Internship predicament whilst on F1 visa

[kiyakiya]

I have a complex problem. I have just passed both the FPGEE and the TOEFL exams. I am currently doing my PhD in Pharmacology and I still have about two and half years to go. I want to start my internship (part-time) but the problem is that I have an F1 visa. Can someone please adivise me on the possible way forward. Do you think there are pharmacies that would be willing to apply for an H1B visa if one intends to work 'part-time' or very flexible hours whilst still going to school.
I also realised that KingTuT is also in more or less the same situation since he is persuing his Msc in Pharmacology.

Thanks

[Trav]

With the F1 Visa, you can legally work part time at the university hospital (or any hospital affiliated with the university you are attending) while counting your internship hours. Once you complete state internship hours' requirements, you may ask the pharmacy director (or pharmacist incharge) to sign your internship hours' affidavit which you'll submit to the state board of pharmacy with your application to sit for the NAPLEX exam...

[kiyakiya]

Thanks for the response Trav. Unfortunately the isn't a hospital or pharmacy that is affiliated to the university. Another problem though is that I will be restricted to 20hrs/week hence I will not be able to complete the internship, 1500 hours, in the stipulated 1 year span.
I am currently considering working 'voluntarily'/unpaid hoping that these hours will count towards my internship. In this case I don't think I would need to change my visa. Working voluntarily could give me a head start on the internship whilst waiting for someone to apply for an H1B visa, which, as you know, is a lottery.

[swami81]

Hello Kiyakiya....I had to undergo the same situation pretty much like yours. Since you are a Ph.D student, I suppose you have a graduate assistantship which allows you to work 20hrs/week as a TA or RA in your school. You are legally not supposed to work anywhere else outside even voluntarily, unless you are able to prove economic hardship at your school (ask your international student advisor). If you are really serious about completing your Ph.D, I think the best way out is try to get a H1 sponsor in a Pharmacy chain in your locality ( which is difficult as well!!) and when you are on your H1, try to complete your Ph.D part-time.

[kiyakiya]

Originally Posted by swami81

Hello Kiyakiya....I had to undergo the same situation pretty much like yours. Since you are a Ph.D student, I suppose you have a graduate assistantship which allows you to work 20hrs/week as a TA or RA in your school. You are legally not supposed to work anywhere else outside even voluntarily, unless you are able to prove economic hardship at your school (ask your international student advisor). If you are really serious about completing your Ph.D, I think the best way out is try to get a H1 sponsor in a Pharmacy chain in your locality ( which is difficult as well!!) and when you are on your H1, try to complete your Ph.D part-time.

Thanks for your response swami81. I was under the impression that one could work as a volunteer/unpaid so long they are not gainfully employed, just like charity work. I do have a graduate assistantship that permits me to work a maximum of 20hrs in the department as a research assistant and that basically covers Monday - Friday (8 - 5pm), more like 'full time'. The problem that I am anticipating is finding a pharmacy that would fund my H1B visa to work after 6pm and during the weekend. Its wont be easy, but that has never stopped me before. Any suggestions??

[Pharmacist771]

Originally Posted by kiyakiya

Thanks for your response swami81. I was under the impression that one could work as a volunteer/unpaid so long they are not gainfully employed, just like charity work. I do have a graduate assistantship that permits me to work a maximum of 20hrs in the department as a research assistant and that basically covers Monday - Friday (8 - 5pm), more like 'full time'. The problem that I am anticipating is finding a pharmacy that would fund my H1B visa to work after 6pm and during the weekend. Its wont be easy, but that has never stopped me before. Any suggestions??

Excuse me but why are you thinking of working in a Pharmacy if you are on a high education way. I mean why don't you just concentrate on your PhD? and after you take this PhD you will find better chances to find a good job ( in other places than pharmacies ) ? If you have financial issues then go ahead and try it. But if everything is ok , I would suggest that you just concentrate on your PhD and give it all your time. And afterwards, hundreds of employers ( in different fields ) will beg you to work for them.
I have read somewhere on the internet that individuals with high education like Master and especially PhD are highly sought in wide range of fields in the US not just pharmacies. There is a huge difference in job opportunities between a Bachelor and a PhD. An Individual with a degree like PhD deserves a much better place than a pharmacy. If you wanted to work in a pharmacy in the end then why did you decide to get a PhD?
Your PhD has the priority, everything comes second. If you are in need of money to finance your studies then go ahead, but if you feel comfortable then forget it, at least for now, until you secure your PhD. You'll find better chances to work in a pharmacy then, but now and especially that you can't work full time, I think it's gonna be very hard. It's already hard for pharmacists who have dedicated themselves for a full time pharmacy job . Getting H1b visa is not easy anymore, and It needs very good luck. Plus you have to impress the employer so that he can sponsor a H1B Visa for you, and I think saying that you want to work for 3 hours a day will not be impressive at all. That's just my humble opinion.

[swami81]

Hello Kiyakiya... I would say that it is almost impossible to find a chain pharmacy which will sponsor a H1 for part-time internship(by the way when you are on H1, I think you are supposed to work full time). It is also very uncommon that a chain Pharmacy would accept someone as a volunteer intern, but a non-profit organization like a hospital might agree for that. Try that option as Trav had suggested earlier.

