This week starting on Thursdays I will once again be a practicing Pharmacist. What this will mean for you is that I can’t do consultations on a Thursday, and won’t be checking messages or emails, as I will be working at Unichem Kerikeri.
I’ve had a few questions about this decision, so this post is to share some things I considered and some of the reasons behind it. I love being a Homeopath, and I am busy with my practice and teaching, but this will keep my registration as a Pharmacist current and active, and allow me to put my Pharmacy hat on again.
I like being a Pharmacist. Pharmacists are the only Health Professional that you can see, without an appointment, any day of the week in any city and most towns in New Zealand. We are accessible, free to talk to, and good at triaging, meaning if it is something you need to see a Doctor or other Health Professional for, your Pharmacist will refer you on.
Pharmacists are the gate keepers for medication safety. We check prescriptions for safety and effectiveness, and liase with prescribers. Doctors diagnose conditions and prescribe medicines, but Pharmacists are the medicine experts.
Increasingly there are other services offered in Pharmacies, and many Pharmacists have their own interests and areas of expertise.
I have been thinking about going back to Pharmacy on and off for the last 6 months or so, and I am starting in April because that is when the Pharmacist Annual Practicing Certificate year begins.
Working in Pharmacy means I am a bridge between the conventional medical system and all the alternative, integrative and holistic options. For those of us firmly in the natural and holistic system it is completely natural, but if you are not there it can be “where do I start” or not even knowing there are other options.
I am super lucky to be joining an awesome team, and it is also a bit like coming home for me – eighteen and a half years ago, in November 2005, I moved to Kerikeri (the first time) to do my internship at McFadzien’s Pharmacy. I completed my internship and worked there as a Pharmacist until April 2008 when I left Kerikeri. When I moved back I worked at both medical centre pharmacies in Kerikeri, but not at the main shop apart from the odd Saturday. So this will be returning to where I started, although things have grown over the years!
If you’re in Kerikeri, feel free to pop in on a Thursday to Unichem Kerikeri and say hi or ask for help, that’s what I’m there for. For everything homeopathy, you can always email me at and I will get back to you when I’m in clinic.
Have a great week!