Iowa Pharmacy Internship Information FAQ's
BOARD OF PHARMACY INTERNSHIP AND LICENSURE REGISTRATION
- Can I turn in a completed booklet before I graduate?
- When should I start working on my booklet?
- I am not planning on working in Iowa. Do I still need to complete the booklet for graduation or to take the boards?
- Where can I find information about how many hours the state(s) I am planning on becoming licensed in require?
- Is there any benefit to turning in my book early?
- What needs to be notarized on the booklet?
- I’ve lost my Internship Booklet. What do I do now?
- How many hours can I count if I work at a pharmacy during the school year?
- How many internship hours are required in Iowa?
- How do I count hours that were worked in another state?
- Where do I send my booklet when I am done?
- Any tips from previous graduates?
- What procedures should graduating students complete to register for the Boards?
- What if an Iowa Board of Pharmacy Application is needed?
BOARD OF PHARMACY INFORMATION
Iowa Internship Hours/Booklet Completion and Submission
1. Can I turn in a completed booklet before I graduate?
Yes! You can turn in your booklet as soon as you have it completed. Look through the competencies because it may take you until P3 or P4 year to complete some of those but whenever it is finished, you may turn it in.
2. When should I start working on my booklet?
As soon as you have a pharmacy internship/job that requires hours outside of the required experiential hours you can begin to count up those hours. Keep track of hours worked during school and during breaks to count towards the 250 hours needed.
3. I am not planning on working in Iowa. Do I still need to complete the booklet for graduation or to take the boards?
No. The Iowa Intern booklet is only need to be licensed in Iowa. However, if you choose, the Iowa Board of Pharmacy is able to send the hours done in state to a different state if that state requires internship hours for licensure.
4. Where can I find information about how many hours the state(s) I am planning on becoming licensed in require?
Check with the Board of Pharmacy for that state. Some states do not require hours. Others are more or less than what is required in Iowa.
5. Is there any benefit to turning in my book early?
There can be. This depends on what state(s) you plan to become licensed in. Some states will process your application for licensure quicker depending on when the booklet is received. In Iowa, if you turn your booklet in before graduation, all applicants will be filed at the same time.
6. What needs to be notarized on the booklet?
Just the affidavit of training. This is the sheet with your hours and dates listed and where your hours were performed. The preceptor needs to sign this IN FRONT OF THE NOTARY. The affidavit of preceptors does not need to be notarized but must be signed by each preceptor that signs off on any competencies.
7. I’ve lost my Internship Booklet. What do I do now?
Contact the Iowa Board of Pharmacy to request a replacement. The replacement is usually $5.00.
8. How many hours can I count if I work at a pharmacy during the school year?
No more than 10 hours per week during the academic year. This does not include summer vacations or holiday breaks (such as spring break or Christmas break).
9. How many internship hours are required in Iowa?
1500 hours are required in Iowa. Of those, 1250 are completed when you do you IPE hours during school. So, 250 hours internship hours are required outside of IPE experiences. You may count pharmacy internship hours and/or hours you’ve worked in a pharmacy (like HyVee , Walgreens, ect.).
10. How do I count hours that were worked in another state?
Candidates who worked and gained internship hours out of state are required to contact the Board of Pharmacy in that state and request to have those hours certified to the Iowa Board of Pharmacy. This will document that the candidate registered in that state, filed their hours appropriately, and met the guidelines for internship in that state. (Note: Illinois and Florida do not file internship hours.)
11. Where do I send my booklet when I am done?
Iowa Board of Pharmacy Examiners
400 SW 8th Street, Suite E
Des Moines, IA 50309-4688
12. Any tips from previous graduates?
- Start on the book early. If you can log one or two summers and/or breaks you can easily get 250 hours. This way you don’t have to go back and try to remember how much you were working.
- Even if not seeking licensed in Iowa, complete the Iowa Internship booklet. It is a lot easier to just get it all done in one place and have the Iowa Board of Pharmacy transfer it to another state than to try and coordinate different hours from different states.
- Log extra hours (above the 250 required) just in case the state you are getting licensed in requires more than Iowa does.
- Double check that the booklet is complete before sending it in. Often times the preceptors may forget something small and the Board will send back the whole booklet if it’s not complete. This could delay licensure.
- Turn the book in as soon as it is completed. That way you don’t have to worry about losing it or not getting it in on time.
- The Iowa Board of Pharmacy will not grant credit for internship training if the affidavit of training sheet has been cut into two separate affidavits. Additional forms can be obtained by calling the Board at 515-281-5944.
- Read through the competencies. Many can be filled out within the first few years of working in a pharmacy. Again, most of these you have probably achieved prior to rotations.
- Give the pharmacy office staff plenty of time to complete forms. Drake students tend to go all over the country for rotations and post-graduate jobs/residencies. This requires a LOT of work from the office to provide these opportunities, so be kind.
13. What procedures should graduating students complete to register for the Boards?
During February or March of the rotation year, DP4 students should contact the board of pharmacy in the state where you plan to take the NAPLEX and law exams. Every state is slightly different as far as the requirements go, so it is important to read the instructions that come along with the application carefully to see what that particular state's board requires.
14. If an Iowa Board of Pharmacy Application is needed, the Board can be contacted at 281-5944. Questions should be referred to Becky Hall at becky.hall@iowa.gov or 281-5944.
If you are taking the Board exam in another state and do not have the contact information, you can reach it through the college of pharmacy web site under the current students page (related links) or directly through the following address: http://www.nabp.net/whoweare/boards.asp
The College will send a Certification of Pharmacy Education (http://www.state.ia.us/ibpe/pdf/cc.pdf) for all graduates to the Iowa Board of Pharmacy Examiners. If you are taking the Board exam in another state, the state will require information from the college - you can send the information that the College needs to complete to Beth Hudson. If the form needs to be completed after graduation, we will send it the Monday following graduation ceremonies.
We also have a letter prepared that we can send to the Board that lists your expected date of graduation if the Board needs that information. This letter also includes information about your attendance at Drake, the number of rotations that you will have completed (e.g. internship hours completed through your college education). Please let the college know if you need that letter sent to the board and then we can send the form to the board immediately after graduation if that is what the board in that particular state requires. Some boards allow us to fill out the expected date of completion on the form; in those cases we do not have to send the additional letter.
Internship hours -if you are taking the Board in Iowa but completed your hours in another state, you will need to submit certification to the Iowa Board from the Board in the state where you obtained the internship hours. The same would be the case if other states are involved - you will need to contact the Board where you obtained the hours and have them send that information to the Board where you plan to take the exam.
Some states may have other requirements that raise additional questions, so please let Renae Chesnut know if there is anything that you need from the College.
Friday, August 23, 2013
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday, August 25, 2013
1:00 PM
Sheslow Auditorium (Old Main)
