Dispensing advice

From the Montreal Gazette:
Pharmacists these days are on the front line of health care - often the first health professionals people seek out for guidance.

"They don't want to go and sit for hours in a clinic or emergency room, so they come to us with questions," pharmacist Marc Rabbat said. "We do a sort of triage with them. We're not trained to diagnose diseases, but we're trained to look for certain symptoms."

Rabbat has been a pharmacist for 10 years. He is currently working at the Uniprix Pierre Gravel pharmacy at Plaza Pointe Claire.

Joelle Wizman has been a pharmacist for 25 years. She works at the Jean Coutu pharmacy on Monkland Avenue in Notre Dame de Grace.

"Some people don't have a family doctor, so they come to us for advice," Wizman said. "If they just have a cold, we can give them some guidance before they start to panic and then go clog the emergency rooms." ...more