UH Hilo-UH Maui College partnership prepares students for certification to provide immunizations
UH Hilo pharmacy faculty will instruct Maui College students, in person and online, to prepare them for national immunization certification exam.
Students enrolled in the pharmacy technician program at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College (UHMC) will now be able to complete coursework that allows them to become certified to provide immunizations in their future employment, thanks to a new partnership between Maui College and the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy (DKICP).
“For pharmacy technicians to get immunization certification is a gold standard that our faculty involvement can help provide for students in this UHMC program,” says Rae Matsumoto, dean of UH Hilo’s pharmacy college.
UH Hilo pharmacy faculty will instruct Maui College students, in person and online, to prepare them for a national immunization certification exam.
“This additional level of training allows our graduates to perform at the top of their profession,” says Valerie Matsunaga, instructor and program manager for the pharmacy technician certificate program at Maui College. “We saw how important these skills are during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Matsunaga says there is consistent statewide demand for pharmacy technicians. Maui College has been offering the pharmacy technician immersion degree program since 2008, and recently dedicated a new Career Skills Laboratory funded in partnership with CVS Health and designed like a real Longs Drugs pharmacy to offer students hands-on skills training as part of the 15-week program.
Already in place is an articulation program between Maui College and UH Hilo’s pharmacy college.
Matsumoto says the new partnership with Maui College is a logical extension of the educational work done at UH Hilo’s pharmacy college.
“It is another way we can help to train the future healthcare workforce to provide better access to care for the people of Hawaiʻi,” she says.
