18, lessons in the vocational school have included the subjects of pharmacy-specific specialist knowledge, health studies, pharmacy range and advice, laboratory internship, job-specific internship, applied economics, business project internship, political education, German and communication as well as English as a professional foreign language.

Apprentices have the opportunity to prepare for the matriculation examination while working (apprenticeship with Matura). The final apprenticeship examination is taken by professional experts. Successful completion of the final apprenticeship examination enables admission to the vocational matura (vocational matriculation examination). Graduates of the Berufsreifeprüfung are on the same level as those of the Matura with regard to the entry requirements for universities. The Austrian Pharmacists Association is responsible for general questions about PCA training.

Areas of activity

PKA work mainly in public pharmacies, but also in institutional pharmacies (hospital pharmacies), in pharmaceutical wholesaling and in the pharmaceutical industry. A PKA apprenticeship qualification also opens up many other opportunities in business life, because it is also a qualification as a retail salesman.

The professional profile describes the tasks of PKA in the pharmacy:

  1. Determine the need for goods and work on the design of the range,
  2. Order goods and check deliveries,
  3. Store goods properly and look after the warehouse,
  4. Prepare the range for sale and present it in a way that is suitable for sale,
  5. Support pharmacists in pharmaceutical activities (especially in the manufacture, testing and dispensing of drugs),
  6. Advising customers and selling goods as part of the dispensing competence,
  7. Calculate prices,
  8. deal properly with medical prescriptions and prescriptions,
  9. Submit invoices, especially to health insurance carriers,
  10. participate in the commercial management and control,
  11. carry out administrative work using company information and communication technology (e.g. correspondence, payment transactions, collection of statistical key figures),
  12. participate in the company's marketing activities

The main areas of activity are purchasing, warehouse management and the presentation of goods. PKA also support pharmacists with the sale of pharmacy-only drugs and produce prescriptions under supervision. They are also specialists in the fields of dermocosmetics , nutrition and phytotherapy. Here they advise and sell independently cosmetics, dietary supplements, medical products, drugs from the "Demarcation Ordinance".

Job market

The career prospects for PKA are closely linked to the situation of pharmacies and their economic development. PKA currently have good career prospects in Austria. PKA is one of the most popular apprenticeships among young women.

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