Dr Sabine Eggers, pharmacist and vitamins consultant and trainer, says the pharmacy is often the first port of call for people with medical issues.
I'm the supervising pharmacist in O'Connor's Pharmacy, Middleton, Co Cork and I also work as a vitamins consultant and trainer with Sona vitamins.
In the pharmacy I work a 10-hour shift starting work at 8.30am and finishing at 6.30pm.
I start my day with a print-out of the drugs dispensed in the pharmacy the day before, which is a legal requirement for all pharmacies, and then I file them away. Next I check the temperatures of the fridges and check all the stock for expiry dates. Then I'll start the day's work of dispensing medicines to customers.
Two or three times a day I'll be in contact with local doctors. Either I can't read their writing on the prescription or I have a query about what has been prescribed.
Doctors' writing is atrocious, but you get used to it. You become a little like Sherlock Holmes trying to make out their handwriting. The danger is if I give out something, it's my fault not the doctor's.
Our computer system will give us warnings about drugs which interact with each other and sometimes I'll have to ring the doctor if such drugs have been prescribed.
A pharmacy is often the first port of call for people with medical issues - we don't charge and they don't need to make an appointment. Often we have the answers. In a rural community the pharmacy plays a vital role. Customers come to us for advice and often I would help out in other ways such as wound dressing and telling people how to dress a burn.
In our pharmacy we run a lot of information days for our customers such as diabetes screening days or asthma information days. We take blood pressure measurements free of charge for our customers. We were the first pharmacy in Ireland to install an automatic defibrillator. We financed it through our own fundraising. Aside from getting training for the staff, we plan to train 18 members of the public to use it.
I've worked in the pharmacy trade for years and have seen all there is to see like people collapsing or getting seizures in the shop and having to get the ambulance crew in.
I have been working in Ireland since 1998 and have found since then that people have less and less time. They are always in a rush and are less patient.
However, people are becoming more open to alternative and complementary medicine. If their child is on antibiotics, they will use echinacea to boost their immune system, for example.
I find that I get at least 10 customers a day interested in alternative/complementary products.
At a pharmacy your focus can change with the season. In winter months I emphasise the importance of vitamin B, for example, to combat stress and garlic, and vitamin C to fight cold and flus.
The festive season can lead to a lot of queries about stress, tiredness, hangovers and, where appropriate, I would recommend Milk Thistle, vitamins and herbs to help with these ailments.
I used to give nutrition lectures in University College Cork, which is where I came across Sona vitamins and since 1998 I have been lecturing for Sona on food supplements and herbal remedies.
I give about 10 lectures every autumn and spring to pharmacists, pharmacy employees and health food shop employees in the spring and autumn to ensure Sona stockists and traders receive the level of expertise needed to sell vitamins, minerals and herbs.
Next year, I'll start giving lectures to pharmacy students in University College Dublin and the Royal College of Surgeons about food supplements and drug and herb interactions. This area of knowledge is a very important issue because there is very little information available to pharmacies on this subject. I am also a vitamin consultant and researcher for Sona and make suggestions on what to add to its product line.
I love my job. My day has so much variety. I love dealing first hand with customers in the pharmacy and then the more creative work with Sona vitamins.