(If you had continuous 5 year pharmacy curriculum in your home country)
(Traditional Foreign Pharmacist Pathway)
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A foreign pharmacy graduate is a pharmacist whose undergraduate pharmacy degree was conferred by a recognized school of pharmacy outside of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. This definition is regardless of whether you are a US citizen, permanent resident (green card holder) or an illegal immigrant. However, if you are a foreign national and attended a pharmacy school in the US, you are not considered a foreign pharmacy graduates.
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Steps
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Submission of documentation to National Association of Board of Pharmacy (NABP) and Educational Credential Evaluation (ECE).
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Apply and take Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Exams (FPGEE) and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exams.
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Obtain Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC) Certification.
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Passing the three exams- North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX), Multi-State Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam (MJPE) and state specific exam.
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Documentation
The application process is the most paramount process as it determines the test is taking eligibility for the candidate. Failure of the candidate to comply with the standards and requirements of the National Association of Board of Pharmacy (NABP) may result in denial. The following is a stepwise application process.
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Application
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The application can be downloaded or filled and submitted online. There is a filled sample application which acts as reference and step wise information needed for every individual part of the application. Attention should be focused while filling the last part of the application as it requires a notary by the concerned professional. A fee is to be submitted along with the application in the accepted form of payment.
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Transcripts
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The transcripts should be issued by the Registrar/Controller of Examination of the candidate’s respective university in a sealed cover dated and signed by the registrar or any other issuing authority. The signed transcripts should then be enveloped, sealed and should bear the stamp/seal with the signature of the issuing authority. Opened transcripts or sealed transcripts without bearing the sign/sign are considered invalid by the board. The transcripts usually include 4 years mark lists and original degree (provisional degree if original degree is not received at the time of application) for post bacc. students and 6 years mark list and original degree for integrated students. The transcripts also should include the internship completion certificate. Accepted form of identification should also accompany with the transcripts, fees and application.
Certificate of registration
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A registered pharmacist certificate (In a sealed and stamped envelope) is to be sent along with the application. This can be sent directly by the pharmacy board to the NABP or through a candidate along with the application or later depending upon on the practices of the Pharmacy Board of the respective country.
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Educational credential evaluation (ECE) evaluation
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Educational credential evaluation report is required for all the foreign pharmacy graduates. This evaluation plays a crucial rule is deciding the eligibility status for FPGEE, so it is advised that the application for ECE is submitted along with/before submitting the FPGEE application. ECE (education evaluation application) is a private board which evaluates the transcripts and issues a report of the evaluation, which forms the base in decision making process for the board. Same set of documents is to be submitted to ECE along with the application and processing fee. Any non-English documents should be translated into English prior to the submission.
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2. Take the FPGEE and TOEFL
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To qualify for the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination (FPGEE) one must satisfy 1 of 2 options-
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OPTION 1: for graduates before January 1st, 2003
Complete at least a four-year pharmacy curriculum in their home country
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OPTION 2: for graduates on or after January 1, 2003
Complete at least a five-year pharmacy curriculum in their home country.
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Note that Coursework and internships completed after pharmacy school graduation will not be considered in determining the minimum required curriculum length.
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The FPGEE Exam
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The FPGEE, is one of the examinations required as part of the FPGEC Certification Program. It is an online, almost five and a half hour, administered by Pearson VUE at its Pearson Professional Centers in US. The exam contains 250 questions where the questions are divided as per the following:
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Basic biomedical sciences – 10%
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Pharmaceutical sciences – 33%
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Social, behavioral, administrative pharmacy sciences – 22%
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Clinical sciences – 35
This examination is offered only twice a year the first being in the last week of April (Spring) and the second time during the last week of September (Fall). The dates are scheduled by the NABP and are subjected to change every year. Effective January 1, 2012, an FPGEE score report will be valid for five years from the test date.
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Minimum passing score is 75. The total attempts for FPGEE are five and failing, which the candidate can never apply again. On passing the candidate can register for an internship in the state of his/her choice. The internship hours varies from state to state. Most of the states require 1500 h.
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The TOEFL exam
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There are many TOEFL exams. The TOEFL iBT is the only one that is considered for Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC) certification. It is an internet based test mandatory for all the foreign graduates and should be taken only in the US. An overall minimum score is not required but the candidate is deemed eligible only if the candidate obtains the minimum required scores in the following areas:
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Reading: 22
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Listening: 21
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Speaking: 26
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Writing: 24
It is important to note that these minimum scores should all be attained in ONE testing. This means that all scores must be reported in one official score report.
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Once the test-taking is completed the candidate is required to forward the official score to the board. The cost-effective way to take the TOFEL test is to take it the same time when the candidate enters the US for FPGEE since NABP does not approve TOFEL test scores for the test taken outside the US.
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3. Obtain your FPGEC certification-
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After passing both the FPGEE and the TOEFL iBT, and submission of all the documents, you will receive the FPGEC certification. Almost all the states accept FPGEC certification for obtaining a pharmacist license. Each state may require pharmacy internship hours.