The question raised by Pharmacist771 is a very relevant one in today's scenario. However, one has to understand the ground realities faced by international Ph.D students in US. To get into a Pharmaceutical research industry in US as a Research Associate is very hard in the sense that there are very few job openings. Eventually, most of them get into academics as Post-docs where your earnings is not even half of what you will earn as a Pharmacist. To become a faculty in a University, it takes several years of post-doctoral experience/scientific publications/successful grant approvals etc. Since it is a long and strenuous path, some Ph.D students with Pharmacy background prefer to opt out of the program and become a pharmacist instead. However, I have heard success stories about foreign nationals becoming faculties much faster in the field of Pharmacology when compared to other fields in life sciences. Also, the other big plus point with your Ph.D is that your degree will get you a researcher/faculty job in many other parts of the world.

[kiyakiya]

Originally Posted by swami81

Hello Kiyakiya... I would say that it is almost impossible to find a chain pharmacy which will sponsor a H1 for part-time internship(by the way when you are on H1, I think you are supposed to work full time). It is also very uncommon that a chain Pharmacy would accept someone as a volunteer intern, but a non-profit organization like a hospital might agree for that. Try that option as Trav had suggested earlier.

The question raised by Pharmacist771 is a very relevant one in today's scenario. However, one has to understand the ground realities faced by international Ph.D students in US. To get into a Pharmaceutical research industry in US as a Research Associate is very hard in the sense that there are very few job openings. Eventually, most of them get into academics as Post-docs where your earnings is not even half of what you will earn as a Pharmacist. To become a faculty in a University, it takes several years of post-doctoral experience/scientific publications/successful grant approvals etc. Since it is a long and strenuous path, some Ph.D students with Pharmacy background prefer to opt out of the program and become a pharmacist instead. However, I have heard success stories about foreign nationals becoming faculties much faster in the field of Pharmacology when compared to other fields in life sciences. Also, the other big plus point with your Ph.D is that your degree will get you a researcher/faculty job in many other parts of the world.

The question raised by Pharmacist771 is a very relevant one in today's scenario. However, one has to understand the ground realities faced by international Ph.D students in US. To get into a Pharmaceutical research industry in US as a Research Associate is very hard in the sense that there are very few job openings. Eventually, most of them get into academics as Post-docs where your earnings is not even half of what you will earn as a Pharmacist. To become a faculty in a University, it takes several years of post-doctoral experience/scientific publications/successful grant approvals etc. Since it is a long and strenuous path, some Ph.D students with Pharmacy background prefer to opt out of the program and become a pharmacist instead. However, I have heard success stories about foreign nationals becoming faculties much faster in the field of Pharmacology when compared to other fields in life sciences. Also, the other big plus point with your Ph.D is that your degree will get you a researcher/faculty job in many other parts of the world.[/quote]

Thank you very much swami81, you have been a great help. You truly understand the situation that I am in. I read Pharmacist771's comments and I realized that he/she does not understand that Pharmacology industry and that a lot of assumptions were being made, but I understand, you cannot not know everything.
Like you said, it is difficult to get a job in the Pharmacology industry once you have completed you PhD because there are few openings and there is a lot of competition from post-docs. Frankly I do not want to do a post-doc once I am through, and also as a foreigner, you want to keep your options open because there are nor guarantees or time for luxury when you are not home. One can do their internship full-time at a hospital by working two 12-hour shifts over the weekend, which is considered full time at most institutions. I have contacted a local hospital and they are considering my application. Once I have finished my internship, I intend to continue working as a Pharmacist, same hours, whilst completing my PhD, so that by the time I finish my PhD, I will have a lot of options. You know swami81, having worked in industry an retail Pharmacy, the job can become monotonous, thats where the PhD will come in handy; I can work as a part-time lecturer, but thats in the long run. The bottom line is, doing my internship and PhD will make me more versatile, less restricted and definitely put my mind at ease. You do not necessarily have to choose one over the other, as Pharmacist771 suggested, these areas complement each other.
Thanks again swami81, if you have any more advise, please fell free to share. RESPECT

[hiPEBC]

It would be nice to complete your PhD since it may help hasten the process of getting your greencard. As far as earning and more control over your working hours go, definitely pharmacy is a better profession.

[Pharmacist771]

I expected Disagreement that's why I had already said " that's just my own opinion " at the end of my first post. I just believe in being dedicated to a certain thing, only one thing. That's the source of creation and full success . I have heard of many stories about people who wanted to do everything at a time and yet they lost everything and did nothing. I mean you no harm , I am just explaining my own opinion. I hope you respect it . As for me , when I think about getting a PhD , I think of a big purpose like being a reseacher who works 24 hours in a lab . Like proceeding to post-doc studies. like being an outstanding researcher . Don't say it's hard to do those things. A lot of people made it . Otherwise wasting 6-8 years of your life on a PhD would not be sensible.
Obviously no one disagrees with me about the fact that focusing on a single thing would increase chances of success, and that was just my advice. That's it.
thanks