Time to start revising...

Hi once more to you all. I am now about 8 months into my internship and am starting to get ready to sit the Naplex and CPJE. The main topics for today's post are: 1. Getting some hospital hours (California requirement, or States?) 2. Visa renewel 3. Applying to sit the Naplex - things that need to be done ahead of time. 4. Naplex/CPJE books/resources/online info etc etc etc 1. If you aren't doing your internship in California I really don't know what additional requirements your state board of pharmacy will require of you over and above completion of your hours, but in California the one issue that has gradually become a real nightmare for me has been the need to complete "some" hours in a hospital pharmacy. I think it may have been possible to use any previously gained hours done in my home country to cover this requirement, but unfortunately I have never worked any hours in a hospital at all, so I couldn't get around the problem that way. Also, although I didn't ask them for any assistance in this matter, my employer hasn't at any point offered to try and help me with this issue, and in the end I have hopefully found my way around this problem without their help - but I am sort of surprised they haven't at least asked me if I needed some support (frankly, and they are an excellent employer to be fair to them, they haven't asked me ANYTHING!) So for me, I pulled a few strings and managed to make contact with the pharmacy manager of a hospital pharmacy who would normally never speak to someone like me, but did it as a favor for my friend who works in the hospital in another department. She interviewed me for the position of a "hospital volunteer" and is happy enough for me to sit in a corner somewhere for a few days to get the hours I need completed. I don't expect to learn much whilst I am there, and I don't want to get in anyone's way as she is doing me a BIG favor, but the procedure these days to be allowed to even do a few days as a volunteer requires me to go through the formal application process, be security checked, attend a day-long induction, and finally be allowed to step foot in the building. This process would normally take weeks, and may still take weeks, but they are trying to rush things through for me - but my advice to any of you out there is look in to this EARLY in your year, if you do need to do it, and don't leave it to the last minute as it may not be possible to make it happen as fast as you might like. Hopefully all will go smoothly, and I will get my hours completed in the hospital before I have completed my normal hours, so that i will be able to apply to sit the naplex as soon as possible. One very interesting thing I learnt whilst I was chatting with the chief pharmacist was that she would never ever consider employing a pharmacist in her department that hadn't done a D.Pharm and then done a one year residency. This residency is much like a doctors residency, is a very concentrated year of learning, at a very VERY low rate of pay, but it shows absolute commitment to the desire to be a hospital pharmacist, and assures any potential employer that this person knows their stuff really well. So if you think you want to end up one day as a hospital pharmacist I suggest you find out more about this residency option. 2. Visa renewel OK, I had an email from my employer asking me if I had taken any action to have my visa extended, as it was due to expire on September 30th 2009 and if I hadn't had it extended prior to that date they would no longer be able to employ me. Nice! So I contacted the company lawyers that deal with my visa and they said they would put in the request to extend the visa for my whole family but that it could (in theory) take up to 90 days to get processed - so the timing was just on the edge. Thankfully my company had given me the red-flag in good time, but for all of you out there that are trying to think of how to get everything right first time, add "visa renewel" to your list, atleast 90 days prior to expiry, which will be about 9 months after you first landed in America on your visa. 3. Applying to sit the Naplex - things that need to be done ahead of time. I downloaded the application forms to sit the naplex here: http://www.pharmacy.ca.gov/forms/rph_app_pkt2.pdf I had been advised to get the papers ready early as there was one important requirement that needed to be done (or could be done) well in advance of actually applying. I was also told to check that the name on my US Drivers License matched EXACTLY the name on my UK PASSPORT as well as on my US SOCIAL SECURITY CARD - if it didn't, if for example I hadn't used my middle name on any of the cards, or has used the middle initial but not the entire name, then I simply wouldn't be allowed to sit the exam. Thankfully (without having known this) they were all exactly the same - but remember this when you apply for your US SNN and US DRIVERS LICENSE - make sure they match the name in your foreign passport or you are going to get in to some real problems later trying to sit the naplex. So the thing that needs organizing early is yet another finger-print analysis. Of course everyone will have completed this process once, prior to being granted an intern license, and this time it will be a lot easier since everyone will already be living in California, and you can just walk in to your local UPS Store to get them done (you should also get your 2"x2" US Passport size photo taken there, although it would be cheaper at Costco if you are penny-pinching). So download the form from the website above, print it out, fill out the "request for live scan service" form and go to your local UPS and get that done nice and early too, so you don't have to worry about that later either. 4. Naplex/CPJE books/resources/online info etc etc etc I really really really want to fill this section with a thorough review of all the books and resources that anyone could ever want to use to sit the Naplex/CPJE, however, I can't do this alone as I have only used 4 books, and that's not really a very comprehensive list. So what I would ask is that any one who reads this post and has atleast one book that they've got in front of them and are using it for either the Naplex or CPJE (or other state board law exam for that matter) to please send me an email to my SCURTISCO at AOL dot COM email address and add a few words as to whether they think it is any good or not. I will start with my list of four books and hopefully this will grow to a comprehensive list I can put up on a dedicated posting at a later date: A) APhA - an awesome review book, covers everything, very big, easy read, lots of questions and answers. As far as I am concerned this is THE book. B) Pharmacy and Federal Drug Law Review - David Kosegarten & Dougas Pisano - I haven't read this properly yet, but it looks good, and is FULL of questions and answer and covers the law section too. C) A Guide To California Community Pharmacy Law - Fred Weissman - I should have kept details of how to buy this as it isn't that easy to get hold of, and although pretty heavy going it is considered THE BOOK to pass the law questions on the CPJE - also it is worth reading prior to becoming a pharmacist so you feel competent on how to practice in the real world when some of those difficult decisions in life actually come up - like partialing a C2 or using split NDC's or borrowing from another pharmacy or changing the quantity or recording an error and so on. No excuse really, we all need to read this book whether before the CPJE or after. ***UPDATED ENTRY*** You can buy Weissman book as follows: Phone the USC Bookstore on: 323-442-2674 (Says freephone customer service # 800-571-5086) Book is called: "A guide to California pharmacy Law" by Fred Weissman ISBN #: 978-1-4243-3390-5 Cost to me was $46 + tax + shipping = $57.26 D) Finally, I purchased a little pocket book called "Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia" available here: - its more or less the equivalent to the BNF we used in the UK, and it is my intention to try my best to have read through it once before I sit the exam so i have at least once heard/read of every drug that exists in the US. E) Oh, and you should read at least 2 years worth of "Pharmacist Letters" - I'll try and remember to add a link to that shortly too. Thanks to all of my loyal readers. I guess the next entry will be the big one, about the actual Naplex itself! Farmacyst