Full Registration As A Pharmacist And Cover Letter For NYSC

To become a pharmacist in Nigeria, you will first be a pharmacy aspirant. Then you will write the joint admission and matriculation board (JAMB) unified tertiary matriculation examination (UTME) and then proceed to university screening exercise otherwise called post (UTME). Admitted candidates are called pharmacy students. Inducted students get the new name intern or pupil pharmacy. It is only after internship they are fully registered to practice as a pharmacist.
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Request Letter

Immediately after completion of the internship programme, interns are given a letter known as letter of request for the release of form D from their preceptor. This letter should contain the interns details such as name, date of commencement and disengagement. The letter together with the signed logbook should be taken to the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) office. The letter is submitted at the secretary office. It is signed and endorsed. If your preceptor did duplicate, it will also be stamped on. If not, make a copy of the original to be returned to your preceptor. Also get your own signed copy.

Intern Viva

If you are lucky, you may be fortunate to meet with the DPS on that day. If not come back when the DSP will be available. To see the DSP, you will write down your name and the name of your internship center down with the secretary. They will type the list and send to pharmacy practice unit or office where the DSP office is. The DSP will then call on each candidate. Each candidate that goes in will answer questions pertaining to their personal experience during the duration of the programme. Some DSP are simple. The question will be like in two minutes, tell me about your experience. After speaking a little, they may just tell you to bring your logbook. However, I have heard how some drill their candidate like interview with tough clinical questions that require racking the brain.
The DSP satisfied with you will sign the DSP form at the back of the logbook, detach the form and return the logbook to the intern pharmacist. Some may not even sign or even detach it. They just take the logbook.

Application And Registration As A Pharmacist

At this stage, you are on track to apply for registration as a pharmacist or pharmaceutical chemist as their form puts it. It is the same thing.
Go straight to registration and licensing unit or office. You will be given some forms to fill. They are three forms which should be filled in duplicate. They are not single forms that need to be filled out individually but a series book. So you will obviously see examples how others have done it. The first one is just your name, internship center, date and address in one row. The second one is same with the first. The only difference is that there is a column you will write form D. The last is the one that you will state that you have collected the original copy of form D. You will then indicate your name, signature, date and licence number. The second and third place you will fill this detail in is the un-detached left side of the detached form D and the reverse side of the duplicate copy.
You will be given three forms to fill and return. They are form C, form D and form J.

Form C

How to fill form C

Form C is called application for registration as a pharmaceutical chemist. The form is straight forward. You need two referee name. They must be registered pharmacist in Nigeria. Easier to use your preceptor and any other. Also fill in the name of their work place. There is a place where a pharmacist must stand by you as a witness. The person is to sign with an address. Better to also use your preceptor. Attach your passport size photograph. There is no mention on the colour of background. So anyone will do.

Form D

Form D is called certificate of experience. It must accompany form C. It confirms that the person who is in the process have successfully completed the one year mandatory internship for the period you are to fill at the approved center. You will filled in the details and then take it to your preceptor to sign.

Form J

Form J is called application for the retention of name on the register. This form have a column to fill in the details of payment for the registration and the address the license should be sent to. Proceed to make payment using remita. There are two methods. First method is to pay with your bank issued automated teller machine card online. Just visit the remita portal and select PCN. The other details will pop up. Fill in the data carefully. An invoice will be mailed to your email. Check it before proceeding. Put in your card details and submit. They will send a one time password to your attached mobile number or use token given to you by your bank upon request. Proceed to make payment. Print out your receipt. Make four extra copies. Your receipt will be mailed to you.
If you decided not to use your bank automated teller machine card, you can generate an invoice online and print out the remita retrieval reference (RRR) slip. Take it to the bank and make payment. They will give you your receipt. Your receipt will be mailed to you too.
Read Also: Meaning of pharmacy registration and license
Now, in space for remita retrieval reference number, fill in the remita number in your receipt. In the place where you are ask where you work, indicate it. However, since majority of interns will be going for the national youth service corps (NYSC) programme, the space should be filled with a boldly written NIL. Attach a passport size photograph.
Go over to the account department to convert your online receipt to the PCN receipt. The duplicate and the original PCN receipt will be attached to one online receipt each. The account office will keep one online receipt.

Cover letter for NYSC

Go and make an extra copy of the original PCN receipt. Go to the administration office to submit some of the forms. They are to be arranged in a definite pattern. I am talking about Lagos State branch. Other branch may have a different arrangement. This is the arrangement from top to bottom;
1. Original copy of form C (application for registration as a pharmaceutical chemist)
2. Original copy of form J (application for retention of name on the register)
3. Original copy of form D (certificate of experience)
4. Certificate of provisional registration
5. Oath form
6. Notification or statement of school result or certificate
7. Birth certificate
8. Online payment receipt
9. Copy of PCN receipt (not the original)

To complete the registration, head over to registration and licensing office. Arrange the documents as earlier stated and submit.

Application For Cover Letter Use In NYSC

Now, for those who will be going for NYSC, you will need to attached an application for cover letter from PCN to NYSC that you are eligible to participate in the scheme. One of the requirements of NYSC is pharmacy license which may not be available as at the time of registration for NYSC. In lieu of that, the PCN gives what is called cover letter. To prove to PCN you are going for service, they need evidence. So you have to come along with your call up letter and not green card. The application for cover letter will be at the front and the call up letter will be at the back. Every other arrangements remain the same.
You will be given the cover letter there. Fill in the date and your name. Make two copies. Submit one at the registration and licensing office. You are good to go. You can wait for your license and now apply for Pre-registration Examination for Pharmacist (PEP).
You do not have control over certain things that happen in the background. For example presentation of the acknowledgement letter for form F/2 from PCN registry by the preceptor to the state DSP or issuing authority is non of your business. This also goes down with the confirmation of receipt of form F/2 by the state DSP or issuing authority.
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