ABSTRACT
A shift in focus from the product to the patient has occurred in pharmacy. Despite significant changes in pharmacy curricula, it is unclear if perceptions of the profession of pharmacy have changed accordingly. This commentary questions the presumption that, over time, there would be a change in perceptions to reflect this paradigm shift for which the literature revealed little evidence. We conclude that the ties between professional mandates and perceptions of the practice of pharmacy are loose at best and that further efforts are needed to secure pharmacy's role in a changing and increasingly interdisciplinary health care environment.