Wanting to go USA, FPGEC problem

[UK Pharmacy to USA]

I am a green card holder, so can work and live in the USA. I am studying pharmacy at manchester, and want to practice in the USA, but my degree is 4 years, and for the FPGEC you need 5 years. How did people manage to do the FPGEC exam from UK, do they count your A-level as the 5th year? If they do have they got this in writing somewhere and/or do they have a form for this. I would be grateful if anyone has any help and advice as i am worried at the moment because i want to move to USA, hence being a green card holder.

[Asterix]

I am a green card holder, so can work and live in the USA. I am studying pharmacy at manchester, and want to practice in the USA, but my degree is 4 years, and for the FPGEC you need 5 years. How did people manage to do the FPGEC exam from UK, do they count your A-level as the 5th year? If they do have they got this in writing somewhere and/or do they have a form for this. I would be grateful if anyone has any help and advice as i am worried at the moment because i want to move to USA, hence being a green card holder.

The 5th year they ask for is your A levels so you will need to present them with your certificates. You need a reference from your head at 6th form. Which year are you in? are you doing pre-reg in the UK??

[UK Pharmacy to USA]

Im going to start my pharmacy at uni in sept, i took a gap year after my A-levels. Do you need to do the 5th year in the uk then before doing the FPGEC? What does the refernce consist of from your head at 6th form?

[johnep]

That you have not blown up the chemi lab. electrocuted the physics staff etc.
johnep

[MPharm]

The 5th year they ask for is your A levels so you will need to present them with your certificates. You need a reference from your head at 6th form. Which year are you in? are you doing pre-reg in the UK??

I have asked the NABP but they claimed candidates are required to have license in their own country before they can sit for the FPGEE/FPGEC. Is that true? Also, would you all can list out the procedures of acquiring the license in the US for British pharmacy students? Thanks a lot!!

[paul2008]

I have asked the NABP but they claimed candidates are required to have license in their own country before they can sit for the FPGEE/FPGEC. Is that true? Also, would you all can list out the procedures of acquiring the license in the US for British pharmacy students? Thanks a lot!!

My friends were asked for proof they were registered in the country they got their degree from (not UK but sure will be the same), I head they just sent a certified copy of their current practising certificate.

Are practising certificates used in the UK? Back home we get a new one printed annually(from the start of pre-reg), and are theoretically supposed to display a current (i.e not expired yet) one in the premises you are practising in. Since starting pre-reg here I have not had any papers apart from the work book. Still have my old pre reg practising certificate, it has a paragraph explaining what a pre-reg must be under supervision for a continuous period etc.


A quick look on NABP <> National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (chose Examination Programs then FGPEE/FGPEC) seems to indicate that registration in the country you trained is a a requirement but perhaps you can contact them and find out if they will waive in for you.


If I recall the procedure is
1. Get academic equivalence (fifth year is pre-reg) (cost US$85 compared to £685 RPSGB)
2. Apply for and pass FGPEE to get a FGPEC (cost around US$700 plus transport etc, UK OSPAP £6500++ plus living and transport)
3. Internship and state licensing exam ( varies: equivilent of UK pre-reg)

All this if you already have a work permit. Since it is so much cheaper if residency works out most foreigh phamacists would opt for states over UK. Thats also why you see very few US registered pharmacists coming to the UK. I canm't understand why the RPSGB wants somebody educated up to a doctrate level to upgrade their qualifications to a master's level qualification.

[MPharm]

My friends were asked for proof they were registered in the country they got their degree from (not UK but sure will be the same), I head they just sent a certified copy of their current practising certificate.

Are practising certificates used in the UK? Back home we get a new one printed annually(from the start of pre-reg), and are theoretically supposed to display a current (i.e not expired yet) one in the premises you are practising in. Since starting pre-reg here I have not had any papers apart from the work book. Still have my old pre reg practising certificate, it has a paragraph explaining what a pre-reg must be under supervision for a continuous period etc.


A quick look on NABP <> National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (chose Examination Programs then FGPEE/FGPEC) seems to indicate that registration in the country you trained is a a requirement but perhaps you can contact them and find out if they will waive in for you.


If I recall the procedure is
1. Get academic equivalence (fifth year is pre-reg) (cost US$85 compared to £685 RPSGB)
2. Apply for and pass FGPEE to get a FGPEC (cost around US$700 plus transport etc, UK OSPAP £6500++ plus living and transport)
3. Internship and state licensing exam ( varies: equivilent of UK pre-reg)

All this if you already have a work permit. Since it is so much cheaper if residency works out most foreigh phamacists would opt for states over UK. Thats also why you see very few US registered pharmacists coming to the UK. I canm't understand why the RPSGB wants somebody educated up to a doctrate level to upgrade their qualifications to a master's level qualification.

