Fleming Students Receive Certification to Give COVID-19 Vaccines
/Twenty-six Fleming College students of the pharmacy technician program have been approved to help local pharmacies load and administer COVID-19 vaccines in Peterborough.
Photo Courtesy of Fleming College.
The Ontario College of Pharmacists issued the Emergency Assignment Registration for all pharmacy students in the province to gain certification to temporarily load and give vaccines. The emergency certification is for 60 days but is open to being extended as needed. The opportunity came after the Canadian government recognized a shortage in vaccine administers.
The second-year students received the opportunity as their practical exams as a pleasant surprise when they found out back in early March. It was a different format from what was originally planned.
“I wanted to change their practical exams on this,” said Amanda Mushynski, pharmacy technician program coordinator. “It would qualify them to give vaccines and they were ecstatic. The students jumped on it.”
Photo Courtesy of Fleming College.
Students would be dispatched to local pharmacies, public health units or mobile vaccination sites to administer the doses.
Helping these locations is a big load off pharmacists’ shoulders according to Mushynski.
“They’re trying to do their regular jobs as well as administer vaccines,” she said. “Our students can go into the pharmacies and do the injections. Some of the local pharmacies don’t have the manpower, they might hesitate but now they have a pool to choose from.”
Photo Courtesy of Fleming College.
Students are currently waiting on final confirmation from the college before getting the green light to give the vaccines during this article’s publication.
This unexpected yet positive news for the students is a rare opportunity that they took advantage of and can put them over the top says Mushynski.
Photo Courtesy of Fleming College.
