New Hampshire Licensing Guides for Immigrant Pharmacists

Eligibility For Licensing

The process for obtaining a license as a pharmacist in New Hampshire is as follows:

I. COMPLETE THE FOREIGN PHARMACY GRADUATE EXAMINATION COMMITTEE (FPGEC) CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

The purpose of the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC) Certification Program is to document the educational equivalency of your foreign pharmacy education. This certification is a four-step process. The following information outlines the process and you can find more program information in the Important Links section.

• Application package for the FPGEC Certification Program and the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination (FPGEE): The application can be downloaded from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) website. It requires several supporting documents, including proof of a foreign pharmacist license or an accepted substitute. Fee: $1,200 (in 2015), which includes document evaluation ($450) and payment of test ($750)
• Credential Evaluation Application. Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. is the only credentialing organization accepted by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). You must submit your official transcripts and proof of degree, plus translations submitted according to the instructions found in the application package. This step often takes a year or more. Fee: $85 (in 2015.)
• Passing the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) iBT Scores: The TOEFL iBT is the sole English language proficiency examination accepted for candidates seeking FPGEC Certification. The TOEFL iBT must be completed by all foreign pharmacy graduates, even those who are native English speakers. There are no exceptions or waivers to these requirements.
  * The minimum score requirements for the TOEFL iBT (in March 1, 2014) are as follows: Reading – 22; Listening – 21; Speaking – 26; Writing – 24.
• Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination (FPGEE):
  FPGEE will be explained in more detail in the section on testing.

IMPORTANT NOTES ON THE FOREIGN PHARMACY GRADUATE EXAMINATION COMMITTEE (FPGEC) CERTIFICATION PROGRAM:

• Your Certification Program file will close after two years unless you go through an extension process with the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee
• If you sit for the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination (FPGEE) and fail, you will have to resend your application and pay $600 (in 2015) to retake the exam.
• Completing your foreign credential evaluation does not occur early in the Certification program. If you are a pharmacy graduate from 2003 or later and think your pharmacy degree may not be equivalent to a first professional degree (a 5-year PharmD), you are participating in this process at your own risk. Candidates like you have spent a lot of time and money – even passed the Certification program exam! – before learning they are disqualified based on the credential evaluation. Get advice early from FPGEC or a Pharm.D program to understand if your degree is likely to qualify.

II. SUBMIT LICENSURE BY EXAMINATION APPLICATION AND COMPLETE AN APPROVED CLINICAL TRAINING PROGRAM

APPLICATION

After you earn your Certification it is time to apply for Licensure by Examination to the New Hampshire Board of Pharmacy (NHBP) Link: http://www.nh.gov/pharmacy/pharmacists/naplex.htm. Your examination process will not start at this time, but the application is your first point of contact with the State and leads to your next immediate step: the 1,500 hour clinical training program required of all foreign pharmacy graduates. The application form is called “Original Licensure in NH (NAPLEX)” on the NHBP website. Some of the items in your application to NHBP will include:

• 2- page Application for Licensure by Examination (note: this application opens your file at NHBP, but you won’t be considered eligible for the exams in Step III until your internship is completed and accepted by NHBP)
• Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC) Certification
• Credential evaluation from Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
• Official transcripts issued by school of pharmacy with school seal affixed and certified translation
• Passport style photo and copy of birth certificate

Fee: $265 (in 2015) made payable to: Treasurer – State of New Hampshire

CLINICAL TRAINING PROGRAM

NHBP will send you guidelines for the 1,500-hour clinical training program. Program participants are commonly called “pharmacy interns,” although there is no special intern status or license in New Hampshire. In fact, you will have to arrange your own 1,500-hour internship in a hospital or retail pharmacy under the supervision of a pharmacist licensed in New Hampshire.

The supervising Pharmacist must write a letter to NHBP confirming that clinical training will occur and outlining its proposed content. The State Board of Pharmacy, which meets every other month, will review this documentation and make a recommendation to the NHBP director. You will need to receive NHBP approval before you can begin earning hours towards your 1,500 hour goal.

This approval is for a specific internship under a specific pharmacist. Unfortunately, if your circumstances change and you abandon your program before completion, you will need to start all over again with a new, pre-approved, 1,500-hour clinical training program. For more information, see the Important Links section.

REGISTERING AS A PHARMACY TECHNICIAN

To work behind the counter in a New Hampshire pharmacy for your internship, you will first need to register as a pharmacy technician. This is a simple process, which only costs $25 (in 2015.) In fact, many foreign pharmacy graduates work as pharmacy technicians even before beginning the licensing process. It allows you to earn a modest income while adapting to a US pharmacy environment. However, you only start to accumulate internship hours after NHBP approves your clinical training program: none of your earlier experience as a pharmacy technician will count towards this goal. More information about registering as a Pharmacy Technician is in the section Other Careers and Credentials.

III. PASS EXAMS: NORTH AMERICAN PHARMACIST LICENSURE EXAMINATION (NAPLEX) AND THE MULTISTATE PHARMACY JURISPRUDENCE EXAM (MPJE)

The North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) tests your skills and knowledge of pharmacy, while the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam (MPJE) tests your knowledge of laws that apply to the profession. All pharmacy graduates must pass these exams before being licensed in New Hampshire – whether they graduated from a US or a foreign program.

Once you complete your application and clinical training as described in Step II, the New Hampshire Board of Pharmacy (NHBP) will send you a letter confirming that you are eligible to register for the NAPLEX and MPJE. You can take the exams in any order.

To register for both the NAPLEX and MPJE exams, go to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) web site and complete the online application process for exams. Be sure to select NH as your primary state for the MPJE and NAPLEX.

Links to the website links can be found in the Important Links section.

North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) Fees: $505 (in 2015.)

NAPLEX Results:

• Scores will be sent to the New Hampshire Board of Pharmacy (NHBP) and they will report them to you
• Minimum passing score = 75
• If you fail, you must wait at least 91 days to test again. Candidates will be limited to five attempts to pass the NAPLEX.

Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam (MPJE) Fees: $210 (in 2015.)

MPJE Results:

• Scores will be sent to the New Hampshire Board of Pharmacy (NHBP) and they will report them to you
• Minimum passing score = 75
• If you fail, you must wait at least 30 days to test again. Candidates will be limited to five attempts to pass the MPJE.

Both tests are discussed in greater detail in the next section Tests.

Once you have successfully passed both NAPLEX and MPJE, the New Hampshire Department of Financial and Professional Regulation will submit your file to the New Hampshire Board of Pharmacy for a licensing decision.