Is it difficult to get a work permit there and is it hard for having a license? What is the typical period for British graduates to do so? Thanks for telling me!~

[aussiepharmer]

My friends were asked for proof they were registered in the country they got their degree from (not UK but sure will be the same), I head they just sent a certified copy of their current practising certificate.

Are practising certificates used in the UK? Back home we get a new one printed annually(from the start of pre-reg), and are theoretically supposed to display a current (i.e not expired yet) one in the premises you are practising in. Since starting pre-reg here I have not had any papers apart from the work book. Still have my old pre reg practising certificate, it has a paragraph explaining what a pre-reg must be under supervision for a continuous period etc.


A quick look on NABP <> National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (chose Examination Programs then FGPEE/FGPEC) seems to indicate that registration in the country you trained is a a requirement but perhaps you can contact them and find out if they will waive in for you.


If I recall the procedure is
1. Get academic equivalence (fifth year is pre-reg) (cost US$85 compared to £685 RPSGB)
2. Apply for and pass FGPEE to get a FGPEC (cost around US$700 plus transport etc, UK OSPAP £6500++ plus living and transport)
3. Internship and state licensing exam ( varies: equivilent of UK pre-reg)

All this if you already have a work permit. Since it is so much cheaper if residency works out most foreigh phamacists would opt for states over UK. Thats also why you see very few US registered pharmacists coming to the UK. I canm't understand why the RPSGB wants somebody educated up to a doctrate level to upgrade their qualifications to a master's level qualification.

The pre-reg is NOT counted as a fifth year. It's the A-levels that's counted so the UK graduates are eligible despite the fact they take a four year degree. I know this because I talked to an alumna of my uni and she was not qualified to sit for FPGEE. Australia has the exact same curriculum as the UK except aussies don't take A-level equivalents. However, I am in a very unique situation because I graduated from a high school in the US, so my pharmacy school required me to take at least one year of university before admission. So that means I will be actually doing a total of 5 years of uni, however, I will be graduating from a pharmacy school where in a country four years is the norm.
Does anyone know what NABP would do regarding personal circumstances like what I am facing?

[paul2008]

Does anyone know what NABP would do regarding personal circumstances like what I am facing?

No idea, you would probably have to look at the site, its all up to the ECE (which is completely different from NABP) apparently to assess your qualification and they do it on a case by case basis. It seems that they tell different people different things. I suspect that a lot will depend on how you word your application and what pieces of paper you can provide. We had certificates from our Pharmacy council stating that we were eligible to start pre-reg at X date etc,.

Is it difficult to get a work permit there and is it hard for having a license? What is the typical period for British graduates to do so? Thanks for telling me!~

I hardly know any British pharmacists in the UK let alone the US so no idea.

I heard that it takes a few years from other countries(A mother of a pharmacist over there) what with state internship etc, but I think she was working in a technician/dispenser role while she waited for here application to work out. Also rumour has it that the PharmD is a higher standard than the Mpharm and you are expected to play catch up.

Actually there seem to be a lot of forums out there discussing this you could google it.

As for the work permit: how hard do you think it is to get a British one? I doubt that it is much different there. Vital two questions are:
1.)are you registered? usually impossible unless you had a work permit for pre-reg/internship.
2.) Can a local fill the position?

A recruiter was desperately advertising on another thread so I asked if anything could be done for overseas pharmacists: standard answer not unless registered here.

[Asterix]

The pre-reg is NOT counted as a fifth year. It's the A-levels that's counted so the UK graduates are eligible despite the fact they take a four year degree. I know this because I talked to an alumna of my uni and she was not qualified to sit for FPGEE. Australia has the exact same curriculum as the UK except aussies don't take A-level equivalents. However, I am in a very unique situation because I graduated from a high school in the US, so my pharmacy school required me to take at least one year of university before admission. So that means I will be actually doing a total of 5 years of uni, however, I will be graduating from a pharmacy school where in a country four years is the norm.
Does anyone know what NABP would do regarding personal circumstances like what I am facing?

yes, you are right, it is a levels which count as 5, NOT PRE-REG.

btw does a uk citizen/graduate need to sit TOEFL?