Questions about interning

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

Sofa

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2012
Messages
46
Reaction score
4
If I am on the right track, internships are PAID jobs with companies/hospitals in which you want to work for in the future right? That sets them apart from the P4 rotations in which we are just sent to different sites to learn.

So my question regarding interning is this:

Do I need to wait for my school to APPROVE of a specific company that I want to intern at? Or do I just go online and start applying like mad to the companies that I like?

I want to get ahead of the game now, not be running with the pack like I did in undergrad.

p.s. I have heard the terms "student" and "grad" intern. I am still a little foggy on the distinction between the two. Student interns are not paid and is synonymous with P4 rotation students while grad interns have graduated and are waiting to take the NAPLEX right?

If that is the case, what are those P1, P2 interns I hear about classified under?

Thanks guys
 
The only thing your school has to approve of for an internship is to show that you are an enrolled student if you have to apply for an intern license in your state. In my state we don't' have intern licenses, but the employer has to verify with the school that you are enrolled.

Internships are jobs, APPEs and IPPEs are for grades and clinical hours under your PharmD curriculum. In all states (or nearly all states) before you can get your license as a pharmacist you need to have a certain amount of intern hours where you are working or volunteering separate from your school curriculum.

A student intern is a pharmacy student who is still in school from P1 to P4 year. A grad intern is someone who graduated with their PharmD but does not have their license yet to practice as a pharmacist. Some employers may rank pay and job duties based on what year in pharmacy school you are in, that may be where you hear the P1 and P2 intern stuff from.
 
If I am on the right track, internships are PAID jobs with companies/hospitals in which you want to work for in the future right? That sets them apart from the P4 rotations in which we are just sent to different sites to learn.

So my question regarding interning is this:

Do I need to wait for my school to APPROVE of a specific company that I want to intern at? Or do I just go online and start applying like mad to the companies that I like?

I want to get ahead of the game now, not be running with the pack like I did in undergrad.

p.s. I have heard the terms "student" and "grad" intern. I am still a little foggy on the distinction between the two. Student interns are not paid and is synonymous with P4 rotation students while grad interns have graduated and are waiting to take the NAPLEX right?

If that is the case, what are those P1, P2 interns I hear about classified under?

Thanks guys

No, you don't have to seek approval from your school about where you want to do an internship unless it's an internship for a few weeks somewhere and it interferes with your school rotations, for instance when you do your APPEs as a P4..then, you should speak to your school about it.

And once you get into the professional phase of pharmacy school..by the end of p1 you should become an intern and have your intern permit to work as a pharmacy intern. You are called a "grad intern" after you graduate from pharmacy school and are waiting to take your boards...so, the time period after you graduate and before you get licensed.
 
Ok thanks.

Here is where things get muddy (at least for me).

I have just been accepted into this pharmacy school and one of the faculty sent a mass email to incoming P1s that spoke about a summer intern opportunity. This would NOT be a rotation/IPPE APPE thing right?

I applied for that internship and am waiting to hear back from the hospital. If i get this gig, I would be an unpaid STUDENT intern right?

I ask all of these questions because I want to know if I can/should start applying for internships before the start of my first year. I do not have an intern license yet
 
You can't apply until you have an intern license
 
The requirement that was stated in the email that was sent to me was that I only needed to bea registered tech and be enrolled in a pharmacy program.

However, I did apply for a license a few mins ago.

After I DO get my license though, I will be able to apply to whoever I want, whenever I want right?
 
I applied for that internship and am waiting to hear back from the hospital. If i get this gig, I would be an unpaid STUDENT intern right?

This is probably going to be a paid job. The IPPEs/APPEs are unpaid but internships are usually paid because they're jobs.

The requirement that was stated in the email that was sent to me was that I only needed to bea registered tech and be enrolled in a pharmacy program.

However, I did apply for a license a few mins ago.

After I DO get my license though, I will be able to apply to whoever I want, whenever I want right?

Do you have a technician license? If you do then you can apply for it. Otherwise you can apply and mention that you're in the process of getting your intern license.
 
Thanks for all your replies guys.

My last burning question is this:
After I get my intern license though, I will be able to apply to whoever I want, whenever I want right?
 
Thanks for all your replies guys.

My last burning question is this:
After I get my intern license though, I will be able to apply to whoever I want, whenever I want right?

I wouldn't use the term "anywhere, whenever" so loosely. It's only in your state, and up til the time you get your pharmacist license.
 
Top