HSC Retail Services (VET) study plan

Map the SIRv7 Certificate II in Community Pharmacy and Certificate III in Retail units against the exam weighting, then rank each unit as high, medium, or low priority in a single reference sheet

Define the scope of duty-of-care and workplace safety obligations that apply to frontline retail and pharmacy assistants, and list the five most common breach scenarios you would expect to see tested

Explain the difference between a pharmacy assistant's role boundary and a pharmacist's registered scope, and identify three situations that must be escalated immediately

Build a personal glossary of 30 core retail and pharmacy terms (dispensary, schedule, stock rotation, shrinkage, planogram) with one-sentence definitions

Describe the steps for receiving and checking incoming stock against delivery documentation, and state what to do when a discrepancy is found

Identify the storage requirements that differ between general retail stock, temperature-sensitive goods, and restricted medicines held in a pharmacy

Explain stock rotation and expiry-date monitoring procedures, and list the actions taken when near-expiry stock is identified

Outline the process for recording and reporting stock loss, damage, or theft in a way that matches a workplace procedure

Explain the purpose and components of a planogram, and describe how to set up and maintain a display to match one

Identify the safety and legal limits on what may be advertised, priced, or displayed in a community pharmacy setting

Describe how to process a customer transaction end to end, including pricing, payment methods, receipts, and returns

List the steps for handling a refund or exchange in line with consumer law and store policy, and note where records must be kept

Explain the communication cycle and identify three barriers to clear communication with customers, plus a technique for overcoming each

Describe how to identify a customer's needs through open and closed questioning, and match product recommendations to those needs

Outline how to handle a customer complaint using a structured resolution process, including when to escalate to a supervisor

Identify the privacy and confidentiality obligations that apply when handling customer information in a pharmacy

Describe the key requirements of work health and safety law as they apply to a retail or pharmacy assistant, including hazard identification and incident reporting

Explain manual handling risks in stockroom and shelf-filling work, and list the correct technique for a two-person lift

Identify emergency procedures for fire, medical incident, and evacuation, and state your own role in each

Outline equal employment opportunity, anti-discrimination, and workplace bullying obligations, and give an example of behaviour that would breach each

Explain the difference between scheduled medicines, pharmacist-only medicines, and general sale items, and describe the assistant's role in each case

Describe how to refer a customer query about a medicine or symptom to a pharmacist, including what information to gather first

Identify the record-keeping requirements for scheduled medicine sales that apply to pharmacy assistants

Outline the correct response when a customer asks for advice outside the assistant's scope of practice

Explain how to work effectively in a retail team, including receiving direction, giving feedback, and resolving a disagreement with a colleague

Describe the purpose of a roster, and identify your obligations around punctuality, availability, and shift swaps

Outline the process for identifying your own training needs and recording professional development in a workplace context

Explain the environmental and sustainability practices expected in a retail workplace, such as waste segregation and energy use

Complete two full-length practice papers under timed conditions and record your score for each unit area

Re-teach your three weakest unit areas using your own notes, then write a one-page summary of each from memory

Recite the escalation triggers and scope-of-practice boundaries without reference to notes

Review every incorrect practice question and classify each error as knowledge gap, misread question, or procedure confusion