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:
Other 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.
Back to Top
Compensation
The FDA Pharmacy Student Experiential Program is part of the FDA
Volunteer Program for Students.
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
If you do not reside in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the
following websites may help you find temporary housing:
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 Rockville, MD. Free
parking is limited, and paid parking can cost up to $7 per day. There are
shuttles between some of the buildings and others are accessible by Metro
rail and bus systems.
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.
Back to Top
How to Apply
Students in their last year of pharmacy school are eligible to apply.
If you are interested in an experiential rotation at FDA, please submit an
application containing the following:
- Resume or curriculum vitae
- One-page paper focusing on how a rotation at FDA would facilitate
achievement of your career goals
- Three potential time slots for your rotation, keeping in mind that
flexible rotation slots will expand placement opportunities
- Rank order of top three preferred rotation sites:
Applications are to be submitted
electronically by each school's experiential coordinator to
PharmacyStudent@fda.gov
Applications must be received by January 31, 2005.
Students who are selected will be notified
directly by their preceptor on or before March 31, 2005. Those that are
not selected will receive notification via email by March 31, 2005.
Back
to Top
Back to DDI