apply for internship without having the FPGEC certificate

[bioengineering]

Dear friends,
I have passed the FPGEE as well as the IBT and am waiting for the FPGEE certificate. In the meantime, can I apply for internship positions to companies while waiting for the certificate??
My second question is, is there any state where I can apply for intern license without actually having the FPGEE certificate??
Thanks everybody.

[FloridaPH2009]

Hi !!!!
In Florida you can apply for the internship before FPGEE and TOEFL iBT, as I did and got my intern licence.
As I know, also in Michigan is the same, you can call to their board and inquire.

[smakmee]

Massachusetts is not required FPGEC for internship license. I have a license, but cannot get any preceptors. Most large pharmacies require FPGEC.

[lor_2008]

Hi !!!!
In Florida you can apply for the internship before FPGEE and TOEFL iBT, as I did and got my intern licence.
As I know, also in Michigan is the same, you can call to their board and inquire.

Hi FloridaPH2009,

I have worked as a technician for a year in Florida, and I did not apply for my intern license because my district manager said that they do not accept interns without FPGEC. Do you know any company in Florida that will not request FPGEC?

I passed FPGEE in Dec 2008, and I will take TOEFL next month, but there is a guy that was working with me that passed FPGEE two years ago and has not passed TOEFL yet. He has been working as a technician and I feel sorry for him - and for me as well, because we are not counting the hours we have been working towards the amount of hours we will be required to work after getting the intern license.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated! Thank you very much in advance. God bless you all.

[FloridaPH2009]

Hello
I tried to apply in big chains but no luck !!!!!
Walgreens does not hire foreign graduate interns at all in Florida
I started trying in private pharmacies in my area.
It did work. So mavbr you shoud tryi that also!!!!

But if you have passed FPGEE, try Publix, Winn Dixie, and other stores also!!!
Good Luck!!!!

[lor_2008]

Hello
I tried to apply in big chains but no luck !!!!!
Walgreens does not hire foreign graduate interns at all in Florida
I started trying in private pharmacies in my area.
It did work. So mavbr you shoud tryi that also!!!!

But if you have passed FPGEE, try Publix, Winn Dixie, and other stores also!!!
Good Luck!!!!

Thank you so much for your prompt response FloridaPH2009.

I am living overseas since Aug 2008, and they do not have TSE or iBT here, that is why I have not taken it yet. I will try to apply for an intern position in Florida from here but I am sure it will be more difficult. Also I want to contact that guy I was working with and let him know that he can do the same. He was taking TOEFL every month for two years, but I think he lost hope.

Do you know what is the salary range for interns in Florida, and if it depends on FPGEC or not?

Thank you so much again for your help! God bless you!

[FloridaPH2009]

You can apply for the intern licence and actually you have to call to the board of pharmacy to find out about the issue you have, as an intern you will get mostly 11-15 $/Hour as a graduate intern , which means with FPGEC certificate you will get abou 35 $ per hour, and also the internship hours in FL are 208o.

[lor_2008]

You can apply for the intern licence and actually you have to call to the board of pharmacy to find out about the issue you have, as an intern you will get mostly 11-15 $/Hour as a graduate intern , which means with FPGEC certificate you will get abou 35 $ per hour, and also the internship hours in FL are 208o.

I e-mailed the board of pharmacy today after reading your post. Thank you! As for the TOEFL, I will have to take it in Miami when I go there.

What a shame I did not apply for my intern license before! I could have worked at least half-year as intern, since I got my eligibility confirmation for FPGEE in January 08. I could have had my hours counted, and I would probably had made more money (I was getting $10/h as a tech). I asked so many people about it when I was working, but I had bad luck, because everybody told me that I would need to pass FPGEE and TOEFL first in order to get an intern job in Florida... and I believed it!

I will try to find out if I can have some of these hours deducted from the 2080 h requirement.

Thank you so much again for your help!

[canadian in florida]

I'm in Florida and am having a tough time getting an internship. I've applied mostly to hospitals, but everybody wants a licensed Pharmacist. I think the 2080 hours required before licensure prevents pharmacies from hiring foreign grads. Any recommendations or advice??

[Jaken]

Hi Smakmee,

I'm from Massachusetts too. I just started looking for internship position but no positive result yet. How long have you been looking for one? I hope we could help each other. Thank you.