Stephen Clement is the owner of Copper Bend Pharmacy. He is also a past Illinois state pharmacist of the year and the current National Community Pharmacists Association preceptor of the year. As a pharmacist, he is always happy to help the patient who calls his drugstore to verify insulin dose before giving himself the injection.

"I've made a difference in that patient's life," Clement said. "Do you really think that gentleman will go anywhere else to buy diabetic supplies? His trust is in me." Loyalty, trust and building relationships through individualized care are still a cornerstone practice for pharmacists. But other aspects of their careers are also developing. According to H. Joseph Byrd, associate dean for clinical affairs at the University of Mississippi's pharmacy school, the changing climate is good news for pharmacists.

"But getting pharmacists to transition from drug dispensing to patient intervention and disease prevention memos a shift in practice and may be a slow, gradual process. I'm advocating a new role for pharmacists that is more exciting, more challenging and eventually more economically rewarding," Byrd said.

The pharmacists need to make that transition. "There are so many companies offering so many different products, especially glucose monitors," said Gregory Whelan, an associate director with Pfizer who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 16. "You see all these boxes on the pharmacy shelves, and each claims to do something special. I rely on my pharmacist to be objective based on my facts and circumstances and to recommend the best device for me."

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