Animas High School Students Experience a Day at the Pharmacy

Animas High School students enrolled in the Pharmacy Technician classes recently traveled to Silver City to get a glimpse of life in the day of a pharmacist. Students started their day at the Gila Regional Medical Center Pharmacy and Human Resources Departments. Following their activities at GRMC, Mr. Al Martinez, Pharmacist and owner of Silver Rexall Pharmacy, hosted the students for a tour and discussion regarding the daily routine of a community pharmacist. Both experiences provided a diverse look at the possible pharmacy atmospheres the students could work in.

Animas High School offers an online Pharm Tech I and a Pharm Tech II class at an honors level. Each class, which meets New Mexico Standards and Benchmarks, qualifies for science credit. These classes, proctered by Tammy Pompeo, teacher at Animas High School, prepare students for Pharmacy Technician Certification. There currently are 13 students in this program, five of which, all seniors, will be traveling to El Paso at the end of May to take the PTCB exam, administered through Pearson Vue testing centers.

The Gila Regional Medical Center Pharmacy and Human Resources staff guided the students through four stations: (1) A Pyxis Tour – “ Medication dispensing system at GRMC”; (2) IV room observation; (3)In-pharmacy work; and (4) Human Resources – “ How to apply for a job.” Members of the GRMC staff who hosted students in the pharmacy environment include: Ray Goellner, RPh - GRMC Pharmacy Director, Wayne Hosteller, RPH, Dana Pelegrino, RPH, Dalue McCant, Tech, Lisa Laws, Tech, Melanie Baines, Tech, and hosts from Human Resources include JoAnn Holguin and Elva Guerrero.

Students in the Pharm Tech program include:
Carolina Bajo – Jr., Carla Castillo – Jr., Amanda Holder – Sr., Marlana Moore – Jr., Erik Romo – Sr., Karina Sarellano – Sr., Alexandra Carrell – Sr., Mikenzie Choate – Jr., Garrett Massey – Jr., Chelsea Rodriguez – Sr., Samantha Romero – Jr., Emily Vigil – Jr.

Two community partners coordinated this field trip. The Gila Regional Medical Center and Hidalgo Medical Services are part of a network addressing healthcare shortages in New Mexico. The network, known as FORWARD NW – Pathways to Health Careers, is administrated by the Center for Health Innovation at Hidalgo Medical Services.

If you would like to learn more about FORWARD NM, contact Rebekka VanNess, Program Coordinator at HMS, (575) 534-0101 X2103, rvanness@hmsnm.org This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .