Objectives：We conducted a questionnaire survey of registered salespersons working at pharmacies and store-based drug outlets to examine their preparations for taking the recently introduced professional qualification examination for persons selling over-the -counter（OTC）drugs，and how they perceived their profession．
Methods: A questionnaire was sent to registered salespersons（total, 120）of two drug store chains in the Chiba Prefecture and all were returned in the survey period， June-November，2010．The number of completed surveys was 116；4 uncompleted questionnaires were excluded from the analysis（overall response rate：96.7 %．
Results: The survey showed that around 70 % of respondents had a considerable period of practical experience before taking the examination for the professional qualification.
Most had attended educational programs offered by the store-based drug outlets or pharmacies where they were employed，and had also undertaken self-study．Almost 60 % of the respondents considered the profession to be worthwhile and rewarding，and 74 % were willing to improve their professional skills by attending study meetings. On the other hand，the provision of drug information about OTCs of groups 2 and 3 to customers at their workplace accounted for only 31 % of their total work time，suggesting that they are under-utilized as providers of health care advice．
Conclusions: The registered sales persons who responded to our survey had generally had several years of practical experience as employees of store-based drug outlets or pharmacies before taking the examination. Despite their experience and professional qualification，they appear to be underutilized as providers of drug information about OTCs of groups 2 and 3 to customers
Vol.43 No.3 pp288~293(共同研究につき本人担当部分の抽出不可能)
