HM Foreign Pharmacist Graduate Program (FPGP)

The Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Program (FPGP) at Houston Methodist Hospital was established at the beginning at this century and has successfully graduated 20 International Pharmacists candidates from this program, notably with a 100% employment rate after completing the requirements with the Texas Board of Pharmacy.  Our FPGP candidates have the opportunity to learn from operational and clinical preceptors that are experts in their fields to best advance their hospital pharmacy knowledge through rotations in the different areas. The program consists of a curriculum that cover the operational and clinical areas within our department to further develop their interests through rotations including Operations, Sterile Product Area, Medication History, Medication Safety, Investigational Drugs, Informatics and Clinical Specialties. We strive to integrate high-level, quality training to best enable our FPGP candidates to be well-prepared and competitive applicants for acceptance into their future professional careers in Pharmacy within the United States.

Houston Methodist Hospital (HMH) is a non-profit, 1,401 licensed-bed hospital located in the Texas Medical Center and continually ranked by U.S. News and World Report on the Best Hospitals Honor Roll. For over 100 years, we have been providing highly specialized health care services to our community and the world through our hospital services. Our services include advanced cancer care, heart care, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics and sports medicine, and much more. The Department of Pharmacy collaborates within the health care team to provide innovative, personalized, cost-effective pharmaceutical care in a culture dedicated to quality and safety. Houston Methodist Pharmacy's vision is to be recognized as a global leader of pharmaceutical care in the health-care setting. To that end, we continuously strive to improve the quality and safety of patient care and the medication management process, to cultivate an environment of collaboration and teamwork, to provide high-quality training and education to our technicians, student pharmacists, residents, and pharmacists, to maximize the use of automation and information technology, and to maximize cost efficiencies and resource utilization.

Mission

The Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Program trains foreign pharmacist graduates through longitudinal and challenging experiences to receive the internship hours required for licensure as a pharmacist by the Texas State Board of Pharmacy.

Goals

• Ensure interns meet core clinical and operational competencies
• Enhance communication abilities with patients and healthcare professionals
• Integrate students into departmental initiatives and projects to understand the scope of clinical services offered
• Improve interns’ abilities to obtain their desired positions following program completion

Outline

Depending on how many hours per week each candidate can dedicate to the rotations, the program duration is variable and may last 9-10 months. The maximum hour allocation is 50 hours per week. The program consists of rotations across clinical and operational areas – clinical (4-5 months) and operations (3-4 months).

• Clinical rotations: Internal Medicine, Medication Safety, Emergency Medicine, Critical Care, and Cardiology. Based on candidate preferences, accommodations can be made for other rotation electives.
• Operations rotations: Central Pharmacy, Intensive Care Unit Satellite Pharmacy, Operating Room Satellite Pharmacies, Outpatient Center Satellite Pharmacy, Controlled Substances Vault, and Sterile/Non-Sterile Product Areas

The program is open to all foreign pharmacy graduates who have passed the Foreign Pharmacist Graduation Equivalency Examination (FPGEE) and require internship hours per the Texas State Board of Pharmacy. All interns in the program must be licensed as a Pharmacy Intern – Extended Intern with the Texas State Board of Pharmacy. Immigration status is subject to evaluation by Houston Methodist to ensure compliance with federal regulations. Houston Methodist does not offer immigration or Visa sponsorship for this program.

FPGP interns are required to purchase pharmacist liability insurance and receive IV certification at an approved, external facility, if not already. 

More details are available per the Texas State Board of Pharmacy.

Application Process

Application Contents:

• Letter of Intent
• Curriculum Vitae
• One Letter of recommendation

Application Submission

• Applicants and Recommenders submit application materials via the HM FPGP Application Portal
• Applicants must attach Letter of Intent and Curriculum Vitae
• Recommenders much attach the Letter of Recommendation

Interviews

Applicants will be notified of candidacy and interview status.

Contact Details

Reach out to FPGP-HMH@houstonmethodist.org to inform that an application was submitted and if there are any questions about the program and application process.

View current FPGP students ➝