College of Pharmacy Students Trained to Give COVID-19 Vaccinations

Sixty first-year College of Pharmacy students are now certified and ready to contribute to the massive effort of administering COVID-19 vaccinations to the public.  

Kunal Amin, Pharm.D., R.Ph., director of clinical services for NEOvations RX and assistant professor of pharmacy practice, led the COVID-19 vaccination and certification training, which was available to local pharmacy technicians and pharmacists as well as to the group of NEOMED pharmacy students.

“The training that NEOMED provided was not required, and it made for a busy start to the spring semester – but the benefits far outweigh that sacrifice of time,” said Brian Cottrill, a first-year pharmacy student. He looks forward to getting started giving vaccinations at Klein’s Pharmacy in Cuyahoga Falls, where he serves as a pharmacy intern. 

First-year pharmacy student Momitul Talukdar said, “With the current circumstances, I knew that now more than ever, we needed more trained individuals to administer this vital vaccine. The more hands the better!”

In addition to preparing the students to help others during the pandemic, vaccination certification will also help the students as they apply for internships and other professional opportunities, said Dr. Amin. It was time well spent, said Talukdar: “Even though the afternoons were long and the shoulders were sore, it was well worth the training and knowing that you’re part of the relief.”