A busy day of getting to know her customers and finding the best way to care for them reminds Jina exactly why she wanted to become a Pharmacist in the first place.

Outstanding pharmacy doesn't come in a bottle. It comes from expert Pharmacists with real passion for what they do being able to step out from behind the counter and deliver the very best service to the community they care for.

Boots Director of Pharmacy Andrew Caplan says he 'intends to wrap his arms around pharmacy end-to-end in our stores' to deliver an unbeatably innovative service that reaches into every home in a community.

We know that's what our Pharmacists want and it's why Andrew is making sure we're doing all we can as a business to give them every opportunity to do precisely that.

It begins with ensuring each store has an outstanding support network in place to give Pharmacists the flexibility to carry out essential healthcare consultancy initiatives, like Medicine Use Reviews (MURs) and check ups that can make a massive difference to our customers' lives.

Constantly looking for inventive ways to help our pharmacy teams give customers the best service and build new relationships with other essential healthcare partners is our priority.

For example, we now offer GP services in six stores throughout the UK while our 'Consulting Room' is another development that allows a local Boots Pharmacy to become a complete and convenient destination for providing excellent healthcare to the community.

We've even set up a permanent National Blood Donor Centre in one of stores in Poole as a reflection of just how committed we are to changing the way essential healthcare services reach our customers.

So as we continue to lead the future of innovation in order to create customer care opportunities for the community you can be sure that a Boots Pharmacist is always exactly where they need to be - right at the heart of things.

There's a sense of excitement that comes from being a part of Boots at Christmas. It's a feeling amongst our pharmacy teams that they're providing an essential service for the community to help make sure our customers have everything they need to enjoy Christmas.

A very festive Pharmacy

Every Christmas at Boots, there's an atmosphere of team spirit and camaraderie - and that runs from the largest of our flagship stores right through to all our your local Boots pharmacies.

And it's not just caring for our customers to give them peace of mind and help them be fit and well for the festive season; it's the other things we do to make sure the Christmas season is something to look forward to and enjoy.

It's the very useful benefits for helping our staff take care of their Christmas shopping - like our shopping days for Boots colleagues leading up to the big day.

Or it's because our Pharmacists know that, as well as a rewarding time at work, they'll be able to enjoy their own celebrations at home with their family and friends.

Whatever it is, from the spirit of togetherness amongst the team to the feeling that we're genuinely making a difference to our customers, Christmas is a jolly big reminder to our Pharmacists of why they joined us in the first place.

It's a new year and inevitably it's the time when people look to make healthy changes to their lifestyle. And, often the first person they turn to is their local Boots Pharmacist.

A healthy New Year at Boots

Our customers know our pharmacy is far more than a place to just pick up a prescription.

When it comes to having a conversation about health issues, big or small, people know they can trust their Boots Pharmacist for honest advice, outstanding personal service and understanding as we encourage our Pharmacists to take the time to get to know their customers' needs.

That's what our Pharmacists do best and that's why we support them in every way we can to allow them to devote more time to delivering pharmacy services that customers want - like our Weight Loss and Stop Smoking programmes.

And, of course, there are our private consultation areas where customers can have a chat with their Pharmacist in a comfortable environment about their health and any lifestyle changes they want to make.

It's this kind of service that makes our Pharmacists so trusted and valued in their community. It's this opportunity to change someone's life for the better that inspired most of our Pharmacists to become Pharmacists in the first place.

There's nothing more rewarding for a Pharmacist than being able to see how their efforts have made a real difference to someone's life.

We know customers rely on our Pharmacists' advice and understanding to help them make some really big changes in their lives.

And because Pharmacists are in such regular contact with their customers, the role they play in helping them achieve healthy goals - such as giving up smoking through our smoking cessation courses - can make all the difference.

But it's not just customers who get the support they need to achieve their goals. We're in such a unique position in terms of the opportunities we can offer, we're able to help our Pharmacists achieve whatever ambitions they have for their career at Boots.

For example, structured development like our Stepping Stones management programme can lead to all kinds of exciting new opportunities like preparing you to take charge of your own store.

That's why 'support' and 'success' are such key words in our pharmacies. Not just in terms of the personal support our pharmacists provide to their customers but also the kind of support we provide to help them build a happy and rewarding career at Boots.

One of the best things about being a Pharmacist at Boots is our dedication to helping our Pharmacists pursue whatever career direction they choose to take.

With structured development such as our Stepping Stones management programme and close support from your manager and colleagues, we can prepare you for however you want to take your career forward.

Of course, this is helped by the fact we have around 2600 stores within the UK, which means if you wanted to work in a particular location there's a good chance you could find a job in a place that suits you.

