United States, APhA-ASP
Area possibilities
Community, hospital/clinical, ambulatory care, and academic research
The majority of our sites are in community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy and research. Most of our sites offer shadowing experiences in more than one area of pharmacy in order to provide an introduction to pharmacy practice in the USA. Additionally, a few sites offer research opportunities at university and clinical practice sites.
**Note: we do NOT have placements in industry at this time
Length of training periods
The majority of sites are able to host students for 4 weeks. Some universities may offer 2 week exchanges or 6-8 week exchanges.
Available months and cities
Our host sites are at colleges of pharmacy all across the country. Some are located in larger metropolitan areas, and others are located in smaller cities and towns. Students will be matched to host sites based on matching availability and areas of interest. Students cannot request specific locations for SEP.
Timeframe varies depending on host sites. The majority of our exchanges take place during the summer months (May to August), with a few in September.
Sites available in Summer 2024:
University of Florida: Location: Gainesville, Florida Practice Area: Community Pharmacy, Clinical Pharmacy - Inpatient, Clinical Pharmacy - Outpatient, Academia-related Pharmacy, Hospital or Staff Pharmacy, Research, Industrial, Managed Care Pharmacy Length: 1 month, May-July
Duquesne University and University of Pittsburgh: Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Practice Area: Community Pharmacy, Clinical Pharmacy - Inpatient, Clinical Pharmacy - Outpatient, Hospital or Staff Pharmacy Length: 1 month, June or July, undetermined
USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Location: Los Angeles, California Practice Area: Clinical Pharmacy - Inpatient, Clinical Pharmacy - Outpatient, Academia-related Pharmacy, Regulatory Research Length: 1 month, July 1st, 2024 - August 2nd, 2024
University of Mississippi Location: Oxford and Jackson, Mississippi Practice Area: Community Pharmacy, Clinical Pharmacy - Inpatient, Clinical Pharmacy - Outpatient, Hospital or Staff Pharmacy, Research Length: 2 weeks, June-July
Here is a video made by one of our past host sites. This is just a sample of what some of our sites offer. http://youtu.be/igygEwuPc5A
Type accommodation
Varies. You may live with a host family or stay with students in an apartment. Housing may require a fee, to be paid by the student; this fee will also vary depending on the host site. We encourage all host sites to make this fee as minimal as possible, but please be aware that the price of living may be quite higher depending on locations.
Board, pocket money or other financial benefits/remuneration
Cost of board varies depending on host site, and no pocket money will be provided.
Language requirements
English; fluent or near fluent REQUIRED.
Advanced English skills will be accepted, but please keep in mind high-level English is required and we will not be able to accept a student without this qualification because it is required by our host sites. Communication is a large part of pharmacy practice in the USA, especially in community and hospital pharmacy settings. In order to be proficient when you are shadowing, you must be able to effectively speak to other pharmacists, healthcare practitioners, and patients. This will also enable you to learn fully and get the most out of your exchange.
Other requirements
Students should have completed at least their first year of pharmacy school, although preference may be given to those who are further along in their studies.
Students applying to participate in other summer programs should be sure to include that information in their application; that way, we will avoid potential conflicts in dates.
Business casual attire is highly recommended. For information about business casual attire, review https://www.thepennyhoarder.com/make-money/career/business-casual-attire-work/
Information on Work Permits and Visa
This varies from country to country. Please visit the following website for specific information: https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en.html
Students participating in SEP in the US must obtain either a tourist visa (B-2) or a visa waiver. We only assist students to obtain B-2 tourist visas; we do NOT help students obtain J-1 visas as it is not required for SEP and is beyond our scope.
The US visa process is quite long, so please start the process promptly if you wish to travel to the US. We can not place students until a US visa has been granted. Students from certain countries may qualify for visa waivers. For additional information, please visit this website: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/
Selection Procedures
The application deadline for students wishing to participate in SEP in the USA is March 1. The SEO works with the LEOs at individual host sites to select students.
We prefer to not participate in bilateral exchanges. Instead, we select students who are the best fit for our available host sites based on matching availability and areas of interest.
***If you happen to have multiple names, please be sure to use only one during your application.