Illustration of a happy house roasting marshmallows with a happy pharmacy.

Most of us will invest a great deal of time researching our doctors, but very little on our pharmacist—a convenient location usually trumps other considerations. Yet your pharmacist is the drug expert for every member of your family—particularly important when someone is taking multiple medications, possibly prescribed by different doctors. It’s the pharmacist who evaluates the regimen for potential drug interactions and side effects, as well as giving recommendations and counseling on over-the-counter medication and vaccines.

So how do you pick the right one? Introduce yourself, either in person or over the phone. Ask questions and determine if the pharmacist: provided accurate, clear information; gave you undivided attention; offered to research your questions further if necessary. If the pharmacy was too busy to give you one-on-one time, or you’re otherwise unsatisfied, you have the choice to fill your prescriptions at another pharmacy. A pharmacist is not just a pill dispenser, but an integral part of your health-care team.

By Ginger Lemay, Pharm.D. ’00, clinical associate professor at URI’s College of Pharmacy