When you think of a pharmacist, your mind probably turns to the street corner chemist where as a kid you got a bag of jellybeans after getting your flu shot.

Now while that is still true for some, the evolving role of the pharmacist could see them do more than hand over your prescription, but prescribe medications for you on the spot.

Typically that role has been left to general practitioners, but as consumer demand increases, the healthcare industry is looking to ways the pharmacist could operate as a middle figure between diagnosis and drug administration.

Beata Bajorek is an Associate Professor in Pharmacy at the University of Technology Sydney and her research is looking at how pharmacists could prescribe for hypertension, otherwise known as high blood pressure.