March saw the debut of the Certificate II in Community Pharmacy Fundamentals course. The six week course is designed to give participants the skills and qualifications required to start a career in pharmacy.
Trainer and Assessor, Sharyn McErlean was responsible for 10 keen students, who were lucky enough to have Pharmacy Assistant of the Year, Dimity Doddridge attend to speak about her passion for the industry, and check out APP2015.
We spoke to Jane Luppino, one of Sharyn’s Gold Coast students, to see what she thought:
Why did you decide to do the course?
I have always been interested in pharmacy, especially being able to interact with and care for customers. I liked the idea of being in a role where I am able to talk to customers and help them, rather than a job where sales are all that matters.
What did you like most about the course?
I loved the classroom setting. Sharyn made you feel that you could ask anything and that no questions were silly. I especially liked that we got to gain the knowledge first then put it onto practice in our work placement. Everything we learnt made sense from the very first day.
Speaking of placements, how did yours go?
It was excellent! Everyone was kind and helpful and I gained confidence and was able to take on jobs without being prompted, but the help was there is I asked for it. The smaller pharmacy setting was great to practice what I had learnt and I felt I was in the right place. My placement host pharmacy offered part-time work after I completed the course, which has been great and all counts towards experience.
What is a takeaway from the course that you could pass on to others who are thinking about doing it?
I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who is thinking of doing this course. I found it to be a great confidence builder, and it really opens your eyes to the workings of a pharmacy. The class size was great and everyone was friendly and helpful and it helped to make learning fun.
Anything else?
Dealing with the Guild has been great, this training course was really wonderful. Having not worked for many years, completing a training course and then getting part-time work in a pharmacy was amazing. I am also looking at completing a First Aid course as well as completing some online vitamins training to further help me with my pharmacy assistant career.
If you know someone who would love to get into pharmacy, the next Certificate II in Community Pharmacy Fundamentals course will be held in Toowoomba, starting 1 June, 2015. Find out more by getting in touch via 07 3831 3788 or [email protected].