Field trips are events that Ross Medical Education Center students always look forward to. Part of the reason is because they offer an exciting alternative to the daily routine, but they are also opportunities for students to stretch their understanding of their future field or even to experience first hand what may await them in their future career. This spring, the Pharmacy Technician students at the Davison campus had the opportunity to take a field trip to visit Triad Isotopes, a nuclear pharmacy in Saginaw.
Triad Isotopes was started in 2006 and is one of the fasted growing radiopharmaceutical companies in the nation. While at the nuclear pharmacy, the students were able to tour the entire facility. During their tour, they also were able to watch the staff at the facility conduct blood studies and package and ship medications for hospital deliveries. One of the highlights for the students was the opportunity to ask the pharmacist and technician on staff all of the various questions they had about the field and their work. The students enjoyed meeting and getting to talk with people that are currently working in the field that they are so interested and invested in.
This was a unique experience as well because it was a joint field trip. Joining the Davison students in attendance were the Ross students and instructor from the Saginaw Pharmacy Technician program. After the field trip, the Davison students were able to visit the Pharmacy Technician classroom at the Saginaw campus. The instructors decided to have their classes face off in a campus vs. campus competition. For the competition, they asked the students various questions regarding many topics including dosage calculations, medication brand/generic names, and general pharmacology. In addition to the fun competition, the visit also allowed an opportunity for a class discussion regarding the various skills observed on the field trip. Overall, it was an excellent out of class day for the students.