Aubrianna Borger, of Dennis Township, became a licensed pharmacist in August shortly after graduating with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Rutgers University’s Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy. She passed both board exams, the NAPLEX and MPJE, on the first try and transitioned into her current role as a staff pharmacist at CVS Pharmacy. She said she had confidence both in her career choice and her ability to succeed because of the start she got at Cape May County Technical School.
“The Allied Medical program at Cape May County Technical High School opens students up to considering all of the different possible professions within medicine and provides them with a strong baseline medical education that is important no matter which profession they pursue,” said Borger, a 2017 graduate of the program. “My knowledge from the Dynamics in Healthcare, Medical Terminology, and Anatomy and Physiology courses helped me tremendously during my pharmacy school education – in fact I still have my Medical Terminology book to this day!”
She said she also appreciated the teaching style of Allied Medical instructor Tracey Skiles, which she found to mimic a small college classroom by mixing traditional lectures with practical, hands-on experiences. That prepared her for post-secondary success, and some of the coursework became even more relevant as she pursued pharmacy.
“I still remember giving mock intramuscular injections into a manikin during one of our classes…and now I give real IM injections in the form of vaccinations every day at work,” Borger said. “I have definitely learned and grown a lot since those mock injections, but I don’t think I would be as successful as I have been without my education at Cape May Tech.”
Borger recently returned to her alma mater to pay it forward. She presented to current Allied Medical students about a career in pharmacy. Her perspective included the important role a pharmacist plays in the community.
“I get to act as one of the most accessible healthcare professionals in my community and help patients navigate the increasingly complex healthcare system, provide medication counseling and administer vaccinations,” she said.
Borger said a highlight of her career was being part of the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines. She became certified to vaccinate as a pharmacy intern right as the COVID-19 vaccines were becoming available in 2021.
“Now three years later, I am still helping patients navigate the most up to date CDC recommendations and provide them with the updated COVID-19 vaccinations, along with other routine vaccines,” she said. “After seeing what the world went through at the height of the pandemic, I am so proud to be a part of a profession that has collectively provided over 300 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since they became available.”
