I had cause to visit the pharmacy there. Nothing alarming, just a baby getting teeth. (They grow up so fast).
Anyway a problem that I’ve encountered before presented itself again. A helpful lady behind the counter fielded my questions and offered advice and purchasing suggestions but I had no way of knowing what her qualifications were. At one time I had mistakenly laboured under the illusion that all pharmacy employees were pharmacists but this obviously isn’t the case. What irks me is that I now (very occasionally as I’m a man of immense health and knowledge) seek advice from a professional pharmacist but may in fact be speaking with a mere shop assistant.
Shouldn’t there be a law or regulation or something that means shop assistants in pharmacies have to identify themselves as such and therefore their advice can be taken with a large pinch of salt? You don’t go to a doctor’s surgery and get ushered into a room to meet someone who may or not be a doctor. It’s always clear and therefore you treat their counsel with a degree of respect.
This particular lady this evening had a pleasant manner and oodles of advice for me but was she to pharmacy as artfoley is to the legal profession or was she a bone fide expert?
I’m not sure where to go with this. I guess I’m hoping TFK Consumer Champion Fagan ODowd will run with it. In the meantime I hope the packet of barley lollipops I purchased ease my baby’s transition from gummy grin to toothy smile.
What if the person who approaches me is a pharmacist? I’d likely come across as sexist or racist or ageist or something. The burden of identification should lie with the retailer.
Rocko[/USER], I’ve had cause to visit the pharmacy lately too. Like you, it’s nothing to worry about - a bit of a [USER=234]HBV* type spot on my chin and I wanted some cream for it before it got infected and spread. I always assume (I know the inherent danger in doing so) that the lady at the counter / till is a mere shop assistant and that the pharmacist is busying himself/herself out the back. There’s often a counter behind the counter in pharmacies where the actual pharmacist is sorting out prescriptions etc. Either way, I would simply advising saying to the person at the register that you wish to speak to the pharmacist - they will either identify themselves as one or inform the pharmacist on your behalf.
[quote=“Rocko, post: 769870, member: 1”]I had cause to visit the pharmacy there. Nothing alarming, just a baby getting teeth. (They grow up so fast).
Anyway a problem that I’ve encountered before presented itself again. A helpful lady behind the counter fielded my questions and offered advice and purchasing suggestions but I had no way of knowing what her qualifications were. At one time I had mistakenly laboured under the illusion that all pharmacy employees were pharmacists but this obviously isn’t the case. What irks me is that I now (very occasionally as I’m a man of immense health and knowledge) seek advice from a professional pharmacist but may in fact be speaking with a mere shop assistant.
Shouldn’t there be a law or regulation or something that means shop assistants in pharmacies have to identify themselves as such and therefore their advice can be taken with a large pinch of salt? You don’t go to a doctor’s surgery and get ushered into a room to meet someone who may or not be a doctor. It’s always clear and therefore you treat their counsel with a degree of respect.
This particular lady this evening had a pleasant manner and oodles of advice for me but was she to pharmacy as artfoley is to the legal profession or was she a bone fide expert?
I’m not sure where to go with this. I guess I’m hoping TFK Consumer Champion Fagan ODowd will run with it. In the meantime I hope the packet of barley lollipops I purchased ease my baby’s transition from gummy grin to toothy smile.[/quote]
They have to do a mini pharmacists course to work there. So they can give advice but they’re not allowed measure out the drugs.
Think of it like an accountant who’s allowed do all the sums but can’t sign off on the job.
[quote=“Juhniallio, post: 769911, member: 53”]They have to do a mini pharmacists course to work there. So they can give advice but they’re not allowed measure out the drugs.
Think of it like an accountant who’s allowed do all the sums but can’t sign off on the job.[/quote]
No they don’t. The amount of training that the counter staff have completely depends on the pharmacy. In the better ones, they’ll be well able to treat minor queries like Rocko’s. In others, you may as well be talking to a supermacs counter assistant. Watch out for some chains who’ll try to sell you a few helpful add-ons.
There is a qualification called pharmacy technician. A lot pharmacies will have one or two of those as well as the pharmacist. They can do most of the stuff the pharmacist does but wouldn’t have the training/knowledge for the more complicated issues.
glas and ban has the best advice. Just ask to speak to the pharmacist. They’re one of the few professionals happy to give out free advice.
The doctor analogy is a little flawed.
had you sat in front of a doctor to get some advice, as was delivered to you in an informative and cheery manner by the sound of it, you would have received neither cheery greeting nor free advice.
rather it would have been brief and expensive.
I have a question. I recently started taking ongoing medication and the doctor I visited game me a prescription for enough medication to last me about 6 months. When I went to the pharmacy they only gave me 3 months of medication. Do I have to go back to my doctor and get a new prescription or can I just go back in with the one I got last time?
Brian if you still have the prescription they’ll fill it for you again and if you don’t they should have the details on the computer and they’ll give you a refill. They’ll generally refill a prescription up to a year old.
[quote=“Fran, post: 769940, member: 110”]How did I know Fagan would be an expert in this field.
Rocko - forget the barley lollypops, the teetha is the best thing for it[/quote]
The barley lollypops was a joke, aimed at the more cerebral members who would know that would be an ill-advised purchase but might smile knowingly at the seeming ubiquity of barley confectionery at pharmacies.
