Final answer:
Pharmacists primarily dispense medications prescribed by licensed healthcare providers and provide guidance on drug use. They can sometimes prescribe under specific legal frameworks and collaborative practice agreements, particularly if they have a professional relationship with the patient. This is only partly true and context-dependent.
Step-by-step explanation:
The subject of whether a pharmacist may engage in prescribing medications is multifaceted. In most cases, pharmacists are primarily responsible for dispensing drugs that have been prescribed by a licensed healthcare provider, such as a doctor, and they use their extensive knowledge of chemistry and biology to understand the effects that these drugs have on the body. While pharmacists can advise on the proper use of medications and consult with both patients and other healthcare professionals regarding drug selection, dosage, interactions, and side effects, the act of prescribing typically falls outside their scope of practice. However, there are certain conditions under collaborative practice agreements or specific legal stipulations that allow pharmacists to prescribe in a limited capacity, such as renewing or adjusting prescriptions, especially when they have a collaborative practice agreement with a physician and there is an established professional relationship with the patient.
As such, the statement that a pharmacist may only engage in prescribing when they have developed a professional relationship with the patient is partly true, but with the understanding that there are additional stipulations and legal frameworks that govern these situations, and it is not universally applicable across all states or situations.