Summer Internship in my homestate

[Jssgarden]

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Hello everyone, I've been looking around SDN for posts about summer internship, and while there are a lot of them, I haven't seen one that quite answers my questions. So I'm asking for advices.

So I was accepted at Creighton, NE (campus pathway) and plan to go there. I'm starting P1 in this Fall. However, I'm from Central Valley, CA and I would really want to come back here to work in the summers and possible in the future, because I want to be able to live near my mom who is sick and now lives alone because all her children are in college elsewhere. So I want to be back as often as possible to see her.

I been reading a lot about the job market saturation for pharmacist. I'm pretty worried about it and trying to prepare to the best of my ability. I also understand that the job opportunities all come from networking. So if I want to get a job in Central Valley CA or even residency I should try to maximize my network here right? Since I'm going to an out of state school, I can't be here all year long. The only time I can make "networking" is through summer and winter breaks.

So my question is, can I possibly get summer internships here at chains or hospitals, and then come back to Omaha to work there during school year? Should I choose a retail chain in Omaha that has branches here in CA (Target, Walmart, CVS) Or can I just pick anywhere that accept me in Omaha and then worry about CA summer internship later? To put it more clearly: I plan to work in Omaha over school year, then work in CA over summer. Is it possible?

What if I want to work summer internship in a hospital? Would it be harder for a OOS student? The only hospital that is similar between Omaha and CV CA is the VA hospital, but i'm not sure. Otherwise, in my area, there are Kaiser Permanente, Saint Agnes, Valley Children, etc. which are completely in a different system with the Omaha hospitals.


Also, I don't have any pharmacy related experience up to this point. I had a non-pharmacy related job, and I'm a nontraditional student, so I think I should volunteer at a pharmacy first before trying to get internship right? Should I try to find a place to volunteer now before going to my P1 year just to make a little connection in my area? Would that make it easier for them to accept me for summer internship?

Sorry for the long post. Hope you all are able to understand what I was trying to say!

 

[Sine Cura]

If you are interested in being an intern for a chain, I would see if I could get in as a tech first (like now), then get promoted to intern later. Then if you can work once in a while as a intern in NE, then you can transfer temporarily to a CA location over the summer.

One potential problem is that you may be automatically terminated (not necessarily job abandonment) if your aren't scheduled for X number of weeks so you probably would want to work at least one shift a week while in school

 

[Jssgarden]

I don't have a tech license now, so should I get one even though I'd get intern license when school starts?

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[Slippers]

I definitely know that Walgreens offers a summer internship for pharmacy students, and I know of several students who have taken one. So this would definitely be an option for you (likely after you complete your P1 year). I believe the application is available online. It may be competitive, though. Other community pharmacies may/may not offer a similar program, I would look into this if interested.

I also know that many chain pharmacies (e.g. Walgreens, CVS) are willing to "float" students around to different stores. For example, I have seen posts on my class facebook page stating: "Walgreens store xxx is short on help today. Would anyone who also works at a different Walgreens be willing to help out today at store xxx?" So if your goal is to work as a student/tech in both California and Nebraka, I definitely think it would be easy for you to switch from one Walgreens to another Walgreens or one CVS to another CVS provided that both store managers will allow it due to store-to-store similarity. The key factor here though is IF the store managers will allow it. The underlying issue is that they will need a replacement for you during the months you are gone.

Hospital pharmacies do not offer summer internships (at least that I am aware of). Hospitals are discrete systems that cannot "rotate" in and out students from other locations, so I doubt they would want to put in all the effort/cost to train someone, only to have them leave shortly thereafter. They also may not be keen on you leaving for 3 months of the year each year.

I would apply for the summer internship in California and also apply for regular jobs (hospital and community) in Nebraska. Just be open about the fact you will go home during summer months during the interview (Note: this may limit your short term opportunities, but in my opinion would be better for long term opportunities. If you don't tell your future employer about your availability, then drop the ball that you're leaving for the summer later on... well, you may not get hired back/be able to return the following year). And you never know. Maybe some pharmacies have students who want more hours during the summer.

 

[Slippers]

I don't have a tech license now, so should I get one even though I'd get intern license when school starts?

How important is it to you that you work as a pharmacy tech this summer? Do you think studying for the tech certification exam and the cost of testing/certification is worth it for one summer of work? If yes, get your certification. If no, then don't.

Having tech certification is required in some states, and it is definitely a plus even in states that don't require it. However, once you're a pharmacy student, whether or not you have tech certification becomes fairly unimportant. It is also much easier to get work opportunities once you are a student, because you can help the pharmacist with immunizations/counseling, plus you will know about various opportunities through your class. Pharmacy students generally work less hours than techs, so less hours per student = more students get hired. It becomes much easier to find a job once you're a pharmacy student. At least that was my experience.

