Work in NJ to avoid Compounding?

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

ziggie

New Member
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2007
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Hello Everyone, I have just joined the forum, so I apologize if this may sound cliche.
I am a Pharmacy student in New York. I work for a retail chain store as well. I would like to work in New Jersey( for at least 1 year) when I graduate, because I dont want to risk failing the compounding and having to wait 6 months to repeat it in New York.:oops:
Can anyone give ANY advice on what study materials I should obtain to study for the NJ law exam or where should look.I have already done a google search on this, but I would really appreciate some extra tips from u guys, esp the NJ Pharmacists, and PharmD students. Also I would like to know how is the working life for pharmacists in Jersey, esp. those who work for Walgreen's.
Thanks a bunch for all ur responses.

P.S- Reading threads from this site has opened my eyes to alot of opportunites in the world of Pharmacy.Im entering P5 and i feel as if I've forgotton everything :(.Im glad to know that there are Pharmacy students out there that are not stuck up and selfish, and actually share some vital tips!! Keep up the great job!:)

Members don't see this ad.
 
Where are you base from? If you live in NY and starting in NJ, the payrate may not be as high as say "NY standards". That payrate can lead to percentage increase which means you can be losing out on a lot of money (plus commute, toll, and gas). If you do get licensed in NJ, you probably wont want to come back to NY (you have to move back here maybe and other factors).

I am guessing you are just entering your first year of professional pharmacy school since you just found out what is require of you to be licensed here. In any case, you will find that compounding would be a lot more easier than say the law exam and clinical part. It will be 2nd nature to you to make an IV and compound other stuff after they make you do it year after year. Your compounding class and labs will also give you "examples" of previous tests. If it also helps, they wont tell you to make a "certain" compound and expect you to memorize everything. They will tell you to, make a procaniamide IV bag. Procaniamde comes in powdered dose in (x amount of ml vial). You can mix it in D5W bag, or they might tell you to compound Drug A using methylcellulose as a suspending agent and etc. Sure the directions wont be there, but it is all common sense.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
just take part III, it was the best part of the whole exam. compounding is compounding is compounding...it's not like law, where things change often and without much thought to reason or common sense.

the NY law test is the hardest part, in my opinion.

on part III, it's always going to be the same thing....make an IV, make an ointment/suspension/solution and punch capsules. that should be second nature by the time you get to the test. the IV part trips up most people. if you had a good relationship in the place you did your institutional rotations or if you work/intern/volunteer in a hospital, ask them if you can practice right before the test

and, just me...but i feel that people who use the reciprocity loophole aren't really NY pharmacists...if you want to live and practice here, take the NY test...don't shirk out just b/c you're afraid of one test. you will be met with way more complicated and difficult things when you ARE licensed, so get used to it
 
just take part III, it was the best part of the whole exam. compounding is compounding is compounding...it's not like law, where things change often and without much thought to reason or common sense.

the NY law test is the hardest part, in my opinion.

on part III, it's always going to be the same thing....make an IV, make an ointment/suspension/solution and punch capsules. that should be second nature by the time you get to the test. the IV part trips up most people. if you had a good relationship in the place you did your institutional rotations or if you work/intern/volunteer in a hospital, ask them if you can practice right before the test

and, just me...but i feel that people who use the reciprocity loophole aren't really NY pharmacists...if you want to live and practice here, take the NY test...don't shirk out just b/c you're afraid of one test. you will be met with way more complicated and difficult things when you ARE licensed, so get used to it

I left NY after I graduated in 2004. I left largely due to the freezing winters and perhaps dues to part III:eek:. We always heard horror stories about part III and always heard of who failed part III. I love Fl and am glad I left...but I do miss my family:(
 
part III wasn't that bad....just have to remember common sense always wins...and on the law test, common sense never wins!
 
Part III really wasn't bad at all. If you are going to school in NY, and you try to take it at your school, chances are you will see familiar faces proctoring the exam. The math was basic, the errors and omissions were for common drugs, and the actual compounding is the least of your worries. It is BASIC. The hardest part is making sure your calculations are correct and you have the IV procedure down cold. Take the exam. With the rising costs of gas and tolls, do you really want to lose a chunk of your salary?
 
Work in NJ to avoid Commuting? That I would!

:smuggrin:

Gotta be in NJ to work all next week.... hate driving in NJ also.
 
I took it in June of this year. The calculation were rather simple with mEq being the most complicated. The errors and omission section could be tricky if you did not work at a retail pharmacy. It simulated Rx checking. What I wasnt ready for was the amount of clinical stuff on this section. Like cactching a script disepensed for tussionex 1tsp q4h prn and Nuvaring 1 qweek. But if your familiar with doses of common meds you will be fine.

As for compounding, they are very leniment. Capsules need to be within 10% of goal weight (35mg if a 350mg capsule, huge wiggle room!) (mine was crush 2 types of tablets and add some lactose). 2 powder Ointments/creams are simple in general. The IV is fine. Just do some practice during rotations. Make sure you read all the directions and follow the procedure carefully. Once again, they are not super strict about proper asceptic tech. you may loose a point or two.. Even if you make a fatal error on the IV and get maximum deduction you loose only 20 points. You need a 75 out of 100 to pass so you'll have 5 points to play with.

UB has a review class at the end of may that you should take. The practice lab and simulated exam are nice. THe law review is good too
 
it's really not that bad! go for it!


now that i have been out for a while and don't know many of the current graduates, i'm thinking about proctoring...
 
Hey everyone....I have a quick question..... Lets say a student failed the NY compounding exam, are they still eligible to go work out of this state ? of course if they take the law for that state and pass it..
 
Hey everyone....I have a quick question..... Lets say a student failed the NY compounding exam, are they still eligible to go work out of this state ? of course if they take the law for that state and pass it..
yes, only downside is you can never license in NY until you pass compounding, once you fail you can’t reciprocate license to NY from other state
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
yes, only downside is you can never license in NY until you pass compounding, once you fail you can’t reciprocate license to NY from other state
Thank you for the response ...


I have another question to ask ..

When applying to NABP for ATT letter .. they ask what is the primary jurisdiction which your seeking licensure .. do I select New Jersey or New York if I am originally from New York who went to school in NY planning to work in NJ after passing NAPLEX and NJ MPJE..

I basically selected NY and purchased the score transfer and filled out the NJ application by score transfer but now I’m worried and wondering if I should have selected NJ as primary jurisdiction since I’m planning to work there for at least a year
 
Thank you for the response ...


I have another question to ask ..

When applying to NABP for ATT letter .. they ask what is the primary jurisdiction which your seeking licensure .. do I select New Jersey or New York if I am originally from New York who went to school in NY planning to work in NJ after passing NAPLEX and NJ MPJE..

I basically selected NY and purchased the score transfer and filled out the NJ application by score transfer but now I’m worried and wondering if I should have selected NJ as primary jurisdiction since I’m planning to work there for at least a year

It doesn't really matter in your case. The "primary" aspect is just the state board that is going to approve you to take the NAPLEX. If all your intern hours are in NY I'd select NY. One you are licensed, any state with your NAPLEX score is your "basis" or "primary" state that you can use to transfer licenses to other states that require your initial license be active. If you are testing the NAPLEX in NY you will need to do the part III compounding.

You can work for 1 year and license transfer to NY without taking compounding and only taking MPJE, that's what I did. However, I also do not work in NY and had to do so for my job (specialty mail order pharmacy).
 
Top