The white coat is one of many symbols that for generations has evoked and engendered the trust and confidence of the citizenry whether they reside in big cities or small villages. The Pharmacist or the Chemist as they are sometimes called has al
ways been more than a mere dispenser of drugs. He is a family friend, confidant and sometimes the first person consulted when a family member has an illness.
In recent times, as our societies have become more focused on health and wellness issues, many local pharmacists have taken the proverbial the white coat to another level by providing to customers suggestions on wellness, lifestyle improvement strategies and try to offer competent and great service to the public.
On the flip side, however, this new paradigm has lead to the erroneous belief that everyone behind a pharmacy counter is qualified to act in the role of a pharmacist. Such a notion must be dispelled at once for the dire ethical and financial problems that may be attendant with such misconceptions.
Pharmacists ar
e health professionals who have studied and practice the science of pharmacy also called pharmacology. This professional plays a critical role, which is often times over looked, in the management of diseases. A pharmacist works closely with your physician to optimize and monitor any drug therapies that are prescribed and can also as aforesaid be relied on to give invaluable advice for health and wellness.
Pharmacy technicians on the other hand, the other persons behind the pharmacy counter, work under the supervision of the pharmacist and also carry out the day to day administrative and clerical tasks of the department. Though, they may from time to time be asked fill a prescription, their work is always cross checked by a pharmacist prior to delivery of the drug to the customer.
Pharmacist and pharmacy technicians play very important roles in the running of an efficient pharmacy and really do compliment each other.
To be considered a pharmacist in the Commonwealth of Dominica, not only is the requisite training required. You should also be registered with the Dominica Medical Board.
Always remember the above and you will get the best service you can from behind the pharmacy counter.
@my opinion: Thanks , Thanks, Thanks,
I deeply appreciate !
@Bette Davidson: As a long time satisfied customer of Jolly’s pharmacy i believe that If you’re gonna say something you better get your facts straight! Jolly’s pharmacy do have qualified pharmacist…Orrin Jolly does have a doctorate in pharmacology and its public knowledge..the plaques are their for all to see;and the other pharmacist may not have their ‘doctorates’ but however have served the public with their knowledge and skills ,some for over 14 yrs without any problems with the Dominican public.Sometimes experience is key … can anyone with their ‘doctorate’ school Mr.Anderson Jolly Snr. on compounds? The man has been in the business for over 30yrs! i believe this counts as something! The pharmacist at Jolly’s Pharmacy has served the Dominica public with class,professionalism,pride and most importantly their hearts. Is their anyone who can beat Mrs. Dover and that super smile and grace that she has! The other pharmacist are always willing and ready to help with a smile.
To Mr.Jolly and his staff continue the good work you all have done a great job thus far.
To Mr.Jolly and his staff i believe
Rewarding profession. PharmD. program intense and expensive. However with some experience, salary in the six figures. I recommend this career to grads from the D/ca State College since we are short in this field. Xavier University of Louisiana offers the program.
The first and safest thing to do is go to your family doctor about your feeling of unwellness, illness, or sickness. If you need medication, he/she will prescribe. You take that medicine to the drug store and a qualified person there will dispense it for you.
In Toronto, the pharmacist at the drug store is mostly there to help some people to know how to follow the direction of taking the medicine prescribed by their doctor. Very seldom that they can help a person to pick up the right over-the-counter medication. They read the information to see what the medicine is good for just as the rest of us can do it. So what help is that?
The other day I had a terrible sinus pain. I knew that I just needed a sinus medicine that would give me some relief of the pain. I did not have a runny nose, I almost never have that. As I looked on my own, I found the over-the-counter medicine that I needed, but I thought that I should confirm with the pharmacist before I paid, expecting her to tell me it was okay.
She looked at the information on the label and she asked me if I had high blood pressure. I myself, did not see any warning on the medicine label about blood pressure. Must have been something that she learned in school, not something that she had experienced for herself. I told her yes, but I know that all I needed from the medicine I chose was two or three doses, because I have a healthy immune system and healing is very quick in my body. It would have no effect on my blood pressure.
However that pharmacist tried to tell me that the medicine I had chosen, which would give me the relief I was searching for, was not good because it would raise my blood pressure. And so she gave me something for runny and itchy nose.
I told her that I did not have those symptoms, I had a bad sinus pain and I wanted relief. She suggested that I take that medicine for runny and itchy nose along with a pain relief medicine which would cost twice the money I would pay for the one medicine which would give me the relief I needed.
But even so, I am also taking medicine for my blood pressure, so what is the big deal if my blood pressure went up for a few hours. I just ignored that pharmacist’s advise and I paid for the medicine I had chosen.
As I assumed, I only had to take three doses of the medicine, hardly no time to experience a rise in my blood pressure, but I was relieved from the pain in my sinuses up until today. Most of the time, those people are just filling in hours to get a paycheck. Their service is useless to us more often than they are useful.
well said
Let me say hi and give those Pharmacist who are alive their flowers. Dominica has a cadre of good pharmacist in the past like, Mr. Henry Liburd, Anderson Jolly, deceased Stanislaus Cuffy, Mr. Alexander and Mr. Yankey. Those guys knew their stuff and cared for the people and patients. The compound medicines were their speciality. Man they guys were like Doctors in their own right.May their souls rest in peace. To those who alive continue the legacy. Young pharmacist, take a leaf from the old heads.
Big up to the Farmercysts.
Pharmacy and pharmacology are different; please note.
In Dominica, unfortunately, we have only four trained pharmacists with university degrees in Pharmacy, one of whom has just left to pursue other studies, and another, who has a doctorate in pharmacy, who is about to leave.
This means that really the practice of pharmacy in Dominica is, sorry to say, substandard; what we have are for the most part dispensers of medicine.
Unfortunately, some of them, because they have been given the title of Pharmacist, want to behave like doctors and do all sorts of risky, even life-threatening things, and are totally devoid of ethics.
The new Medical Professions Act, which hopefully I’ll see passed in my lifetime, should address this issue of proper and continued training, including a mandatory degree in Pharmacy to put us on par with a lot of our Caribbean neighbours.
Having said all this, big up to a few of our pharmacists whom I know do a pretty good job, despite their limited training.