Is it possible to get Pharmacy Internship nowadays?

[3boooda]

Hi, I need an advise about how to secure a Pharmacy internship in CA?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[steveysmith54]

Hi, I need an advise about how to secure a Pharmacy internship in CA?

a lil more info would help. Where do you go to school, what year, where do you want a job. what kind of a job, ie hospital, retail, etc.

 

[Praziquantel86]

Yes. Look for jobs in the field you want and apply for them.

 

[owlegrad]

Hi, I need an advise about how to secure a Pharmacy internship in CA?

Have you tried posting on anonymous internet boards?

But seriously - are you a pharmacy student? If so, does your school have a career fair? That worked for me. So did applying to local pharmacies.

Good Luck

 

[BrightLight]

Having a pretty face and/or hot body helps

 

[3boooda]

I live in California and I am a foreign graduated I want to get internship anywhere. I still waiting for my intern license.

 

[3boooda]

Having a pretty face and/or hot body helps

I wish I have , may be I will start doing makeover. By the way I am a guy.

 

[museabuse]

I live in California and I am a foreign graduated I want to get internship anywhere. I still waiting for my intern license.

Good luck. Why do you think a hospital or chain would hire you, over an American graduate with a pharmacy license or about to get their license? Not trying to be mean. If you have a good answer to that you might be able to get hired on. If you have a green card then you might have a better chance, but if you need them to sponsor you, I don't think you will have much luck even if you move to small town USA.

 

[Jabberwocky12]

Also, you don't necessarily have to get an internship that is DIRECTLY related to pharmacy.

WTF Jabberwocky, what do you mean?

I mean that if you aren't able to get an industry internship as a pharmacist, perhaps getting one as a lab tech or pharmaceutical sales rep or something else will get your foot in the door since you definitely have qualifications for it by this point. The same goes for a hospital as a lab tech, or at LTC. You could also use auxiliary degrees you are pursuing (MBA or MHA maybe?) to get into admin internships or management internships that don't directly use pharmacy.

Yeah the hours won't be logged but you can figure something out with that I suppose. It's just a suggestion that also varies on schools and requirements for hours and how soon you are logging them away and to what "official" capacity you are doing so. Some places don't start it until 2nd or 3rd year, so 1st and 2nd might be yours for the taking.

Plus you have that internship that other people might not have, which makes you stand out a little bit more. Did you sell well as a pharma rep for a summer? Well now you have a reference for when you want the industry internship/fellowship.

Just a suggestion. Most people think it has to have pharmacy attached to it but I'm sure that places see very common pharmacy traits. If you mix it up a bit then at least you're more likely to be remembered.

This was some advice from people I know so your mileage may vary.

 

[3boooda]

Also, you don't necessarily have to get an internship that is DIRECTLY related to pharmacy.

WTF Jabberwocky, what do you mean?

I mean that if you aren't able to get an industry internship as a pharmacist, perhaps getting one as a lab tech or pharmaceutical sales rep or something else will get your foot in the door since you definitely have qualifications for it by this point. The same goes for a hospital as a lab tech, or at LTC. You could also use auxiliary degrees you are pursuing (MBA or MHA maybe?) to get into admin internships or management internships that don't directly use pharmacy.

Yeah the hours won't be logged but you can figure something out with that I suppose. It's just a suggestion that also varies on schools and requirements for hours and how soon you are logging them away and to what "official" capacity you are doing so. Some places don't start it until 2nd or 3rd year, so 1st and 2nd might be yours for the taking.

Plus you have that internship that other people might not have, which makes you stand out a little bit more. Did you sell well as a pharma rep for a summer? Well now you have a reference for when you want the industry internship/fellowship.

Just a suggestion. Most people think it has to have pharmacy attached to it but I'm sure that places see very common pharmacy traits. If you mix it up a bit then at least you're more likely to be remembered.

This was some advice from people I know so your mileage may vary.

Thank you man I will consider that.

 

[aabdraff57]

Also, you don't necessarily have to get an internship that is DIRECTLY related to pharmacy.

WTF Jabberwocky, what do you mean?

I mean that if you aren't able to get an industry internship as a pharmacist, perhaps getting one as a lab tech or pharmaceutical sales rep or something else will get your foot in the door since you definitely have qualifications for it by this point. The same goes for a hospital as a lab tech, or at LTC. You could also use auxiliary degrees you are pursuing (MBA or MHA maybe?) to get into admin internships or management internships that don't directly use pharmacy.

Yeah the hours won't be logged but you can figure something out with that I suppose. It's just a suggestion that also varies on schools and requirements for hours and how soon you are logging them away and to what "official" capacity you are doing so. Some places don't start it until 2nd or 3rd year, so 1st and 2nd might be yours for the taking.

Plus you have that internship that other people might not have, which makes you stand out a little bit more. Did you sell well as a pharma rep for a summer? Well now you have a reference for when you want the industry internship/fellowship.

