FDA "PHARMACY STUDENT" Experiential Program

♦ Goals and Objectives
♦ Program Activities
♦ Compensation
♦ Housing
♦ Parking and Transportation
♦ Legal Requirements
♦ How to Apply
♦ Additional Links

The Food and Drug Administration is one of the nation's oldest and most respected consumer protection agencies. FDA's mission is to promote and protect the public health by helping safe and effective products reach the market in a timely way, and monitoring products for continued safety after marketing.

Goals and Objectives
The FDA Pharmacy Student Experiential Program provides an opportunity to learn about the FDA’s multidisciplinary processes for addressing public health issues involving drugs, biologics, and medical devices. Pharmacy students who participate in the FDA Pharmacy Student Experiential Program acquire knowledge, skills, and abilities beneficial to their professional career.

Each FDA rotation site has its own list of objectives which will be provided on the first day of the rotation. An FDA rotation allows pharmacy students to become familiar with:
♦ The missions, functions, and organizational structure of theDepartment of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Public Health Service(PHS).
♦ FDA's organizational structure
♦ Other government agencies, national pharmacy organizations, and institutions in the Washington area such as:
♦American Pharmaceutical Association (APhA)
♦American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists (ASHP)
♦National Institutes of Health (NIH)
♦United States Pharmacopeia (USP)
♦United States Public Health Service Pharmacist Professional Advisory Committee
♦ Laws, regulations and guidances governing drugs, biologics and devices for human use
♦ The drug review process within the United States

Program Activities
The FDA Pharmacy Student Experiential Program includes opportunities to attend FDA advisory committee hearings, congressional hearings, and a monthly lecture series. In addition to learning about FDA operations, students interact with other pharmacy students from schools across the country and learn about pharmacist career opportunities available in government.

Compensation
The FDA Pharmacy Student Experiential Program is part of the FDA Volunteer Program for Students (PDF - 28KB). The positions are unpaid. However, the program provides academic credit hours required for the Pharm.D. Degree.

"Housing, transportation, and parking are not provided by the program. It is the responsibility of the student to make arrangements prior to the rotation."

Housing
The following document provides questions to help students find safe, affordable, and convenient housing while visiting the FDA: Housing Options (PDF - 62KB)

Temporary housing web sites:
♦ Oakwood Housing
♦ The Washington Post
♦ www.apartments.com
♦ www.allapartments.com
♦ www.gazette.net

Parking and Transportation
The FDA has office buildings located in several sites in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Most of the FDA Pharmacy Student Experiential Program opportunities are available in Silver Spring, MD where most parking is free and it is possible to commute by bus. However, at the other sites in Rockville, MD free parking is not guaranteed and parking can cost up to $7. There are shuttles between many of the sites and others are accessible by Metro rail and bus systems. However, depending on the location of the rotation site, private transportation would be a definite advantage.

Legal Requirements
Students are prohibited from releasing, publishing, or disclosing non-public information, specifically any confidential commercial or trade secret information obtained while serving as an FDA student. Students will be subject to a background check in order to obtain security clearance before their rotation.

The students must complete all the forms including the following forms and mail them as per instructions provided in the FDA email one month prior to their rotation:
♦ E-QIP Initiation Form (PDF - 26KB)
♦ Form 306 : Declaration for Federal Employment. Students must bring two forms of government issued identification (drivers license, passport, social security card, etc) to the rotation.
♦ FD-258: Fingerprinting form. To be completed at a local Police Station.

How to Apply
Rotations are offered only in the last year of pharmacy school. Students are encouraged to apply in the year preceding their last year of pharmacy school. Rotations are available throughout the entire year, and may last anywhere from 4-6 weeks, depending upon the school’s experiential program. If you are interested in an experiential rotation at FDA, please submit an application containing the following:

1. Resume or curriculum vitae

2. One-page paper focusing on how a rotation at FDA would facilitate achievement of your career goals

3. Three potential time slots for your rotation, keeping in mind that flexible rotation slots will expand placement opportunities

4. Rank order of top three preferred rotation sites. Rotations are available in the Office of Special Health Issues, and in various centers, offices and divisions within the FDA. We have provided you with a list of offices and divisions that participate in the FDA Pharmacy Student Experiential Program. However, this list is not comprehensive and it is possible that a student may be selected by a division/preceptor that does not appear on this list. You may pick rotations in any of the Offices or Divisions listed below:
♦♦FDA, Office of the Commissioner, Office of Health and Constituent Affairs
   ♦Program Description (PDF - 11KB)
♦♦Center for Biologic Evaluation and Research
   ♦Program Description (PDF - 14KB)
♦♦Center for Devices and Radiological Health
   ♦The Division of Bioresearch Monitoring, Office of Compliance
♦♦Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
   ♦CDER Drug Shortage Program
   ♦Division of Anti-infective Products
      •Program Description (PDF - 14KB)
   ♦Division of Biologic Oncology Products
      •Program Description (PDF - 11KB)
   ♦Division of Drug Information
      •Program Description (PDF - 44KB)
   ♦Division of Metabolism & Endocrinology Drug Products
   ♦Division of Monoclonal Antibodies, Office of Biotechnology Products
      •Program Description (PDF - 9KB)
   ♦Division of Neurology Products
      •Program Description (PDF - 12KB)
   ♦Division of Pharmacovigilance
      •Program Description (PDF - 11KB)
   ♦Division of Psychiatry Products
      •Program Description (PDF - 12KB)
   ♦Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Rheumatology Products
      •Program Description (PDF - 36KB)
   ♦Division of Special Pathogen Immunologic Drug Products
   ♦Office of Business Informatics
      •Program Description (PDF - 9KB)
   ♦Office of the Center Director, Controlled Substance Staff
      •Program Description (PDF - 11KB)
   ♦Office of Clinical Pharmacology
       •Program Description (PDF - 19KB)
   ♦Office of Compliance
      •Program Description (PDF - 9KB)
   ♦Office of the Director, Medical Informatics
   ♦Office of Generic Drugs
   ♦Office of Hematology and Oncology Products (OHOP)
       •Program Description (PDF - 10KB)
   ♦Office of Minority Health
       •Program Description (PDF - 10KB)
   ♦Office of New Drug Quality Assessment
       •Program Description (PDF - 10KB)
   ♦Office Nonprescription Products
       •Program Description (PDF - 10KB)
   ♦The Office of Prescription Drug Promotion (OPDP)
       •Program Description (PDF - 18KB)
   ♦Office of Regulatory Policy (ORP)
       •Program Description (PDF - 16KB)
   ♦Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology
       •Program Description (PDF - 20KB)
   ♦Office of Women's Health (OWH)
       •Program Description (PDF - 14KB)

Applications are to be submitted electronically by each school's experiential coordinator to Pharmacy.Student@fda.hhs.gov

Upon receipt of the application, we will email a confirmation to verify receipt of the application. Please contact us again if you do not receive a receipt confirmation. Applications must be received by December 10, 2014. No applications will be accepted after the due date. Students who are selected will be notified directly by their preceptor. Those that are not selected will receive notification via email by February 28, 2015. We wish to emphasize that the application process is highly competitive and not all applicants will be placed.


Additional Links
♦About FDA
♦National Institutes of Health (NIH)