Each time a new Ross Medical Education Center campus opens, or an existing campus gets a new program, it is very exciting for the Ross community as well as the community the campus is able to serve. Recently, the Ross campus in Portage, Michigan was able to open a brand new program to serve their future students and their community at large! They are thrilled that their dreams of being able to offer a Pharmacy Technician training program is finally a reality!
The Ross Medical Education Center Pharmacy Technician program explores the career paths of a Pharmacy Technician in both the hospital and retail pharmacy. Instructors in this program provide instruction on both pharmacy settings, covering duties and procedures for both the administrative and technical or clinical expectations.
The goal of the skills taught during the program is to prepare the student for a career as a Pharmacy Technician as well as help them prepare for the certification exam. The curriculum is designed to appeal to a variety of learning styles and incorporates different resources in addition to the textbooks and lectures. Students will have the opportunity to practice hands on skills, give presentations, and may even go on field trips to area organizations.
Mindee Seegar, Pharmacy Technician Instructor in Portage shared a little bit about her excitement for this program and the opportunities her students will have, “our classroom is set up so that students experience both classroom lectures and hands-on learning at the same time. You will discover the excitement of having a mock pharmacy each week and working in a clean room to practice hospital pharmacy skills like preparing chemo bags among others.”
Throughout the training, special emphasis is placed on the top 200 drugs currently in the marketplace so students are up-to-date with current trends in the industry. Although this is very helpful for their future career path, job preparation doesn’t stop in the classroom. Mindee explained, “students will also have the experience of visiting local pharmacies and working with our Career Services Team on the necessary skills for successful job interviews and licensure in the field. I look forward to meeting you and working together to make your career dreams become a reality!”
The instructor is not the only one excited for this new opportunity; the students are thrilled too! One of them, Maricia Bianchetti, decided to pursue Pharmacy Technician training after working as a Certified Nursing Assistant for three years. She knew that she loved being in the healthcare field, but wanted to try something a little bit different. It was important to her to move forward in her career both for self-improvement as well as to improve the lives of her children. “The things I like about the program are the hands on experience being in the clean room compounding IV bags and the mock pharmacy when were are doing the roles a pharmacy technician would do daily on the job,” Maricia shared. She looks forward to being prepared to tackle most of what she can expect on the job thanks to her experiences at Ross.
Another student that is thankful to be a part of this new program in Portage is April Levora. She decided that pursuing a career as a Pharmacy Technician was for her because she has always wanted to be in the medical field, but was not interested in dealing with blood or other aspects of the clinical side of healthcare. “It means a lot to me because I know I’m doing something good with my life and I get to help the ill get better and meet other good people,” said April. She shared that she enjoys the hands on practice of getting to fill prescriptions and dispensing medications.
Are you interested in Pharmacy Technician training in Portage or any of our other campuses that offer it? Visit our Pharmacy Technician program page today and fill out the form to get more information!