I am a foreign pharmacy graduate with an intern license in MN. I was taken in as a technician but I need to be an intern in order to get my intern hours. I spoke to my PIC and she said that the reason is that they don't want to give me a job assurance. I don't want a job assurance - just need to fulfill my intern requirements. My state doesn't let me work an a technician to complete my hours. Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Any suggestions? I am frustrated!!!
CVS took me in as technician, but not willing to change me into an intern
- Thread starter solie1
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Talk to HR and Pharmacy Supervisor. Your PIC has no official authority in this matter. Foreign grad program has pretty much been discontinued. I dont know when you were hired as a tech. CVS made it very clear in the last couple years that anyone hired as a tech will not be guaranteed intern position, and especially foreign grads. They have to pay you at a different rate from tech and even from P1-P4 interns if they code you into the system as a foreign grad intern. From what I understand, you can not perform intern duties when you are a tech in the system. They know foreign grads try to backdoor into getting hours.
If your talk with HR doesn't go well, you need to find a pharmacy (independent maybe?) or chain that still has that program in place.
If your talk with HR doesn't go well, you need to find a pharmacy (independent maybe?) or chain that still has that program in place.
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they do that to several foreign grads at our store. though in maryland they do not need to be hired as intern to claim the hours. the PIC do not hire interns. you have to address it with the district supervisor. he or she will then totally disregard you. ignore you. then you address it to district manager. usually then the DM will respond. if not, you then call the ethics hotline. talk to corporate.
Thank you for the information! I was very clear right from the interview that I wanted to be an intern and need to complete my intern hours. But my pharmacy manager was not aware of the difference and technicalities and took me in! Now I'm almost done with the initial training and finding out now that this is going nowhere
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That really sucks, in IL, technician hours count towards fulfilling your requirements. Maybe you need to transfer to a state where they will count.
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There needs to be a sticky titled "Guess what CVS did this time"
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The fault is with the pharmacy manager. Pharmacy interns are hired on a district level by a pharmacy supervisor.
CVS has made it very clear that they will not hire any foreign grads as intern for many reasons. The main reason is because they do not want to sponsor any H1Bs because it is hard to justify the need for foreign pharmacists when we have a surplus here.
A lot of people with foreign licenses either get the wrong information or try to be sneaky. They try to get into the system as a tech with an intern license and then be promoted to an intern because they know that they wont be hired as an intern to begin with. If you really did not know, then you should have questioned it in the beginning on why you were hired as a tech even though you were an intern.
If I were you, I would start looking for work else where. I have seen this happen many times and the end result will not be in your favor. It will save you a lot of time.
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A lot of pharmacy managers are idiots...
but don't you think it was obvious if that you were titled as a tech, that the hours worked is not consider intern hours?
Maybe your board specifies requirements different- it might say hours worked in pharmacy... etc
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This. I have seen so many foreign grads try to back door into getting hours!!! It is frustrating for me to see pharmacy managers still making this mistake, and vice versa for foreign grads to understand no means no. It is a waste of everyone's time.
CVS has made it clear it will not give any precedence on this.
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In Pennsylvania, it doesn't matter what your employer calls you. It matters that you have a pharmacist be a preceptor and sign off on your hours. You don't want a job with CVS after you graduate. It shouldn't matter what CVS calls you. It should only matter that the pharmacist will be your preceptor....
^This should work. If you actually have to have your preceptor sign off on certain tasks/experiences just be aware that CVS will not let you preform the extra intern duties if you are a technician in their system (flu shots/transfers/verbals) and you probably will not be getting the best experience as an intern without getting the opportunity to do these tasks.
You are using common sense. I thought exactly like you did. Since you have experienced DM/Sup, they might look the other way. But this is against CVS policy and too many people have to look the other way for it to work for 9 months to a year. You are going to have a tech paid half of what they would get paid as an intern for a year and who knows how that intern/tech will even be utilized.
Hi, I am also from MN and looking for internship. Just saw your post here. Could you let me know if CVS hired you as an intern later on or gave you your hours ? Not getting any internship being a foreign grad is so frustating.. I also get a call for Tech position,as I applied coz didnt see any intern job openings, and when I tell them I need intern hours they say they can't hire me as a tech. Any suggestions plz??
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