With two promising coronavirus vaccines on the horizon, one of Concordia University Wisconsin's pharmacy professors is going the extra mile to certify qualifying personnel to immunize.
Sarah Ray, PharmD, BCPS, FAPhA, is the department chair of pharmacy practice and an associate professor at CUW. She is also certified by APhA to deliver pharmacy-based immunization training.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services mandates that health professionals receive immunization training before administering vaccines. Not all pharmacy schools require immunization as part of their curriculum, however.
So on Wednesday, Dec. 1, Ray led nine pharmacists through an immunization administration course, giving them the opportunity to pitch in with the COVID-19 vaccine when the time comes.
CBS 58
CBS 58 reporter Cearron Begenda stopped by Concordia on Wednesday to capture the scene. Click on the image below to watch the segment.
In January, Ray will repeat the training for 16 first- and second-year CUW pharmacy students. While immunization is a requirement for graduation at Concordia, typically, pharmacy students will not take the course until the end of their second year. However, an emergency federal order amidst the pandemic made allowances for pharmacy technicians to immunize with the proper certification.
Kyle Rehrauer, a P1 pharmacy student, is among the CUW students who has opted to take Ray’s expedited course in January. He is currently employed as a certified pharmacy technician at Aurora Sinai Medical Center.
“This is the time that we can all make a difference,” Rehrauer said. “I went into the medical field to help people and now I’ll be able to have a part in administering a vaccine for a global pandemic.”
TMJ4
TMJ4’s Mary Jo Ola visited Concordia on Tuesday, Dec. 15 to interview Ray and Rehrauer. Click on the image below to view the segments.
— This story is written by Kali Thiel, director of university communications for Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor. She may be reached at kali.thiel@cuw.edu or 262-243-2149.
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