Foreign Pharmacy Grad - International Pharmacy Intern

CVS Health•Coachella, CA

12d•Onsite

About The Position

This program offers challenging opportunities for foreign-educated pharmacy graduates to learn and grow professionally within CVS Health's retail pharmacy locations. The role focuses on transforming healthcare by helping customers navigate the healthcare system and their personal health. International Pharmacy Interns will apply their didactic learning to real-world practice, preparing them for a Pharmacist role after successfully passing the FPGEE and TOEFL. Under the guidance of a preceptor, interns will engage in a mixed-modality learning plan to develop knowledge, skills, and abilities. The program requires successful completion of the internship within 18 months and preparation to pass all required Pharmacist licensure exams within 120 days of internship completion. Interns will gain hands-on experience, participate in pharmacy practice and patient care scenarios, build business acumen, and develop leadership skills. Responsibilities include assisting the pharmacy team with operations, ensuring prompt, safe, and accurate prescription fulfillment, providing excellent patient service, operating within pharmacy workflow procedures, and adhering to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Interns will demonstrate empathy, care, and contribute to a safe and inclusive culture. Specific duties include managing and improving patient health by following SOPs, contributing to positive patient experiences, offering patient counseling, taking telephonic prescriptions, clarifying prescriptions with prescribers, providing in-the-moment coaching to team members, completing basic inventory activities, contributing to a high-performing team, and remaining flexible for scheduling and business needs. Compliance with all relevant laws, regulations, professional standards, and ethical principles is mandatory. Interns may also support immunizations, including completing required training, educating patients, monitoring for adverse reactions, and reviewing patient information.

Requirements

Foreign Graduate from a Non-US Accredited college or school of pharmacy prior to beginning US Non-Accredited Foreign Graduate Training Program at CVS
FPGEC certification
Pharmacist licensure in the state in which the position is based within 120 days of completion of US Intern hours.
Must possess, or be in the process of obtaining, valid intern and/or technician licensure as required.
Regular and predictable attendance, including nights and weekends.
Ability to complete required training within designated timeframe.
Ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time.
Ability to pivot quickly from one task to another to meet patient and business needs.
Ability to confirm prescription information and label accuracy, ensuring patient safety.
Actively look for ways to help people, and do so in a friendly manner.
Notice and understand patients’ reactions, and respond appropriately.
Use and understand verbal and written communication to interact with patients and colleagues.
Utilize active listening by giving full attention to what others are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Ability to use math to solve a problem, such as determining the total number of tablets to dispense, day’s supply, and/or number of full bottles and additional bottles needed to fill a prescription.
Identify challenging patient or colleague interactions and choose the best course of action when faced with multiple options.
Be mobile and remain upright for extended periods of time.
Lift, scan, and bag items.
Reach overhead; stretch or reach out with the body, arms, and/or legs to grasp items.
Move fingers repetitively; picking, pinching, typing, or otherwise working primarily with fingers rather than whole hand or arm.
Extend hand(s) and arm(s) multiple directions to place, move, or lift items.
Control precision; quickly adjust machines to exact positions.
Stoop to a considerable degree, requiring full use of the lower extremities and back muscles to move items between low and high positions, including bending spine at the waist.
Close visual acuity to perform activities such as: transcribing, viewing a computer terminal, reading, visual inspection involving small parts.
Occasionally lift of up to 20 lbs. and/or exert up to 20 lbs. of force; Frequently lift of up to 10 lbs. and/or exert up to 10 lbs. of force; Consistently lift and/or exert a negligible amount of force to move objects.
Express or exchange ideas by means of spoken word where detailed or important spoken instructions must be conveyed accurately.
Have the ability to receive detailed information through oral communication.

Nice To Haves

1+ years of related work experience in pharmacy, retail, medical, or customer service setting.
Ability to become immunization certified: Once state regulations are met, US Non-Accredited Foreign Graduates should be striving to provide patient immunizations as this is an essential pharmacist function.
Ability to work in home store, and across the market in other locations, to meet business needs.
Proficiency in Microsoft Suite (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.).

Responsibilities

Assist the pharmacy team to ensure that pharmacy operations run smoothly.
Ensure that patients’ prescriptions are filled promptly, safely, and accurately.
Provide caring service that exceeds patient expectations.
Operate as part of the pharmacy team through consistent application of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), best practices, and effective communication.
Demonstrate empathy and genuine care in all customer and colleague interactions.
Contribute to a safe and inclusive culture where all people feel valued and empowered.
Contribute to safe and effective operations of the pharmacy, including but not limited to: Living our purpose by following all company SOPs at each workstation to help our Pharmacists and Technicians manage and improve patient health.
Follow pharmacy workflow procedures at each pharmacy workstation (i.e., production, pick-up, drive-thru, and drop-off) for safe and accurate prescription fulfillment.
Contribute to positive patient experiences by showing empathy and genuine care: creating heartfelt and personalized moments while serving patients at pick-up, drive-thru, and over the phone; keeping patients healthy by offering immunizations and other services at the register and over the phone; and demonstrating compassionate care by solving or escalating patient problems.
Offer to counsel, field medical questions, and solicit information on a patient’s medical history to provide optimal care, when appropriate under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist.
Take telephonic prescriptions from the prescriber, and call the prescriber to clarify prescriptions or facilitate medication changes, where allowed by state regulation.
Maintain the highest level of self-awareness and provide in-the-moment coaching, training, and mentoring to pharmacy team members while sharing best practices.
Complete basic inventory activities, as permitted by law, and as directed by the pharmacy leadership team, such as accurately putting away medication deliveries and completing cycle counts, returns-to-stocks, waiting bin inventories, etc.
Contribute to a high-performing team, embracing a growth mindset, and being receptive to feedback; actively seeking opportunities to expand clinical and technical knowledge needed to better assist patients.
Remain flexible for both scheduling and business needs, while contributing to a safe, inclusive, and engaging team dynamic; voluntarily travel to stores in the market to work shifts as needed by the business.
Understand and comply with all relevant federal, state, and local laws, regulations, professional standards, and ethical principles.
Comply with CVS policies and procedures to ensure patient safety, compliance with controlled substance dispensing and recordkeeping, and to protect patient privacy and security.
Deliver additional patient health care services (e.g., immunizations, point-of-care testing, and voluntarily staffing offsite clinics), where allowable by law and supported by required training and certification.
Support immunizations, which includes: Completing additional licensure and training requirements, in compliance with state Board of Pharmacy regulations, to obtain Technician Immunizer status to support preparing and administering vaccines.
Educate patients about the importance of vaccines and referring patients to the Pharmacist-on-duty for vaccination questions.
Monitor for, and respond to, adverse reactions; report adverse reaction events per public health requirements.
Review and collect patient information; track and document for each applicable patient.