The AGONY of getting a license in PA

[PharmaTope]

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anyone else go through this before?

they require another 750 hours OUTSIDE the university as an intern. most states do not require you register with them to work as a technician.

i been hearing rumors you can transfer actual pharmacist hours over to PA instead of just tech hours.

anyone know? right now i am volunteering free work and working in another place for 9 bucks an hour in order to meet the 750 hours. it is really distracting me from naplex prep as well as losing pharmacist salary for every day i have to work as a tech.

any info would be greatly appreciated.

the board of pharmacy in my state and PA hasnt been helpful. my state especially is impossible to reach the people you need.
😡

 

[PharmaTope]

mods if need be you can move this to the licensing forum. i figured it would get better hits here though.

 

[njac]

I don't understand your question.

I think NM requires something around 750 additional intern hours on top of rotations for school. These are paid. I've already done 3x that (hello overtime during summer and winter breaks and working >24hr/wk during school).

is that the same thing you're talking about?

 

[Old Timer]

I don't want to be cruel, but did you just crawl out from under a rock? If you want to be licensed in any state, it is incumbent upon you to find out what the requirements are for that state and be prepared to meet them. I am a practicing Pennsylvania pharmacist and accumulating the hours was no problem for me. Nor has it been a problem for any of the students I have had the privilege of preceptoring over the last 25 years If you can't get the hours, get licensed in a state that does not require any intern hours and reciprocate your license to PA.

 

[DrugDealer]

Just be glad you're not getting licensed in CA...they require 900 hrs outside of school. Many states require additional hours. I go to pharmacy school in MA, and they require 500 hrs outside school.

Also....did you not work at all while in school??

 

[genesis09]

Illinois requires 0 hours outside of school. They don't even have separate licenses for techs and interns; even though they do define a difference between them in the law.

 

[njac]

that's true - when I was in MD this summer for a rotation I couldn't find anything on intern licenses in MD.

so do states with no intern differentiation require tech hours?

 

[WVUPharm2007]

At last count, I logged over 5000 intern hours......if only I could have sold the excess.....

 

[DrugDealer]

so do states with no intern differentiation require tech hours?

Hmm...good question, I don't know. But I do know the reverse is not always true. Take NY...you don't need any hours outside of school, but you still need an intern license for rotations and if you're going to work in a pharmacy anyway (you know, just for the experience and educational value because this is the field in which you are planning a career).

 

[PharmaTope]

Just be glad you're not getting licensed in CA...they require 900 hrs outside of school. Many states require additional hours. I go to pharmacy school in MA, and they require 500 hrs outside school.

Also....did you not work at all while in school??

i worked other jobs b/c working filling scripts for 9 bucks an hour doesnt pay my bills. i am a 2nd degree candidate so i could make 4 times that using my degree.

 

[PharmaTope]

I don't want to be cruel, but did you just crawl out from under a rock? If you want to be licensed in any state, it is incumbent upon you to find out what the requirements are for that state and be prepared to meet them. I am a practicing Pennsylvania pharmacist and accumulating the hours was no problem for me. Nor has it been a problem for any of the students I have had the privilege of preceptoring over the last 25 years If you can't get the hours, get licensed in a state that does not require any intern hours and reciprocate your license to PA.

is there an actual limit as to how long you have had your license before you reciprocate? that's the big issue. i'm getting mixed info from the board.

 

[genesis09]

For reciprocation, most states require you work in the old state for a certain period of time.

Illinois does not ask if you have worked as an intern on its application. You just need, I believe, to get the paper signed by your college, saying you have graduated. Illinois does require that a quarter of your pharmacy coursework be rotations, though. However, that's not a big deal.

 

[Old Timer]

The State Board Requirements are here. There appears to be NO time limit once you have a license from another state. All you have to do is pass the PA law exam and apply to have your license reciprocated.

 

[bananaface]

It sounds as if the OP may have confused new grad license requirements with reciprocity requirements.

 

[DrugDealer]

It sounds as if the OP may have confused new grad license requirements with reciprocity requirements.

Yeah....hey, original poster, are you already a licensed pharmacist in another state and are looking for licensure in PA? Or are you a new grad and PA will be your first license?

You say you are studying for the NAPLEX, but then you say you are losing pharmacist's salary while working as a tech. But....if you aren't even licensed in the first place, how could you even be eligible for pharmacist's pay? And, if you are a new grad, you should be paid the grad intern rate, which is more like $25-26/hr, not the tech rate. I'm confused.

 

[Old Timer]

The way I read this, the Op is a recent graduate who chose to work in his previous profession while in Pharmacy school to earn more money. He was unaware he would need some practical experience before e could get licensed. He is being delayed in earning a salary because though he is eligible to take the Nabplex, he can't get a license in PA because he does not have sufficient intern experience. So he has only two options:

• Get a job and a preceptor in PA and work for the required 750 hours.
• Get a license in a state that does not require intern experience and then once you have said license, reciprocate the license to PA.

This one of those life lessons about each decision in life having a cost. I don't know how much more earned per hour and how many hours he worked per week when he could have been an intern at between $10.00 and $15.00 per hour depending on the year of school. If he delays his license by 3 months, it cost him $25,000.00. I hope he made at least that much extra on his other job.

 

[rxlynn]

I'm still going with the rock theory. In GA we have to have 500 additional hours, and as far as I can tell, this is a pretty well known requirement. I'm sort of surprised nobody at the OP's school or any of his friends ever mentioned that intern hours might be an issue.