Using Pharm Intern License for Pharm Tech Position

[helliebell]

Hello everyone,

My apologies if this question has been answered before. I did some searching on the previous threads and couldn't find a response that I'm looking for.

I recently got accepted to a pharmacy school in California, and I plan on working my first year starting in the fall. A critical thing to note is that I don't have a California pharmacy tech license because my undergrad was located in a state where pharm techs can work without a board license.

My question is this:
Once I get my pharmacy intern license around Oct/Nov this year, can I use that to apply for pharm tech jobs in California?

I ask because sometimes intern jobs are not as plentiful as tech positions. For instance, I hear that hospitals sometimes don't offer intern positions and have more tech openings due to budgeting issues. Since I don't have a tech license, I'm not sure if I can actually apply for tech openings even as a licensed intern.

(Now, I understand that pharmacy interns and techs can have different duties, but they do have overlapping roles. Their similarities are the reason why I thought maybe an intern license can basically "substitute" the tech license.)

Lastly, I heard that CVS has two separating hiring processes for pharm interns and technicians because the stores are not directly involved in the hiring and budgeting of interns. Is this also the case for other stores?


I appreciate any insight on the matter! Thank you in advance.

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[sosoo]

cvs stores no longer hire interns. u probably have to ask for the district supervisor's contact info, and see how u can get in. other than that and pay rate difference, just as long u can land a job and gain experience, no one really cares. one caution is in your 4th year, how will u present yourself to the supervisor to get the pharmacist position after you graduate? if you're not specified as an intern, then you won't get the job offer in your 4th year.

 

[deleted158872]

you don't even need a permit to work as a tech.

 

[orgogram]

cvs stores no longer hire interns. u probably have to ask for the district supervisor's contact info, and see how u can get in. other than that and pay rate difference, just as long u can land a job and gain experience, no one really cares. one caution is in your 4th year, how will u present yourself to the supervisor to get the pharmacist position after you graduate? if you're not specified as an intern, then you won't get the job offer in your 4th year.

CVS no longer hires interns? Is this a state thing or nationwide? Who do they hire to fill the pharmacist roles, then?

 

[intekmdma]

you don't even need a permit to work as a tech.

Yes you do. In California- technicians are required to have a license.

And to OP question: Yes your intern license covers the technician license. I just obtained a "limited" technician position that was posted to our school (I'm not sure why they called it limited technician, but the salary is up to par with an intern at +$20)

 

[Rouelle]

CVS no longer hires interns? Is this a state thing or nationwide? Who do they hire to fill the pharmacist roles, then?

It's not at all nationwide.

 

[Rockinacoustic]

CVS no longer hires interns? Is this a state thing or nationwide? Who do they hire to fill the pharmacist roles, then?

Sosoo is saying that CVS no longer hires interns at the store level (aka the PIC can no longer handle the hiring process). You have to contact the intern coordinator to apply.

 

[Rouelle]

Ahh, that makes much more sense

 

[HelpfulPharmer1]

My question is this:
Once I get my pharmacy intern license around Oct/Nov this year, can I use that to apply for pharm tech jobs in California?

Yes, with explanations:
With intern license, if corporate pharmacy hires you, then corporate will most likely be forced to classify you as intern and pay you intern's money. So, you can not apply for pharm tech job, you have to apply for intern job.

Why? because of liability issue.
Imagine a case where: intern is classified as technician in the corporate's record, but in the back of intern's head, intern thinks: "I am intern and I can take new script and counsel patient."
If lawsuit happens because of overdose and record shows you wrote phone script and corporate record shows you as technicians (and wrote phone script), that would violate pharmacy law. That's a big fine and penalty. So, if you have intern license, corporate will have to classify you as intern in company's record.

Small pharmacy, I don't know. My guess is: Owner hires you as intern and pay you low as technician's pay.

Either way, you don't have to get tech license because intern license gives you the license to work in pharmacy just like a tech.

I have read California pharmacy law book in great details with enthusiasm... and at this point, the common understanding is:
intern can do anything and everything like pharmacists when under direct supervision of pharmacist. That means you can do tech duties without having tech license. I have not seen requirement that intern must have tech license to do tech duties. So, if the law did not spell it out that "intern must have tech license", then such law did not exist. Then, intern can do tech duties (and way more...)

Reference: Quote from California Law Book, page 54:
4114. Intern Pharmacist: Activities Permitted
(a) An intern pharmacist may perform all functions of a pharmacist at the discretion of and under the direct supervision and control of a pharmacist whose license is in good standing with the board.
http://www.pharmacy.ca.gov/laws_regs/lawbook.pdf

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If you want the easy hiring process, consider small independent pharmacy because corporate pharmacy are afraid of labor law and you may have harder time of finding job as intern.

In corporate pharmacy, if you are intern year 1, corporate will be forced to classify you as Intern Year 1 and your pay will be Intern's pay.

Will the pharmacy accept you? Up to the decision maker.

I have heard District Managers hiring massive numbers of interns because the intern's pay is given from Regional's budget. That helped the District Manager to boost labor as free labor for her district. But, by graduation, she only had 1 pharmacist job for over 20 interns. She had a stern discussion from higher managers.

I have heard other District Managers not wanting anything to do with intern, even free rotation interns because when interns become pharmacists, these new pharmacists keep asking for jobs...

Up to your luck to be hired as intern.

Becoming technician now before school is not hard. Then, in school, get intern license, then, THEY HAVE TO UPGRADE YOU TO BE INTERN AT INTERN'S PAY.

To be technician now in California:
Buy a used book about pharmacy technician on amazon.com or ebay.com,
Study at home for 1 week,
Register and take the test at www.ptcb.org,
Pass the test, a fairly easy test considering 400 thousands people passed it.
Pay California pharmacy board for license,
Go to work as technician before school start.
Then, in school, simply apply for intern license, you will automatically get intern license, then, CORPORATE WILL HAVE TO UPGRADE YOU TO BE INTERN AT INTERN'S PAY (or if they claim they have no budget for intern, they will have to let you go, but that chance is slim. Most cases I have heard, if the tech is good and hard working, they will make room to upgrade you to be intern.)

Good luck.