Just a suggestion. Most people think it has to have pharmacy attached to it but I'm sure that places see very common pharmacy traits. If you mix it up a bit then at least you're more likely to be remembered.

This was some advice from people I know so your mileage may vary.

Good insights. However, I beg to differ.

Pharmacy interns sites are governed by the pharmacy law. Not all pharmacists are preceptors and not all pharmacies are "certified" by state boards of pharmacy as an internship sites. Perhaps you should widen your horizon a bit. Have you tried a compounding pharmacy? or even a nuclear pharmacy? Cardinal Health takes in intern but the application process is begins a year before summer.

If you want to log your hours, you have to check with the board and verify if the pharmacist is a licensed preceptor and the pharmacy is a licensed internship site.

 

[Jabberwocky12]

Good insights. However, I beg to differ.

Pharmacy interns sites are governed by the pharmacy law. Not all pharmacists are preceptors and not all pharmacies are "certified" by state boards of pharmacy as an internship sites. Perhaps you should widen your horizon a bit. Have you tried a compounding pharmacy? or even a nuclear pharmacy? Cardinal Health takes in intern but the application process is begins a year before summer.

If you want to log your hours, you have to check with the board and verify if the pharmacist is a licensed preceptor and the pharmacy is a licensed internship site.

I agree with checking before logging hours, which I mentioned in the statement that you might have to find your own hours. Nuclear pharmacy and compounding are other options, just like LTC, research, industry, consulting, PBM (some include as industry, others don't) and more. You just need to show interest in some way and sometimes it's hard just getting your foot in the door.

Heck, I started a business where I sell B2B. One of the nice benefits to it is that even if it does fail, I now how the B2B experience that everyone wants but isn't willing to provide to new people. Looks better for MSLs, for example.

Sometimes you have to ghetto-rig something and make it work until you get what you want. Hence going into side-door internships that aren't as relevant, and therefore less targeted by your competition, to get what you want rather than having NOTHING and competing with even more people that have same or better (since what's really worse than nothing?) skills and experience. If like 80% of the jobs (arbitrary large number) are retail and hospital jobs then it's harder to compete for the other 20% jobs with all of those other people.

I think we're saying the same thing in terms of logging hours and broadening horizons. Obviously do what works best for you under the limits of what you are comfortable with and what your school/state allows, but sometimes people have to go outside their comfort level and think outside the box to make things work. My post was meant in part for people who want experience to not be limited in their variety, and in part for the people who have a pretty good idea on what they want to do but have no way of getting into the door.

There is a reason why in many other fields people get hired to a company they interned with, so why not make it happen in pharmacy as well? Yeah yeah, some places don't I get that, but it happens enough that variety is not a bad tool to have.

 

[3boooda]

I agree with checking before logging hours, which I mentioned in the statement that you might have to find your own hours. Nuclear pharmacy and compounding are other options, just like LTC, research, industry, consulting, PBM (some include as industry, others don't) and more. You just need to show interest in some way and sometimes it's hard just getting your foot in the door.

Heck, I started a business where I sell B2B. One of the nice benefits to it is that even if it does fail, I now how the B2B experience that everyone wants but isn't willing to provide to new people. Looks better for MSLs, for example.

Sometimes you have to ghetto-rig something and make it work until you get what you want. Hence going into side-door internships that aren't as relevant, and therefore less targeted by your competition, to get what you want rather than having NOTHING and competing with even more people that have same or better (since what's really worse than nothing?) skills and experience. If like 80% of the jobs (arbitrary large number) are retail and hospital jobs then it's harder to compete for the other 20% jobs with all of those other people.

I think we're saying the same thing in terms of logging hours and broadening horizons. Obviously do what works best for you under the limits of what you are comfortable with and what your school/state allows, but sometimes people have to go outside their comfort level and think outside the box to make things work. My post was meant in part for people who want experience to not be limited in their variety, and in part for the people who have a pretty good idea on what they want to do but have no way of getting into the door.

There is a reason why in many other fields people get hired to a company they interned with, so why not make it happen in pharmacy as well? Yeah yeah, some places don't I get that, but it happens enough that variety is not a bad tool to have.

THANK YOU
It was nice post. So, can I say that getting a place to do the internships is easier if I look for nuclear or compounding pharmacy fields? If yes , How can I get such internships and where?

 

[aabdraff57]

THANK YOU
It was nice post. So, can I say that getting a place to do the internships is easier if I look for nuclear or compounding pharmacy fields? If yes , How can I get such internships and where?

3boooda, why don't you try these:

1) Look up in the yellow pages all the nuclear and compounding pharmacies in your area.
2) Go to the state board of pharmacy website and verify if the pharmacies are certified training site with a preceptor. Pharmacies' license as a training site and pharmacists' certificates as preceptors are a matter of public record.

Good luck!

 

[3boooda]

Thank you man. I appreciate these suggestions.