sau_piggy

Sorry for the late reply Jaken cuz I was out of town. No I do not have FPGEC certificate yet but I have MA intern license already. Is it still necessary to get FPGEC Cert? Regarding internship hours, I'm waiting for Cathie and MA Board to reply. At first I called MA Board to inquire about the number of hours needed if I am to transfer license from MI and the lady referred me to Cathie. I contacted Cathie and after 5 emails she sent my question back to the MA Board. They are asking me now how long I have been practicing in MI - seems like the hours of working as a pharmacist in MI may be a factor in determining whether you'll need extra internship hours in MA. It seems pointless to try to get licensed in MI then if extra hours are still needed in MA or if we have to practice a number of hours in MI before moving back to MA (I can't move because of family). We only need to do 300 hours of internship if we are using our Canadian license according to the Policy 2000-02 Policy on Canadian Colleges/Universities of Pharmacy Education - license policy on Canadian graduates. Well that's also the toughest part cuz no one is hiring currently. well if I hear anything else from Cathie I'll definitely let you know :) Good luck to us!

Hello Jaken, thank you for the suggestion! I'm also a Canadian pharmacist living in MA but I'm unable to find a preceptor for internship and planning to apply in MI. One question for you: do you know if we have to make up the difference in internship hours when transferring the pharmacist licence from MI to MA as MI only requires 1000 hours of internship (which I get exempted as being a Canadian pharmacist) while MA requires 1500 hours? I've tried contacting MA board of pharmacy & PCS MA licensing coordinator, but no one seems to be able to tell me the answer.

Yes, only need to register for FPGEC and since we graduated from CCAPP approved school of pharmacy, they will send us FPGEC approval without having to take the FPGEC exam I'm still waiting for the response for TSE though - not sure what they mean by "Must complete a preliminary screening Test of Spoken English" - anyone know what is a preliminary screening TSE? and TSE not being administered? :rolleyes:

I called but the lady on the phone was NOT helpful at all (she only gave me the incorrect number of NABP and cut me off), so I emailed and the Director replied. :)

Here's the reply from the Mass Board of Pharmacy: Thank you for your inquiry. Please refer to the following related reference: Brief summary follows: Must have been graduated from a CCAPP approved college of pharmacy; Must complete NABP, FPGEC preliminary approval (except FPGEC Examination) and provide a copy to the Board; Must complete a preliminary screening Test of Spoken English ("TSE") (this will be a future discussion item once you have achieved all other requirments since TSE is no longer being administered- if you were taught in English at the University you attended we can discuss further)and receive a passing score. In the event that the candidate does not receive a passing score, the candidate will be required to complete the TSE Examination requirement and receive a score of at least 50; Must hold a valid license to practice pharmacy in the Canadian Province; Must complete a 300 hour internship in a Unites States Pharmacy;and, Following completion of the above requirements, a prospective candidate will be allowed to apply to the Board, take the North American Pharmacy Licensing Examination ("NAPLEX") and Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination ("MPJE"), must receive a passing score of at least 75% and meet such other terms and conditions as the Board may, from time to time require.

Yes, I'll call the Massachusetts Board of Pharmacy on Monday. Will definitely let you two know their answer. Thanks so much again. You two are very helpful!

Thank you so much for your help Babak! I've also downloaded the "Pharmacy Internship Registration Application form" from the PCS site. In one of the sections it asks me to put in my "anticipated date of graduation" and to get my school official to sign but I've already graduated 7 years ago?! I'm wondering if there's another form for foreign licensed pharmacist. Anyways, I've already sent an email to inquire and hopefully I'll get a reply soon. Again, thank you Babak! :)

I'm a Canadian pharmacist (graduated from UBC in 2001) recently relocated to Boston, MA and is interested in getting licensed. Does anyone know if I need to take FPGEE, TOFEL and TSE? I've once asked a lady at the Massachusetts Board of Pharmacy and she said I don't need to take those, but I keep getting conflicting info from the web?! Can anyone please tell me what I exactly need to do? Thanks in advance for your help! :)