My Starting Point – Mayra Ruiz Gallegos – Changes

Hello world – I hope you’ve been enjoying my blog posts over the last few months! I’ve now completed 20 weeks of the Pharmacy Technology program at the Carrington College Mesa campus, and I’m about three months into my core classes. I thought it was time to give you an update on what’s going on, as there have been a few changes.

New Program Director

So we’ve just started our next six week course covering body systems, and we actually have a new Program Director – Mr. Sharpe. This week he’s actually teaching our class with our regular instructor, Mr. Ron. They’re changing the program around a little too, so that’s been different and is taking some getting used to.

I think this next six weeks is going to be a little tough; not just because of the program changes, but because now I’m a little deeper into the program I’ve discovered that they’re not quite as lenient as they were earlier on! We also have to write a paper and do a presentation at the end of this six week course.

The new program director is also changing the way we learn about Brand & Generic medications, which is a big part of the program. For our homework, we now have to do a little more research ourselves to discover what the generic versions of brand pharmaceuticals are; it’s no longer multiple choice – we have to fill in the blanks. I think it’s going to make us remember them better.

Getting More Hands On!

In Mr. Sharpe’s class we are getting more opportunities for hands on experience, right now we are learning about the cardiovascular system so our instructor has brought Medical Assisting students into class so we can learn more about the heart, and how to draw blood for example.

He also wants to get us out there in the real world more often, to get a feel for how what we’re doing in class and the lab translates to the workplace. The plan is for us to do a field trip every six weeks; last month we went to a pharmacy, and during the next six weeks he wants us to go to a hospital setting.

People generally don’t like change, but from what I’ve seen so far, these are all positive changes, so it’s exciting, if a little challenging!

While I’m talking about change and getting more hands-on, I guess it’s a good time to mention that I’ve changed jobs too! I’m no longer working with Humana; I got tired of sitting down all day – I needed something that was more hands-on, that would help me get more face-time with patients. So now I assist people with feeding tubes; showing them how to use them. Sometimes it’s in our office, but sometimes I go to their home, and even hospital settings. It’s much more interesting and varied.

Thanks for stopping by again – I’ll be back with a new post in a couple of weeks, giving you some hints and tips on time management! Until then – keep studying!