Pharmacist who teaches Pharmacy Technicians to excel at Pharmacy Calculations and Medical Terminology with a proven system.

Find out more about Vanessa

• 1) When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  I can remember, as a little girl, being in my room with my stuffed animals and crayons. I used to write math problems on the walls like I was teaching them math.
  
  
  Fast forward to another time in my life , when I found an ad looking for a teacher to instruct students who wanted to become Pharmacy Technicians. At the time I was a Hospital Pharmacist. I liked what I was doing but felt that I needed a break to do something different. I didn't know it at the time but teaching was calling me. When I got to the interview, I found what they really needed was someone to develop that program.
  
  
  Once I started teaching, I couldn't see not teaching, I had been bitten by the bug! To me, tutoring is an extension of teaching. It is a cross between a 1 on 1 conversation and the full blown classroom experience. So I could say that I've always wanted to teach or I can say that I recently felt the need to share my knowledge with people who want to know what I know. Both are true!

• 2) Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  I teach Pharmacy Calculations and I also teach Medical Terminology. In the very near future, I'll be teaching calculations for nurses as well.
  
  
  The way that I approach the subject matter is, I lay a proper foundation, and I show my students processes and tell lots of stories.
  
  
  I give them an understanding of the background of why we do things a certain way. I also teach them shortcuts, and I give them tools and strategies so that with math, they can see whether or not their answer is plausible before they know that it's right. "Does the answer make sense? Why? Or Why Not?", is what I often ask.
  
  
  As far as medical terminology is concerned, I teach them the foundation of words and make them understand that words tell you what they mean in a different language. If you understand what the word parts mean in that language, and you just string all the word parts that are in the word together, you can come up with an educated guess as to what the word means, if you haven't seen it before.
  
  
  So whenever I teach, I always lay a foundation, the foundation is one of the most important things to teach in a lesson!
  
  
  I also give students takeaways, these are the nuggets that the student should master because they have had that particular lesson.
  
  
  With medical terminology, I give context as to when you will see this particular word in practice. Sometimes different words are used in different settings, for example, there are word parts and words used in psychiatry that you might not see in general medicine. So I try to give my students that insight.
  
  
  I also give them a method of breaking the words down. I have a spreadsheet workbook that is about 26 sections long. I make it fun to learn!

• 3) Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  Yes, well, my first teacher was my mother and not only was she my mother, but she was an actual teacher. She said to me early on, "Vanessa, you are a teacher", but I didn't believe her at the time. Wow, how right she was!
  
  
  Other than my best teacher, my Mom. It's really challenging to choose because I had so many awesome teachers early on and each and every one of them taught me something.
  
  
  If I had to choose it would be my English teacher.Mrs W. She was the one that taught me about breaking down words and word origins. It is really because of her that medical terminology was the easiest subject that I took almost a decade later in pharmacy school!
  
  
  Teaching is like building a house. You have to lay the proper foundation in order for your building to stand. So I look at my students' education as an edifice, and each edifice has to have a proper foundation in order to stand firmly.

• 4) What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  The qualities of a good tutor are:
  
  Being a good listener
  
  Being empathetic
  
  Knowing your subject matter
  
  Knowing something about the student
  
  Having compassion
  
  Meeting your students where they are so you can bring them where they need to be.
  
  Having a love and a desire for your student to do better.

• 6) What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or are still facing in your subject?

  I remember having challenges in the past when I studied pharmacy in school, I mean it was tough. I never thought that I would be teaching some of the very content that I struggled with understanding.
  
  
  I think that is the part of what makes me such a good instructor today, I know what struggle looks like and because of that I can help my students come out of their own struggle.

• 7) Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  Academically, my two passions are Pharmacy Calculations and Medical Terminology, and those subjects are what I teach. Outside of those two things I love to crochet. I also make soap and other bath and body products.

• 8) What makes you a Superprof (besides answering this interview questions :-P)?

  The principles that make me a Superprof come from the same code that makes a great tutor. I'm compassionate, I'm empathetic. I know my subject matter thoroughly. I meet students where they are academically and bring them to where they need to be.
  
  Oh, I can't leave this part out… Being a good storyteller is a good skill to have!
  
  I tell a lot of stories, and all my stories are true, unless I say otherwise. All of my stories have a point that's relevant to the subject matter. So in my mind, if a student can remember my story, they can remember the concept and that could be the difference between the right answer and the wrong answer on a test.