Jenna Bald is a busy woman. As a pharmacy technician at Costco Wholesale in Brighton, Michigan, she interacts with customers all day, which helps the pharmacy at this giant store run smoothly.
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“We fill prescriptions constantly, ring up stuff, cash people out,” she says. “When people drop off prescriptions, we must enter it into the system, order drugs if we’re out of stock. Sometimes we have to call doctors to verify prescriptions, too."
“I like it all. It’s never the same day. Something is always different.”
At 31, Jenna, who lives in Hamburg, Michigan, makes a living doing what she loves — and is all too familiar with the long, winding road so many people take to find their right career. Many twentysomethings, not to mention those in other age groups, can identify with the tone in her voice when she says, “I got sick of waitressing and bartending.”
Finding Her Career Path
The path she took is familiar to many. It all started after high school graduation, when Jenna “wasted a lot of money” going to a community college without realizing what she really wanted to do. “At first I thought I wanted to go into accounting, but I realized it was not for me."
Then it was looking at medical careers: "Ultrasound technician? No, not enough schools in the area offered that training. X-ray technician? Ahhhh … no."
Finally, Jenna says she, “Came across the pharmacy technician program, which only lasts for one year. I got into that, and it was actually pretty interesting."
She remarks that it was relatively challenging, too. Prerequisite courses included basic algebra, English, biology, and others. After that came the pharmacy technician training. Jenna could have chosen on-the-job training, but, she heard that in coming years, pharmacy technicians would be required to attend accredited programs. So, she opted for Washtenaw Community College (WCC) in Ann Arbor, Michigan instead.
The program’s courses included healthcare terminology, medical terminology, introduction to pharmacy and healthcare systems, prescription processing and compounding, and many others.
After that came an internship. Jenna interviewed at the University of Michigan's hospital and was accepted.
“They had me do all the different pharmacies,” she says, “such as the compounding department,” which involves putting together lotions, gastrointestinal cocktails, “magic mouthwash,” and other prescriptions.
After that came the outpatient training part of the internship at UM’s Cancer Center, which included learning such tasks as “clean room” techniques.
“It felt so right once I was doing the clinical experience,” Jenna says, which contrasted with the less exciting but very necessary classroom education. “Just the thought of helping others, that was my absolute favorite. Even if some people were jerks, I understood: They don’t feel good.”
It’s Official: Getting Certified
Jenna remembers celebrating the big days when, first, she earned her certificate from the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board through WCC. She then recalls getting her license after passing the state certification test, administered through the Michigan Department for Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.
“It felt great,” she says. “You have to take the big test and pass it, and then there is continuing education to maintain the license.”
Today, Jenna illustrates the contentment of someone who has found her calling in life, and she hopes one day to extend her pharmacy education. She expresses her happiness in finding a career that she loves. Speaking with her also shows that it is very possible to find the right career — even after going to school for something else entirely.