A study examined the perceptions of pharmacy students regarding pharmacist-patient communication to determine whether the increased emphasis on the patient counseling role of pharmacists resulted in perceptual differences between students, pharmacists, and faculty. Data were gathered from 25 students, 2 pharmacy faculty, 8 communication studies students, one communication studies professor from a midwestern university, and 5 local registered pharmacists. Subjects responded to 51 questions, employing the Q-methodology, in which statements are sorted (each printed on individual cards) according to an 11-point agree-disagree continuum. Results revealed a similar structure of opinions about communication among pharmacy students, pharmacy faculty, and pharmacists. The composite findings indicated the following concerns about effective pharmacist-patient communication: (1) the degree to which the pharmacist should focus on the patients and their feelings; (2) the difficulty in counseling patients when there is much behind-the-counter work; (3) the expectations of the patients; and (4) the degree of empathy for patients and the type of communication. (One table of data is included; 59 references and 1 appendix containing a descending array of z-scores with item descriptions are attached.) (KEH)