In Wisconsin, the profession of pharmacist is regulated by the Pharmacy Examining Board, a division of the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, and you must obtain a license to work as a pharmacist. The process to obtain this license is fairly thorough, encompassing educational requirements, a test, and an internship. In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps of how to obtain and maintain your Wisconsin pharmacist's license.

Obtaining a License

Here are the steps, briefly:

• First, complete the educational requirements. This entails successfully a program of study at a Pharmacy Examining Board-approved school. (Alternatively, if you were educated in a different country, you may take and pass the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination.) The state doesn't have publicly available a list of approved pharmacy schools, but the general rule is that any accredited pharmacy program resulting in a Bachelor's Degree is sufficient.

• The examination requirements for becoming a pharmacist are pretty tough, resembling the process required to become an attorney. You must take two examinations – the NAPLEX, a nationwide exam on general pharmacy skills and procedures, and the MPJE, which is given by 48 states and is specific to that state's pharmaceutical laws. Both exams, including the state-specific one, are administered by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, and you can obtain the details on those exams here.

• Complete an internship. Pharmacy internships in Wisconsin have strict requirements, though usually they will be completed as part of your education. A minimum of 1500 hours practiced as a pharmacy intern is required, and working as a pharmacy technician does not count. Proof of these completed will need to be given, along with proof of successful exam completion, at the time of application for licensure. Read more about finding and completing an internship here.

• Finally, once all of the above has been completed, you can apply! The total application fee is 155 dollars (which does not include the examination fees). A plethora of documents are required along with the application, but they are all listed cleanly on the application itself, which you can take a look at here.

If you already hold a pharmacist's license in another state, the process is greatly simplified. In essence, you'll only have to take the Wisconsin-specific MPJE, and submit this application, which includes submitting to a background check. Between filing your application and being approved, you may actually work as a pharmacist pre-approval, provided you work under a Board-registered pharmacist.

Maintaining a License

Pharmacist licenses expire automatically on May 31 of every even year, and must be renewed prior to this time. This includes the year you obtain your license, so if you receive it on May 1 of 2014, you still must renew later that month. You may renew online here, and the fee is 128 dollars for in-state license renewals, 153 dollars for renewing a license obtained out-of-state. Wisconsin does have continuing education requirements for pharmacists – 30 hours per renewal period. There is no set type of class you must take, but the Board will only recognize classes approved by the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education. Learn more about the continuing education requirements here.

Discipline in the profession is handled jointly by the Board and the Department of Safety and Professional Services. As is standard for the state of Wisconsin, disciplinary proceedings are initiated by complaints from members of the public. Additionally, pharmacists may face disciplinary action for arrests and convictions of certain crimes occurring while they are licensed.

One last note: if the above-described educational requirements are too daunting, you may wish to look into becoming a Wisconsin pharmacy technician, which has an easier application process. Learn more about it here.