OHIO STATE BOARD OF PHARMACY;  77 S. HIGH STREET, ROOM 1702;  COLUMBUS, OHIO 43215-6126

Tel: 614/466-4143         Fax: 614/752-4836          Eml: licensing@bop.state.oh.us          Web: www.pharmacy.ohio.gov

 

 

OHIO LICENSURE OF FOREIGN PHARMACY GRADUATES

(03/10/2006)

 

A FOREIGN PHARMACY GRADUATE SEEKING PHARMACIST LICENSURE IN OHIO SHALL:

(I)     Be of good moral character and habits.

(II)    Be at least eighteen (18) years of age.

(III)   Possess a Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equiva­lency Examination (FPGEE) Certificate for suc­cess­fully passing the FPGEE, and have successfully passed either the Test of Spoken English (TSE) or the Test of English as a Foreign Language-Internet-based test (TOEFL-iBT). 

Exception: Graduates of Canadian schools of pharmacy between 1993 and June 2004 do not need to pass the FPGEE or the TSE, but they must submit a copy of the Official Letter of Graduation from the Canadian school of pharmacy.

        For information about taking the FPGEE, TSE, or TOEFL-iBT, contact the National Association of Boards of Phar­macy (NABP) at www.nabp.net or call 847/391-440.

 

(IV)   Have satisfactorily completed at least 1,500 hours of approved internship after having successfully passed the FPGEE and the TSE or TOEFL-iBT and received the FPGEE certificate.

 

(a)     If the internship is obtained in Ohio, the applicant must be licensed as an Ohio intern and he/she must meet all other requirements of pharmacy internship as outlined in Chapter 4729-3 of the Ohio Administrative Code.

 

(b)    If the internship is obtained in another state, the applicant must comply with the laws and rules of that state regarding pharmacy internship.  The applicant must have the state Board of Pharmacy of the state where the 1500 hours of internship was completed to submit official verification of the internship directly to the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy.

 

(c)     If the applicant is applying for reciprocity and the reciprocating state requires less than 1,500 hours of approved internship, the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy may grant internship credit for practice as a pharmacist.

 

(d)    If the applicant is a graduate of a Canadian school of pharmacy, up to 500 hours of internship credit may be approved with evidence of internship verified by the provincial licensing agency.

 

 (V)    (a)  Pass the Licensure Examinations required by the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy; OR

         

(b)    Hold an active license to practice pharmacy which is in good standing and was obtained by examination in a state in which the credentials are at least the equivalent of those then required by the Ohio Board and personally appear before the Ohio Board within six months of the date that the Official Application for Reciprocal Licensure is filed with the Board. Currently, Ohio does not reciprocate with Florida.  California pharmacists who successfully completed NAPLEX after January 1, 2004, are eligible for licensure in Ohio by reciprocity.

 

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

 

ALL APPLICATIONS FOR LICENSURE TO PRACTICE PHARMACY IN OHIO MUST BE MADE UNDER OATH BEFORE A QUALIFIED OFFICER.  It is a Misdemeanor of the First Degree for any person to make a false statement under oath for the purpose of securing licensure for him/herself or for another person.  Certificates of Licensure obtained by fraud or upon false representation may be revoked by the Board.

 

PROCEDURES FOR LICENSURE BY EXAMINATION

(A)   The licensure exams are computerized and consist of the "NAPLEX" (North American Pharmacist Licensure Exami­nation) and the "MPJE" (Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination).

(B)   The "NAPLEX/MPJE Registration Bulletin" is provided by the National Association of Boards of Phar­macy (NABP) and is only available on their Web site at www.nabp.net (once there, click on Examinations on the left of the screen, then click NAPLEX/MPJE on the drop-down menu).  NABP also offers a "Pre-NAPLEX Practice Examina­tion" and a "Pre-FPGEE Practice Examination" (click on the appropriate icon at the top of the screen).  The Drug Laws of Ohio may be purchased directly from the publisher, West, at 1-800-328-9352.

(C)   The minimum passing score for the NAPLEX is seventy-five (75).   The minimum passing score for the MPJE is seventy-five (75).  Any candidate failing to obtain a score of seventy-five (75) on either examination will be required to repeat the examination.

(D)   The Ohio State Board of Pharmacy participates in NABP's Score Transfer program for NAPLEX scores.  MPJE scores are NOT transferable (refer to the "NAPLEX/MPJE Registration Bulletin" on the NABP Web site).

(E)   Ohio application forms for licensure by examination are furnished by the Board office on request.

(1)   "Application For Examination As A Pharmacist".  This form (also available on the Board's Web site) must be completed each time an individual desires to take an examination(s) and sent to the Board office with a check or money order for $110.00 made out to the "Treasurer, State of Ohio".

Required information/documents to be on file with the first such application forwarded to the Board:

(a)   Applicant’s social security number.

(b)   A recent (taken within the previous six months), unmounted head and shoulders photo­graph of the applicant must be enclosed with the application.

(c)   A copy of the FPGEE Certificate must be enclosed with the application.  The Official Score Report for the TSE show­ing a minimum score of 50 or the TOEFL-iBT showing minimum scores of Writing: 24, Speaking: 26, Listening: 18, and Reading: 21 must be requested by the applicant to be sent directly to the Ohio Board office from the Educational Testing Service (ETS).