 

[Jssgarden]

Thank you. That clears some confusion for me. It's kind of worrisome that hospitals don't have summer internship. I'd like to have a chance to intern at a hospital because I want to apply to residency in the future. So yes you got that correct that I want to work at both Omaha and CA. I'm just not sure how to go about it. So hospital is a no go if I can't stay in one place for the whole year?

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[Slippers]

So hospital is a no go if I can't stay in one place for the whole year?

Not necessarily, although it may limit your potential opportunities. If you can find a hospital job, I think you would be more likely to do in Omaha since you will be able to stay there for at least 9 months. I don't personally know of any hospitals that offer summer internships, although I suppose it never hurts to ask.
I think the best way for you to find out about hospitals and/or retail chains that offer more flexible hours is by asking around with your fellow students at Creighton. Even among the same chain job/hour flexibility is very manager specific. So the best way to find that out (other than going for an interview or taking a job) would be to ask someone who already works there.

So, it's possible you may not be able to find a hospital job. But it's also possible that you will. It would mostly depend on the expectations of hospital managers in these 2 areas.

 

[steveysmith54]

Thank you. That clears some confusion for me. It's kind of worrisome that hospitals don't have summer internship. I'd like to have a chance to intern at a hospital because I want to apply to residency in the future. So yes you got that correct that I want to work at both Omaha and CA. I'm just not sure how to go about it. So hospital is a no go if I can't stay in one place for the whole year?

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It takes long time to train a student on hospital work. When a hospital makes that kind of investment, we need to see it pay off. Our interns are required to work at least an average of 1 shift per week and almost full time during summer/winter break. It's just a lot of effort and time to train.

As far as chains, it will depend on the need at a particular time. A lot of pharmacy school students have been techs and have existing pharmacy experience, you're behind in that dept. I recommend trying to catch up ASAP.

 

[ldiot]

Some internships are just during the summer, some internships are all year long. Some places will let you work once a month during school, others will want you to work 10-20 hours a week. It really just depends on the specific employer. If it's a chain that is in both states you could probably just transfer stores each summer. If you want to work somewhere else you'll have to make it clear that you will just be working during certain time periods.

 

[Jssgarden]

Thank you for the advices, so what do you suggest I should do in the few months I have left before entering the school? I think it's already too late to get a tech license now. Should I try to volunteer in the local hospitals? I did have some volunteer experiences in the hospital before just nothing to do with pharmacy. I don't know if it's even possible to volunteer at a pharmacy in my area, last year I asked like 20 places and they all said no. I'll try again this year though and focus on just the hospitals.

So during school year, my best bet is to work in one chain and one hospital in Omaha, then transfer that chain back to CA in the summer if possible, and if I can't find another summer internship in CA. But then if I come back to CA in the summer, would I lose my spot at the hospital in Omaha (providing I've been working there throughout school year?)

I know I'm quite behind, what you all suggest I should do now? 🙁 I'm graduating with a BS this spring and only have a few months left before going to that rush of apartment hunting and welcome week.

 

[steveysmith54]

Thank you for the advices, so what do you suggest I should do in the few months I have left before entering the school? I think it's already too late to get a tech license now. Should I try to volunteer in the local hospitals? I did have some volunteer experiences in the hospital before just nothing to do with pharmacy. I don't know if it's even possible to volunteer at a pharmacy in my area, last year I asked like 20 places and they all said no. I'll try again this year though and focus on just the hospitals.

So during school year, my best bet is to work in one chain and one hospital in Omaha, then transfer that chain back to CA in the summer if possible, and if I can't find another summer internship in CA. But then if I come back to CA in the summer, would I lose my spot at the hospital in Omaha (providing I've been working there throughout school year?)

I know I'm quite behind, what you all suggest I should do now? 🙁 I'm graduating with a BS this spring and only have a few months left before going to that rush of apartment hunting and welcome week.

Some places will allow you to work as a pharmacy clerk...

You are asking a lot of questions that's can't be answered: like if hospitals will give you an opportunity to keep you job if you take a full summer off... the answer is just depends on ther individual needs and preferences .... there are very few hospitals out there. Most of our profession is comprised of outpatient... in my hospitals, we like for the intern to be able to learn to do tech duties: make IV, fill Pyxis, etc so that in the summer when techs want time off, we have coverages.

Good luck in school...

 

[Jssgarden]

Some places will allow you to work as a pharmacy clerk...

You are asking a lot of questions that's can't be answered: like if hospitals will give you an opportunity to keep you job if you take a full summer off... the answer is just depends on ther individual needs and preferences .... there are very few hospitals out there. Most of our profession is comprised of outpatient... in my hospitals, we like for the intern to be able to learn to do tech duties: make IV, fill Pyxis, etc so that in the summer when techs want time off, we have coverages.

Good luck in school...

I see. Thank you for your answer. I know most of my questions are hard to answer since it varies place by place. I just want to have some ideas about what to expect, so I can plan accordingly.