Some summers ago, I was lucky enough to work as a student at an interesting Pharmacy in Sydney. The pharmacy was particularly eye-opening for two reasons; the staff and the trains. It was before I graduated, and proved an important experience, with some vital lessons in staffing and a solid Training Ground.

The store was located in one of Australia's busiest station, a meagre 40 metres from the barriers. As a result, the shop was endlessly covered in a layer of brakedust. There was an open-style shopfront and no air-conditioning, so stale, rancid summer air wafted at the behest of the lazy ceiling fans. These too, were coated with an inch in black on all surfaces, and at their worst resembled startled bats, flying in circles.

The dispensary, too, was choked thick with black dust. A key job of the pharmacist or assistant was to wipe every item, not only so the label would stick better, but so the box could actually be read and checked!

The pharmacy was staffed by four assistants, myself and the pharmacist owner. In the afternoons, the pharmacist would be relieved a few afternoons a week by one of this two pharmacist mates.

The owner, Syd, (and consequently, his mates) was in his mid sixties. He was, at that time, my archetypal pharmacist; wise, banterous, compassionate and unflappable.

I also learned some really good skills from several of the Pharmacists who worked there, especially when it came to staff management. The lessons I learned were partly though necessity, partly through dumb luck but mostly from kind and honest teaching. This series looks at some of the lessons from the Training Ground.