And as well as a broad range of possible locations, there are also a variety of different store sizes and structures - from a Your Local Boots Pharmacy to our large flagship stores.

So whichever path you'd like your working life to take, there are few places as devoted to helping Pharmacists find their way as Boots.

Easy access to training opportunities is a key part of being a Boots Pharmacist. In fact we've built quite a reputation in the industry for our commitment to providing top quality training and development.

But while developing our Pharmacists is a vital part of providing outstanding customer service, this is only part of the story.

Our commitment to outstanding, up-to-the-minute training also extends to the support team surrounding our Pharmacists. This ensures there is a group of people you can trust, who share the same passion for delivering expert care and advice to our customers.

This could mean ACT training to help dispensers deliver an extended role in the dispensary. Or mentoring Healthcare Assistants through our award winning '30 minute tutorials' to prepare them for the health questions they're most likely to encounter.

And by ensuring the entire team is confident and well informed means that whatever the query or concern, a Boots Pharmacist can provide the solution that suits the customer best.

While providing outstanding customer care is a big factor in what makes our Pharmacists do what they do, we know how important building a happy, successful and fulfilling career is to them.

We also realise that ambition is such a personal thing, different people may want to achieve totally different goals in their career in pharmacy.

For example, you may have an ambition to manage your own store in a particular location. Well, thanks to our extensive commitment to training and the variety of opportunities we can provide you may well find the kind of role you're looking for.

That's why we think Boots remains such a supportive and flexible place to build your career in pharmacy.

So whatever your ambitions and whatever the reasons are behind them, our Pharmacists know they can rely on us to do all we can to help them get to where they want to be.

Our Pharmacists and Pharmacist Store Managers find that they're surrounded by a network of enthusiastic and well-trained people all working toward the same goal - delivering the best possible customer care.

Supported closely by their Dispensers, Healthcare Assistants and store colleagues, our Pharmacist Store Managers have the confidence to focus on what they do best, knowing they have the team in place to give them the support they need to spend more time with customers.

There's also a strong area support network, with dedicated Line Managers on hand to help our Pharmacist Store Managers grow their pharmacy and retail business.

What's more, our Pharmacist Store Managers are surrounded by area specialists including professional standards and clinical services pharmacists, pharmacy and healthcare trainers, Deployment and Care Home Services Teams.

So, no matter what challenges they face, our Pharmacist Store Managers can be confident that they're supported at every level by a network of experts to help them deliver the kind of personal care and individual attention their customers need.

As any experienced Pharmacist knows, there's nothing more reassuring and refreshing than seeing enthusiastic and committed young pharmacists entering the profession.

At Boots we're renowned for our commitment to developing the best young people, giving them the opportunity to get the experience, skills and knowledge they need to become competent, confident pharmacists.

Our tutors play an extremely important role. They are ambassadors for not only our company, but by sharing their knowledge and experience they help to develop these talented young people. They challenge and support to get the very best from the Summer Placement Students (SPP) and pharmacy graduates that join us.

After all, our ambition to be the world's best pharmacy-led business is dependent upon us being able to continually identify and nurture those aspiring to be great pharmacists of the future.

Our pharmacists make a valuable contribution to improving the health of their patients and they know how important it is to understand what customers want.

Ensuring prescriptions are ready to collect on time, offering reliable advice and providing a range of pharmacy services, helps ensure that our customers come back time after time.

We know it's essential to work together and build strong links with other healthcare professionals, whether that's the local GP surgery or Care Home Manager. With the support of their line manager, our pharmacists have all the help and guidance they need to get local partnerships off the ground.

Our pharmacists are passionate about leading the development of pharmacy services in their store and their community. It's a very exciting time - not only is our pharmacy business growing but our pharmacists have great opportunities to grow professionally.

Through the story of Jina's year we hope we've been able to show the possibilities and rewards that come with a career in pharmacy at Boots.

Jina has taken big steps in her career and this has been made possible by the support she has received from the team around her.

Constant training opportunities and a close relationship with a supportive area manager helps our pharmacists do their job well, enjoy it more and develop their career.

Similarly, the extensive training and development provided for their pharmacy support team helps our pharmacists spend more time caring for their customers and community.

All this support also gives our pharmacists the encouragement and flexibility they need to pursue their own career ambitions.

In Jina's case, she wanted to become a Pharmacy Store Manager in a small town community pharmacy and we did all we could to make that move as easy as possible.

And as Jina's career continues to thrive she knows that whatever she wants to do in the future to help her look after her customers, her community and her career - Boots will be right behind her.