Pharmacists - The Process

Here is how the process works:

Step 1:

Send us your detailed CV indicating your particular area of interest within Pharmacy and your desired location in the U.S.

Step 2:

We perform an initial review of your case and screen you against two critical measures:
  • Experience as a Pharmacist - Preference is given to graduates of internationally respected institutions and candidates with work experience.
    You must hold at least a 4-year university degree in Pharmacy if you graduated before January 1, 2003; if you graduated after this date you must hold at least a 5-year university degree;
  • Fluency in English – Employment requirements necessitate that recruits speak fluent English. Ultimately, prospective recruits will need to successfully complete the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and the TSE (Test of Spoken English), or the TOEFL IBT in order to demonstrate fluency in the English language.

Within a two week period, we will respond to your inquiry.

Step 3

If you satisfy the above criteria, you will be interviewed by a staff Pharmacist and will be asked to send us additional materials that we may require. Upon our approval of your qualifications, you will be offered a written contract; the contract will explain the terms, services and fees for the rest of the process.

Next Stage

The first step: Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee™ (FPGEC®).

InterFysio submits the candidate’s application for the FPGEC® and receives an eligibility notice to register for the FOREIGN PHARMACY GRADUATE EQUIVALENCY EXAMINATION™ (FPGEE®).
There are four stages that any foreign graduate must pass in order to receive the FPGEC® certification:
  • Education Evaluation - NABP® partnered with Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. (ECE) for the educational credential evaluation of new applicants to the FPGEC® Certification Program.
  • Licensing Evaluation - the FPGEC® evaluates the applicant's educational background, licensure, and/or registration obtained outside the U.S. This stage is necessary to show that the foreign education/ license/registration is equivalent to what is required in the U.S. The applicant must supply to the FPGEC® the following official documents that have been prepared and sealed by the issuing body in accordance with FPGEC® requirements.
  • Passage of the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination® (FPGEE®). Administered by the FPGEC® as a paper and pencil examination in testing centers throughout the U.S.; it is not available outside the U.S. It is designed to test the foreign pharmacist's knowledge of chemistry and other subject(s) that are required of all pharmacists in the U.S.
  • Passage of English Competence Tests (TOEFL & TSE, or TOEFL iBT) – TOEFL is the Test of English as a Foreign Language; the TSE is the Test of Spoken English. In order to receive FPGEC® certification, all foreign pharmacists must pass the TOEFL with a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based exam, or a minimum score of 213 on the computer-based exam. In addition, foreign pharmacists must also pass the TSE with a minimum score of 50. FPGEC® now also accepts the new TOEFL iBT, which combines the TOEFL and the TSE into one exam.

The Second Step: Application for internship in a particular State

Certain states require a number of internship hours to be completed by the applicant before taking the NAPLEX® exam or before licensing. All internship programs must be approved by the Board of Pharmacy of that state. Usually, the internship is done under the supervision of a Board authorized licensed pharmacist. For foreign Pharmacists, the internship comes after the FPGEC® certification, but before the licensing exams (however, a few states allow sitting for the licensing exam before the internship). For immigration purposes, internship programs for foreign Pharmacists may qualify the pharmacist to receive a work visa.

The Third Step: Application to take licensure exam(s) in a particular state

Passage of both the NAPLEX® exam and the MPJE® is required. The NAPLEX® is the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination®; the MPJE® is the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination®.

Please refer to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy® website at: www.nabp.net for more information.