The decline in the number of doctors who bulk bill is creating a greater reliance on pharmacists as the first point of contact when you are not feeling 100 percent. But what qualifies them to give you advice? We asked a highly regarded local pharmacist this question.

"To practice today as a pharmacist you have to complete a four year university degree, plus another professional year. But you can't just enrol. You have to also undergo an interview to be accepted into the course to demonstrate language, empathy and ability to appreciate nuances in a person's behaviour. This talent allows you to pick up on how people present their symptoms to you. If you haven't got this talent, you will not be a good pharmacist and you most probably won't get into the course. It is taken very seriously."

"When people come to us, they rarely reveal all their symptoms. They don't appreciate that some things are relevant, or they are shy or they don't want to be a burden - going over every detail, they think they are taking up our time. But we are not magicians. We need to be able to detect when there is more to know. And our clients must reveal all if we are to help them. We have to be empathetic. We must also build trust and that only occurs with professionalism and many years in a community."

"Also look for a pharmacist that is about your age or perhaps older. Again it is empathy. We will understand the things you are generally going through - perhaps if you have young kids or turning 50 and your body is beginning to tell you things. You can't train these things in people. A good pharmacist also knows ‘when' to refer you to a doctor. A bad pharmacist will ‘always' refer you or ‘never' refer you. Again it all comes down to experience."

"Ongoing training is also very important. Things change rapidly and so we have through the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia a constant stream of courses. Management of burns has changed dramatically in the past five years, just one example of a something we see often."

"It is not an easy job and the hours are long - it is retail as well as a service. We have to be here. But these people become our friends and you soon get past looking at it for the profit. A good pharmacist is a real part of the community. It's a pretty good place to be."