As a young girl, Annamae Anderson had a clear dream of what she wanted to be when she grew up. She wanted to be a race car driver. That lasted until she was about eighteen. She replaced that vision with one of becoming a dancer on Broadway and spent years training for that possibility before stepping into teaching others to take their dance dreams forward. She found herself in that role in all the careers she sampled: cosmetology, dance, photography, hair stylist, personal tutor鈥aybe that was her truest calling: instructor.
So she was sharing what she knew with others, and it was gratifying. But she needed a larger platform and a specialty to better serve her student audience and their industry. She chose the growing field of Pharmacy Technology and would arrange her education and career building blocks to fit that vision. She would have a classroom and she would touch many lives.
How did your Pharmacy Technology career begin?
I graduated from 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Pharmacy Technology program and earned my Associate of Science degree in 2012. Since then, I鈥檝e worked in a variety of Pharmacy settings such as specialty pharmacies like, AIDS healthcare filling meds for AIDS and HIV patients, a mail order pharmacy, handling prior authorizations and San Quentin state Prison鈥檚 Pharmacy department. I鈥檝e learned a lot from each one of these companies.
What made you decide to explore teaching possibilities in the pharmaceutical industry?
Throughout my career I networked with people in the pharmacy industry and gained friendships with representatives both in that industry and those, like 黑料不打烊, referring Pharmacy Technology students and graduates for employment consideration. I felt like I could give students the confidence they needed to be in a pharmacy and that I could make sure that whatever is asked of them in that position, they will know how to do it.
What excites you about teaching 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Pharmacy Technology program?
Being able to share real life experiences and all the mistakes I鈥檝e made. Everything I鈥檝e learned in the Pharmacy industry, can safely regurgitate that, and give it to my students, so they will not make those same mistakes. To hear them play back to me something I taught them is very rewarding.
What are some of those mistakes?
It鈥檚 important to pay attention to every detail you are given, I didn鈥檛 always pay attention to the details. I thought I could cut corners and do it MY way, and that was one mistake I made. Placing a label on medication vial: verifying a patient鈥檚 name, date of birth and address are essential details. When you鈥檙e using a pestle and mortar, don鈥檛 bang it! The proper technique is to press and twist for the pressure to break a tablet apart. These are mistakes I鈥檝e made.
Where do you start in your classroom interaction?
Showing students how to work as a team is most important. I split them into groups with a point-person in each group that is the Lead Tech. I might put an over-achiever with someone who is shy and have them both step out of their comfort zones and work with someone they normally wouldn鈥檛. We do icebreakers so that they learn to communicate with each other more easily.
What do you most hope to give your students?
Confidence in being in a pharmacy 鈥� and that whatever they are asked to do, they will know exactly how to do it. I see that confidence and the initiative they take and how it has grown from when I first met them. I give them the opportunity to lead, and they take it.
Are there important signs you look for in your students?
Struggle. I鈥檓 reading their body language. Someone might be afraid to show their weakness or vulnerability, so they might look at me in a certain way and take that as they may need help, so I鈥檒l go to them.
About half-way through the program, I start to see their leadership skills blossom. It鈥檚 when they help the person behind them maybe doing a dosage calculation. I see them get up from their desk to go and show them. All things lead back to teamwork. I remind them 鈥渨hen you鈥檙e in a pharmacy a pharmacist is not always available鈥�, and they will have to rely on their coworkers.
How do you know when a student 鈥榞ets it鈥�?
I look for that 鈥榣ightbulb moment鈥� when their faces look excited and the 鈥淕ET IT鈥�, then I know we鈥檙e ready to move forward.聽 Sometimes, after class, I ask them individually: 鈥榃hat is the most important thing you learned today what is something you teach someone who just walked into class?鈥�
What is one of your students鈥� favorite moments in class?
Compounding! It鈥檚 like following a recipe: taking one medication (tablet), grinding it to powder and mixing it with something else to create a new cream/ointment product. I see their confidence, how excited they are to do something new, and that is rewarding to me.
It reassures me that they are excited by this business, eager to learn and invest themselves in this business. They come to class with a 鈥榃hat are we doing today?鈥� kind of attitude.
What inspires you to teach in the Pharmacy Technology field?
I come from a community where the odds are always stacked against us, however I didn鈥檛 let it keep me from striving higher with my career and I didn鈥檛 let where I grew up define me, It wasn鈥檛 easy for me to be in this industry, as a black woman. I share my experience in the Pharmacy industry with my students to let them know that we are a team, and there are no special treatments, privileges, or relationships.
What influence has your career success had on others in your family?
Seeing me chase my dream gets their wheels turning. Some are inspired by my success while others are challenged by it. I challenge my nieces and nephews to dream big and write out their goals. For example, I ask the question: Where do you want to go in your life?鈥� 鈥淟et鈥檚 write in your journal right now.鈥� I don鈥檛 want them stuck in the mindset of (this is as good as it gets) what they see in their everyday life or where they live can鈥檛 get better than that. They don鈥檛 have to limit themselves.
I quote Ester Hicks (inspirational speaker): 鈥淭hings are always working out for you 鈥� even when they don鈥檛 seem like they are, things are working out for you鈥�.
