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If you think all the people in white coats behind your pharmacy counter are actually pharmacists, you are in for a big surprise. Some may actually be high school students, with very little experience or training in the field of medicine. In many states, the technicians are allowed to access the medicine stock shelves, and fill prescriptions. They can also check with doctors to authorize refills, and enter drug information into the computer. It's a scary thought indeed!

Sometimes prescription drugs appear almost identical, and incorrect drugs are given by mistake. This was the case in the tragic incident that happened to little four month old Alexandra Gehrke. Born premature, Alexandra needed Phenobarbital to prevent seizures. Instead, she was given an adult diabetes medicine that resembled her prescription. A busy pharmacist did not notice that the number and brand on the pills signified that they were not Phenobarbital. As a result, the incorrect medicine was given to the baby for seven days. It caused seizures, and left her with brain damage that will last a lifetime. She cannot talk, walk or feed herself. The jury in the court case found Walgreens at fault, and awarded the family 21 million dollars, but the pharmacist responsible for the error still works at a nearby Walgreens, and is the pharmacy manager.

The television show 20/20 did a four month investigation of pharmacy errors. Time and time again, they observed many pharmacy technicians filling prescriptions. This is legal in many states, with the understanding that the pharmacist will recheck each prescription. But that did not protect Beth Hippely, a mother of three from Lakeland, Florida. She was prescribed the blood thinner, Coumadin, after she started chemotherapy for a treatable breast cancer. But a pharmacy technician, a high school student at the time, typed on Beth's prescription label a dosage 10 times more than her doctor prescribed. She suffered a stroke that left her brain damaged and disabled. As a result, she was unable to continue chemotherapy, and died when her cancer returned. The pharmacist was unaware of the mistake, until called to testify in the court case. She has recently been promoted.

Unfortunately, there are many such cases. According to the Institute of Medicine, medication errors harm at least 1.5 million people every year. The Food and Drug Administration has reported that medication mistakes cause at least one death per day. Only a few states require pharmacies to report

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