Hello fulfilling destiny,
first of all, it's no bother at all...the best place to work here in Cincinnati (personally speaking) is the Cincy children's hospital (
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center) but there are a whole lot of hospitals out here, so you need to find out the zip code or area that you want to come over to and then google for local hospitals in that area of the state. Apart from Cincinnati children's (which is the 5th best paediatric facility in the US) try the Cleveland clinic (which is world renowned) up in the north of the state in Cleveland, Ohio. Now, Cleveland is pretty much a bleak place to be but the Cleveland clinic has a very good research base and produces excellent work consistently.
Other than these two facilities there are zillions of other hospitals, varying in size and greatness, throughout the state...just google away...
Dear Osman:
thanks for your invite...I'm currently organising my locums for the month of September, so that might be a great time to catch up. I still have a tiny little flat in Russell Square in London and my parents live close by.
There is a chap called Steven Curtis who is also a British Pharmacist trying to get through this maze of visas and other requirements out there somewhere, and has an excellent website (I think it is called pharmacyexam.co.uk) but am not a 100%...try googling him. He is also part of yahoo groups for pharmacists, where you might also find him. He relates his personal endeavours in getting through these struggles as well as give great advice on what loopholes to avoid etc, so check him out.
As for recruiters, I don't have any experience of them, but I wonder why you would need them, especially since there is such a huge shortage of pharmacists in most states here. Hospitals are a great place to work and you get a different kind of exposure than in retail, but to pass the NAPLEX and to expand your knowledge, I wouldn't discount the retail experience at all, in fact it has enhanced my grasp of the US healthcare system immensely. Plus, although hospitals are catching up to match the retail sector numerically, there is still a good 5 to 10K difference, so check this out too before you make a decision. It might not sound a lot but sometimes it could make a whole lot of a difference! But in any case, if you have hospital experience in the UK (or perhaps anywhere for that matter), you fall into those 'highly sought after' categories and shouldn't have any difficulties getting in, however the visa situation might be the dealbreaker here. I will ask around and keep you posted on any news I get about this soon, but until then good luck in your search and best wishes to all of you out there...
Shani