At 21-years old, married with two young sons, Arlette Garcia had earned an Associate’s degree and had been working as a Medical Assistant when Covid brought her close-contact work to a halt. But after staying home for a couple of years and welcoming the birth of her second son, she was ready to venture back into the workforce with one important change: she wanted a career do-over; something that would allow her to have a set schedule – no evenings – and more family time.
She checked out SJVC’s Pharmacy Technology program online and thought the nearby Rancho Mirage campus might be worth a visit.
What about the campus and Pharmacy Technology program caught your interest?
My first look at the campus I was thinking, “Ok, this is something for the future and I’m going to love it.” It opened up my mindset from my community college experience where you felt like you were judged every day, and nobody worked together.
And I was looking for something that worked with my schedule with my kids; and the Pharmacy Technology program started at 11:00 AM, so I could take my son to school. It was perfect.
What was the best thing about your Pharmacy Technology program?
I learned how to present myself, talk with people. How you look is important – if your uniform is clean, if you’re put together, because people go off how you look. It made me realize that how you speak in class is the way you are going to speak with people and customers out in the field.
Were there any surprises about the Pharmacy Technology program?
The program teaches both the retail end (customer service) and compounding (mixing/creating medications) part. I didn’t know about compounding until I was in the program – but it was a good surprise.
We work with compounding: using pestles/mortars/spatulas to create a new medication and sometimes using a heating bell for syrups and to dissolve mixtures perfectly.
Was it fun to create medications?
I especially enjoyed compounding medications for animals. It made me realize that our patients aren’t just human beings, but animals as well. The way animals take their medications is less complex. Liquids are more watery and they have smaller pebbles instead of pills to put into their food.
Were your instructors readily available and supportive?
Our instructor made us feel comfortable with ourselves. She let us know that if you’re struggling in life, there is someone you can speak with. I was never a ‘Help me, teacher’ kind of student, but being able to talk with them will make me a better ‘customer service’ person.
Our instructor spoke to us about when we graduate and that we could still contact her for anything. Or we can still just drop into her class. She does that for any student after they graduate.
I still go to her class and talk to students and give them advice about working as a Pharmacy Technician.
Do you still connect with your fellow Pharmacy Technology students?
To this day I still speak to all of them because we became pretty close friends. We had study groups that brought us all together on homework, computers, compounding. We were all a little bit different, but we all wanted to help each other. Most of us had kids, as well.
In the beginning I was more isolated,but knew that I needed to be more open and willing to talk and that would make me a better customer service person.
What was your greatest struggle in your Pharmacy Technology program?
Customer service! Because in class we weren’t taking each other seriously. We would come up with the silliest, hard-to-pronounce names and make faces when we were role playing. I was always laughing and couldn’t hold onto seriousness. But I always got my work done.
Who or what inspired you to complete your Pharmacy Technology program?
My father, Robert, owns a car mechanic shop and worked from morning to night, including weekends when we were growing up. Without everything he did, we wouldn’t have had anything at all. No one else in our family went to college and I’m the first example in our family of someone who went to and graduated from college.
Who was your greatest support while you were a student?
My husband, Martin, helped me and took care of us financially while I did school. My son would cry every time I left for school and my husband thought it might be better for me to just stay home. It took awhile for him to accept it, but now that I’m working, he gets to work fewer hours and be home more for his family. The day I graduated and got my diploma, he was really proud of me.
Where did you land right after you graduated?
I was hired from an externship (work experience) as a Pharmacy Tech at CVS. I have two roles: 40% customer service (behind the counter retail) and 60% compounding medications.
Describe your current position and responsibilities.
I see around 40-50 customers and fill around 30 medications every day. I take care of customers first, before anything else. Customer service is very important. I always want customers to feel they’re in a safe space and they are our main focus. However you talk to a customer, you get that energy back.
I love being in different spots, always learning something new – it’s not the same thing every day. Getting them their medication on time without making them wait can make them happy.
The important thing for me is making other people’s day. They’re who we’re working for.
Do you have job security and advancement possibilities?
I hope it doesn’t change; I really love it. In future years I can see myself still doing this. I enjoy seeing new customers every day.
What is your vision for the future?
I want to do this for a while, but I actually want to go for becoming a pharmacist. My husband is really supportive about it. But now that I’m working, he’s going to take his turn and go to school. He’s looking at SJVC’s Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration (HVAC-R) program. He saw that I could do this, and he said it opened his eyes to what he could do.
He wants to change the future for himself – and us – too. And I’m ready to support him.