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4. Passing NAPLEX, MPJE and state specific exams-
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Before you can be a licensed pharmacist in the US, one needs to pass the NAPLEX. This is the same pharmacy licensure exam that US graduates take.
The North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) is comprised of 185 questions and is designed to test a candidate’s knowledge of pharmacotherapy and therapeutic outcomes, preparing and distributing medication, and optimizing the health of their patients. Like other computerized exams, the NAPLEX is adaptive, meaning the test selects questions based on how the student is fairing on the exam. The fee to take this exam is high, so students should feel well-prepared before scheduling a testing date. If you fail the NAPLEX, or one of the other required examinations, you may be able to apply to retake it. This usually entails an additional exam fee and written approval by a state or national pharmacy body.
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The Multi-State Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam (MJPE) is focused on a student’s knowledge of federal and state laws surrounding pharmaceutical practice. Participating states use this exam to ensure all pharmacists understand the legal ramifications of prescribing and distributing drugs.
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The written and practical examination component is typically specific to the state. More information may be available from a local board of pharmacy.
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Alternate Foreign Graduate Pharmacist Licensure Pathway
(If you had continuous 4 year pharmacy curriculum in your home country)
(Non-Traditional Foreign Pharmacist Pathway)
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The Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree program in the United States requires at least 2-years of specific pre-professional (undergraduate) coursework followed by 4-academic years (or 3-calendar years) of professional study i.e total 5-6 years of Pharmacy curriculum. The B.S. of pharmacy degree is no longer offered in the U.S. The pharmacy admission process is highly competitive for all applicants.
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Five-year pharmacy curriculum before applying for the FPGEE is the main reason why most foreign pharmacists cannot take the traditional foreign pharmacist pathway, since many foreign pharmacy schools are 4-year programs.
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The major alternative pathway (3-year top-up programs for foreign pharmacists to obtain a PharmD degree):
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If you have already completed a 4 year degree in pharmacy at a foreign institution and wish to pursue a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) in the U.S., you may wish to consider admission into a post-B.S. pharmacy (non-traditional) Pharm.D. degree programs. A U.S. or Canadian pharmacy license may be required for admission.
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There are 2 pharmacy schools programs for the recently graduated foreign pharmacist that that did not complete a 5-year program. These schools offer 3-year top-up programs for foreign pharmacists to obtain a PharmD degree and take the NAPLEX exam after graduation.
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Nova Southern University International PharmD Program (NSU) in Florida.
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Western University International Post-Baccalaureate PharmD (IPBP) program in California
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Other pharmacy schools, for example, California Northstate University in California, may consider a foreign applicant if they meet the prerequisites for admission or if they take required courses that may be missing from their transcript.
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The majority of U.S. pharmacy degree programs require all applicants to apply through the Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS). The PharmCAS web site indicates whether the pharmacy school considers non-U.S. citizens for admission. Refer to the School Directory for detailed information. To obtain admission requirement information, visit the web site for each Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree program. School specific information is also available within the Pharmacy School Admission Requirements (PSAR) publication.
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How Indians can appear in FPGEE Now???
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After the new requirement mandated in the US from 2003, Pharmacy Council of India launched doctor of pharmacy as a 6 years integrated course to help the college ready students and a 3 year post-baccalaureate bridge course (better if done from USA itself) for the students graduated after 2003 as an intervention in 2008.
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Program (Integrated) for students who are college ready was launched in the year 2008 in couple of states and all over India by 2010. This intervention quite opened the doors for the 6 years Pharm.D students, questioning the eligibility status of Post. Bacc. students.
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As per the NABP’s rules, a candidate with a 5 years or more pharmacy undergraduate degree is by default mediated eligible for the foreign pharmacy graduate equivalent examination (FPGEE), whereas a Post. Bacc. candidates will be subjected to case by case evaluation prior to being rendered eligible.
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FPGEE is an entry level examination conducted by the NABP for all the foreign pharmacists who are determined eligible by the board. NABP in America is similar to PCI in India. It was established in 1904, to ensure the public’s health and safety through its pharmacist license transfer and pharmacist competence assessment programs. Apart from the 50 states in the US it also governs the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Australia, eight Canadian provinces, and New Zealand.
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It’s is only after FPGEE certification, a foreign graduate is treated equal to an American graduate and the process that follows after is exactly the same for both. FPGEEC is the initial step that eventually leads to NAPLEX and MPJE which are the hurdles to be cleared to establish oneself as a registered pharmacist in the US of America. A graduate deemed eligible to sit for FPGEE by the board is automatically assumed eligible for NAPLEX and MPJE.
It is necessary to know that FPGEE eligibility is just a passport and an actual visa is required to enter the country lawfully without which the passport is rendered useless.
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For more information click- (Detail guidance to the Pharmacist registration in US)