Would you hire a PhD graduate as Pharmacy Intern or Tech?

[wey]

Hello Everyone!

I recently have this question when looking for job opportunities to get pharmacy internship hours.

[A little about myself]
I came to the States for graduate school, but recently feel that basic science research is not so much what I want to pursue for the rest of my life. One of the options I have been considering is to become a clinical pharmacist. During grad school, as a foreign pharmacy graduate, I was able to pass FPGEE, TOEFL, obtain my FPGEC, and I currently hold an intern license.
To become a pharmacist, I need to accumulate 1500 internship hours in the States. I have tried applying for internship positions and emailing around, but no luck in getting a paid position. I do not have visa or sponsorship issue, so my guess is that I might be lacking real clinical pharmacy experience with only a few rotations and internships. But I am competing with other pharmacy graduate students who would not have much experience, either.
So…

[Question]
What would a hiring person be looking for when hiring an intern? Should I also try applying for tech positions?


Although I was lucky to get a volunteer position, I have to keep my current job to pay my bills and can only squeeze so little time to volunteer at the pharmacy to get my hours, which has been overwhelming just for the past two months or so. I cannot imagine living this life for another two years juggling amongst two jobs. So I really hope I could find something to quickly accumulate my internship hours!
I recall the manager who looked at my resume told me it didn’t look like I wanted to stay in clinical pharmacy, I wonder if it is due to the research experience I have? Since graduation, most of my accomplishments have been in the research field, including project management, teaching, presentations, and obtaining grant funding. Would any of the hiring person see this as a plus? Or should I downplay my grad school time?
If you were the hiring person (pharmacy or HR), will you hire a PhD in your pharmacy? What advice would you give?

Thank you for reading through this post and any input is appreciated!

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[Ackj]

What is your degree? A foreign PhD in pharmacy, but it will allow you to practice in the US? Or do you have a PhD AND another foreign pharmacy degree?

If it's the later, it sounds like you'd be a good candidate for academia. Not that it will solve your immediate issues, but for a career, a PhD/PharmD sounds like someone a school would want to employ.

 

[Digsbe]

Are you wanting a clinical internship of some kind? To my knowledge not many places will hire an unlicensed graduate intern to do clinical work. I would just work for a chain or a hospital to get the needed intern hours and then apply for residencies if clinical pharmacy is your ultimate goal.

 

[wey]

Yes, I have a foreign pharmacy degree + US PhD. I'm not so sure if I still want to continue the academia path, so seeking transition into a different career path.
By "unlicensed graduate intern" you mean not being a licensed pharmacist? I know it is tough, so seeking advice in terms of how to present my job application.

Thank you for your input

 

[Digsbe]

Yes, I have a foreign pharmacy degree + US PhD. I'm not so sure if I still want to continue the academia path, so seeking transition into a different career path.
By "unlicensed graduate intern" you mean not being a licensed pharmacist? I know it is tough, so seeking advice in terms of how to present my job application.

Thank you for your input

Yes. An unlicensed graduate intern is usually someone that has their Pharm.D. or otherwise a foreign pharmacy degree that satisfies the academic requirements needed for licensure as a pharmacist.

In many areas it is tough finding intern employment, I've noticed it's especially hard (at least in my area) to land a hospital position. I'm also on the intern job hunt and recently applied to a hospital spot. I wish you much success in your job hunt! If worse comes to worse you could still work in a different pharmacy setting and get the needed 1500 hours.

 

[PharmDstudent]

I would suggest applying to an inpatient hospital or retail chain to get the 1500 hours as an intern - I've seen this done at both types of pharmacies, then I would get your PharmD as a nontraditional student while working as a staff hospital pharmacist (hopefully at the same place where you were able to do your intern hours), and then apply to a residency if you can't move up where you work and get a hybrid staffing position (a mix of order entry and clinical duties) or a clinical position with your foreign pharmacy degree, PharmD, and PhD... if your goal is really to be a clinical pharmacist and not just a staff pharmacist.

Good luck!

 

[kesi0072014]

Hello Everyone!

I recently have this question when looking for job opportunities to get pharmacy internship hours.

[A little about myself]
I came to the States for graduate school, but recently feel that basic science research is not so much what I want to pursue for the rest of my life. One of the options I have been considering is to become a clinical pharmacist. During grad school, as a foreign pharmacy graduate, I was able to pass FPGEE, TOEFL, obtain my FPGEC, and I currently hold an intern license.
To become a pharmacist, I need to accumulate 1500 internship hours in the States. I have tried applying for internship positions and emailing around, but no luck in getting a paid position. I do not have visa or sponsorship issue, so my guess is that I might be lacking real clinical pharmacy experience with only a few rotations and internships. But I am competing with other pharmacy graduate students who would not have much experience, either.
So…

[Question]
What would a hiring person be looking for when hiring an intern? Should I also try applying for tech positions?


Although I was lucky to get a volunteer position, I have to keep my current job to pay my bills and can only squeeze so little time to volunteer at the pharmacy to get my hours, which has been overwhelming just for the past two months or so. I cannot imagine living this life for another two years juggling amongst two jobs. So I really hope I could find something to quickly accumulate my internship hours!
I recall the manager who looked at my resume told me it didn’t look like I wanted to stay in clinical pharmacy, I wonder if it is due to the research experience I have? Since graduation, most of my accomplishments have been in the research field, including project management, teaching, presentations, and obtaining grant funding. Would any of the hiring person see this as a plus? Or should I downplay my grad school time?
If you were the hiring person (pharmacy or HR), will you hire a PhD in your pharmacy? What advice would you give?

Thank you for reading through this post and any input is appreciated!

 

[kesi0072014]

Hi,
I saw your post and I am in a similar position like you now. I have completed my FPGEE exam and TOEFLiBT and got my FPGEC certificate, however I need to do 1500 hours of internship. I am a post doc on a J1 visa. I would like to know how you managed to get volunteer position (even if it is not paid) on J1 visa. Because normally J1 visa they do not allow other activities. I would be glad to know full details of how you approached.

Many thanks