(d)   If the applicant graduated from a Canadian school of pharmacy between 1993 and June 2004, no FPGEE Certificate or TSE Official Score Report is required but a copy of the Offi­cial Letter of Gradua­tion must be enclosed with the application.

(2)   Candidate must also apply online with NABP at www.nabp.net and pay the required fees ($465.00 for NAPLEX and $185.00 for MPJE).  For additional important exam information please print and review the NAPLEX and MPJE Registration Bullentin located on NABP’s Web site. 

(F)   Once the Board office determines that a candidate is qualified to sit for the Licensure Exami­nation in Ohio and certifies that candidate to NABP, the candidate will be sent an “Authorization to Test” (ATT) from the testing center.

(G)   The Ohio State Board of Pharmacy will mail the results to the candidate only after receiving BOTH the NAPLEX and MPJE scores from NABP.

NOTE:  Scores will NOT be mailed separately or be given over the telephone.

(H)   If an applicant fails the licensure examination, he/she receives notice to that effect.  Those tak­ing one or both of the examinations again MUST file the application forms and pay the required fees AGAIN.  The items required in paragraphs III and IV on page one need not be submitted for subse­quent exam(s).

(I)   Candidates who fail must wait a minimum of ninety-one days to retake the NAPLEX and a mini­mum of thirty days to retake the MPJE.  This waiting period begins from the date the exam is taken, not the date scores are mailed by the Board or received by the candidate.

 

PROCEDURES FOR LICENSURE BY RECIPROCITY

(A)   September 1, 1985 is the effective date of the enabling administrative rules for the FPGEE Certi­ficate.  Only those applicants who have used this certificate for licensure as a pharmacist after that date qualify for reci­procity.  Ohio reciprocates with all states that reciprocate with Ohio. Currently, Ohio does not reciprocate with Florida.  California pharmacists who successfully completed NAPLEX after January 1, 2004, are eligible for licensure in Ohio by reciprocity.

(B)   The Preliminary Application for Transfer of Pharmaceutic Licensure must be obtained from the NABP Web site located at www.nabp.net.  It is to be com­pleted by the applicant and forwarded to NABP with the required fee of $300.00, made payable to NABP by certified check or money order (no cash or personal checks).

(C)   If NABP determines that the applicant is eligible for reciprocating his/her license to practice phar­macy to Ohio, NABP will forward an Official Application for Transfer of Pharmaceutic Licensure to the applicant.

(1)   Upon receipt of the Official Application, the applicant should complete it, which includes notarization of the signature, two photographs, moral character voucher, and submission of the Official Applica­tion form to the state of licensure by examination for certification.  The completed Official Applica­tion should then be forwarded to the Executive Director of the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy with the required fee of $337.50 made payable to the “Treasurer, State of Ohio”.

(2)   If the applicant wishes to withdraw the Official Application from consideration, the Board office must receive within six months of the date the Application is filed with the Board a written request (must in­clude the applicant’s Social Security Number for processing pur­poses) to receive a fifty per cent refund of the fee remitted.

(D)   If the Board determines that the Application is complete and the applicant qualifies for licensure as an Ohio pharmacist by reciprocity, the applicant receives a letter to appear at the next sched­uled Reciprocity Hear­ing.

(1)   In order to complete licensure by reciprocity, the applicant must personally appear before the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy at a Reciprocity Hearing within the six-month time limitation.  The appli­cant must con­firm either verbally or in writing with the Board office, no later than two working days before the Reci­pro­city Hear­ing, the applicant's attendance at the Hearing.

(2)   If the applicant cancels or postpones to the next Hearing, it will be the applicant’s responsi­bility to con­tact the Board office to arrange for attendance at a Reciprocity Hearing within six months of the date that the Application was filed with the Board.  Reciprocity Hearings are held during each regu­larly scheduled Board meeting.

(3)   A candidate who does not appear before the Ohio Board within the six-month period must file a new Official Application and fee for licensure by reciprocity.

(E)   The applicant will also receive, with the letter scheduling him/her to appear at the Reciprocity Hear­ing, a document entitled, “The Legal Practice of Pharmacy in Ohio” to study and prepare for dis­cussion with the Ohio Board of Pharmacy staff during the Reciprocity Hearing.  Ohio, at this time, does not require reciprocal appli­cants to take a Jurisprudence exam.  Questions regarding "The Legal Prac­tice of Pharmacy in Ohio" are answered and/or clarifications given specifically at the Hearing.

(F)   The license (pocket identification card) to practice pharmacy in the state of Ohio is presented to the reci­pro­city applicants at the conclusion of the Hearing.  The Reciprocity Hearing completes the reci­procity pro­ced­ure.  The Certificate of Licensure (wall certificate) is mailed when it is received from the printer.  Processing time is approximately six to eight weeks.

 

-- P L E A S E   N O T E --

 

YOU MAY NOT PRACTICE AS A PHARMACIST IN OHIO UNLESS YOU HOLD A CURRENT OHIO LICENSE TO PRACTICE.  It is a Misdemeanor of the Third Degree to practice pharmacy in Ohio without a current Ohio license (iden­ti­fi­ca­tion card).   A monetary penalty of $500.00 may be imposed by the Board for each day of practice without a license, and a person may also be imprisoned for not more than 60 days for each day’s violation.

 

=\=\=\==/=/=/=