Pharmacist migrating from the UK to USA

Overview

1. Obtain a work visa – if you have a spouse in the US you can skip this section! Granted by the UK section of the US embassy, in most cases, a legitimate job offer from a U.S.-based pharmacy employer (see: list of US pharmacy employers) is required in order to qualify for a visa. So your first step here would be to find a pharmacy that is willing to employ you in the US. Many successful candidates work as a volunteer as a gateway to paid employment in the US, this is also useful in picking up contacts for potential future employment.
2. Recognition of equivalence – apply to Education Credential Evaluators (ECE) to look over your foreign qualification and give you the green light to then go and sit the equivalency exams. The ECE requires two copies of the following:
   • postgraduate diploma (if applicable)
   • official university transcript
   • proof of degree – if you have done A levels and a 4-year MPharm this is usually considered the same as a 5-year US program.
   • proof of A-Levels (or equivalent). The difference between the US and UK pharmacy programmes is a six-year (doctoral) degree, versus the UK’s five-year (master’s) degree. A-Levels (or equivalent) are considered similar to some US foundation-year undergraduate courses.
3. Take the FPGEE Exam – apply to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) to start the Foreign Pharmacy Graduates Equivalency Committee certification process. Keep in mind, an application with demographic information also needs to be endorsed by a US-based notary.
4. Take an English test (TOEFL ibt) – available regularly at Educational Testing Service Centres.
5. Start your Internship – dependent on which state you are looking to migrate to you will need to full fill a number of intern hours before you can take the NAPLEX. The minimum amount of hours is 1,000 however this can be as much as 1,500, click the following link for a full list of Pharmacist Intern Hours Requirements by US State. Once this quantity of hours is complete you will then need to submit records of internship hours to the state board of pharmacy/PCS once completed.
6. Take the NAPLEX Exam – once your internship is approved, you will need to take this national clinical competency exam which will cover you for all states.
7. Take the MJP Exam – nearly 40 states require you to take the Multi-State Jurisprudence exam however some, more popular destinations, such as California require you to take a state-specific exam such as the CPJ Exam.