Welcome to your December issue of Irish Pharmacist, where once again we feature opinion and content from all angles of pharmacy.
As in the last issue, we feature opinion from a young person aspiring to become a pharmacist. In your November issue, we highlighted some important work being undertaken by pharmacy students in Malawi.
In this issue, we feature an opinion piece by someone even younger, a secondary student with aspirations of a career in pharmacy. Ruben very eloquently outlines why he wants to be a pharmacist, and bemoans how there seems to be no clear path or directional guidance for young people who want to study to be a pharmacist of the future.
It’s a well-written and thought-provoking piece that raises a question or two: It took years to change the general public’s perception of what a pharmacist actually does for a living. That makes one wonder what an average teenager’s perception of a career in pharmacy is, and whether we should target potential pharmacists further down the rungs of the educational ladder.
Also in this issue, Terry Maguire reflects on the massive changes that have swept through the profession since what almost seems like a Dickensian period in decades gone by. One assumes that the changes in the profession will be similarly unimaginable in the decades ahead, and the pharmacists of the future will wonder how you managed to practise under the restrictions that we currently take for granted.
Also in this issue, Fintan Moore — a self- described recent convert to the concept of taking a lunch break — explains how the much-debated closure of the pharmacy for that hour is more than just a break for food; it’s a vital time to decompress and make sure you’re fit for purpose for the rest of the day. The lunch break debate continues!
Finally, on behalf of everybody at Irish Pharmacist, I want to extend a heart-felt thanks to all our readers, contributors, and partners.
May the year ahead be filled with good health and happiness as you continue to raise standards and drive the profession on to new horizons as yet unimaginable.
