A pharmacovigilance internship is a short period of supervised work in drug safety. You practise tasks such as case intake, MedDRA coding and narrative writing. At BCRI there are two routes: a standalone PV internship, online or in Bangalore, that ends with a certificate and a letter; or the 3 to 6 month internship with an SMO, CRO or hospital that comes with our diploma and Advanced Certification programmes.
Key takeaways
- Open to graduates in pharmacy, life sciences, medicine, dentistry and nursing — freshers included.
- BCRI’s standalone PV internship runs online or in Bangalore and ends with a certificate and a letter.
- Diploma and Advanced Certification students get a 3 to 6 month internship with an SMO, CRO or hospital.
- Basic PV knowledge helps. If you have none, start with a pharmacovigilance course.
- No internship guarantees a job, but practical work makes your resume much stronger.
On this page ⌄
What is a pharmacovigilance internship?
Pharmacovigilance (PV), or drug safety, is the work of collecting, assessing and preventing side effects of medicines. Every drug company must track the safety of its products after they reach patients, and report what it finds to regulators.
A pharmacovigilance internship lets you do this work under guidance. Instead of only reading about adverse events, you handle cases the way a drug safety team does. That practice is what employers look for when they hire freshers.
Typical tasks in a PV internship include:
- Reading source documents and spotting valid adverse event cases (triage)
- Entering case data into a safety database or tracker
- Coding adverse events and medical history with the MedDRA dictionary
- Writing clear case narratives
- Screening medical literature for safety information
- Checking your own work and a colleague’s for quality
Who can apply for a pharmacovigilance internship?
You can apply if you studied medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy or life sciences. That includes students in their final year, freshers, and professionals from other fields who want to move into drug safety.
Computer skills
You are comfortable using a laptop and working online.
Microsoft Office
You can work with Word and Excel, since trackers and reports use them.
PV basics
You know the theory: adverse events, ICSRs and how reporting works.
MedDRA awareness
You know what MedDRA is and how coding works at a basic level.
No PV background yet?
Start with our 2-month pharmacovigilance course. It covers the theory, safety database practice and MedDRA coding, so you are ready for an internship.
Two ways to get a PV internship at BCRI
BCRI offers two routes. Pick the one that fits your background and how much time you have.
Standalone PV internship
- Best for
- Learners who already know PV basics
- Where
- Online, or at our Bangalore centre
- Duration
- Your advisor confirms the current duration
- Fee
- Paid — your advisor shares the fee
- You receive
- A BCRI certificate and a letter
- Online learners
- Can complete it fully online
Internship with a diploma programme
- Best for
- Students of our PG Diploma, Advanced Diploma and Advanced Certification programmes
- Where
- At an SMO, CRO or hospital — mostly in Bangalore and South India
- Duration
- 3 to 6 months
- Fee
- Included with the programme. Any stipend is decided by the host
- You receive
- An internship certificate from the host organisation
- Online learners
- Optional — available if you can move to the internship location
Internships with a diploma programme are placed with real research sites and companies. The role depends on the host, so it may be in clinical operations or data management rather than pure drug safety.
Online and work-from-home PV internships
Drug safety work is done on computers, so a PV internship can run online. BCRI’s standalone PV internship can be done from home. You only need a laptop and a steady internet connection.
If you look at other online offers, check three things before you sign up:
- 1Who runs it. Look for a real company or institute with a public address and reviews.
- 2What you will actually do. You should handle cases, coding or narratives — not just watch videos.
- 3Who signs the certificate. It should come from the organisation that supervised your work.
Be careful with job promises
Be wary of anyone who promises a job in return for an internship fee. Internships build experience; hiring decisions are always the employer’s.
Paid, unpaid and free pharmacovigilance internships
Freshers often search for a free pharmacovigilance internship. Here is how it usually works:
- Training-led internships (like BCRI’s standalone PV internship) charge a fee, because trainers guide and review your work.
- Host internships at SMOs, CROs and hospitals may be paid or unpaid. The host decides any stipend.
- Free internships at drug companies are rare and competitive. They usually go to candidates who already have PV training.
Whichever route you take, PV training first makes you a stronger candidate.
How a PV internship helps your career
The World Health Organization runs a global programme to monitor the safety of medicines and vaccines. Drug companies, CROs and regulators all need trained people for this work, and many prefer freshers who have done real case work.
After your internship, you can apply for roles such as:
Drug Safety Associate
Processes adverse event cases from intake to submission.
Pharmacovigilance Associate
Handles case entry, coding and narratives in a safety database.
Literature Search Associate
Screens journals for safety information on company products.
MedDRA Coder
Codes adverse events and medical history for safety and trial data.
Our pharmacovigilance interview questions guide helps you prepare for these interviews.
How to apply
- 1
Talk to an advisor
Book a free call. Tell us your degree and how much PV you already know.
- 2
Choose your route
Standalone PV internship, or a diploma programme with a host internship.
- 3
Fill any gaps
If you need the basics, take the PV course first.
- 4
Do the work
Complete your tasks online or in Bangalore, with guidance and review.
- 5
Get your documents
Receive your certificate and letter, and add the experience to your resume.
Recent internships secured by BCRI students
Internship outcomes published on the BCRI Career Hub. These are from our clinical research programmes and show the kind of host organisations students join.
InternshipGirish
CRC Intern · Dozee
InternshipAmaani
CRC Intern · IRMS
InternshipPraveen
CRC Intern · Samahitha
InternshipNaveen
CRC Intern · IRMS
Roles vary by host and programme; most recent internships are in clinical operations. See all on the Career Hub
What our students say
BCRI is rated 4.6 on Google from 987 reviews.
“It was a wonderful experience learning PV and Regulatory Affairs with Mayuri ma’am and BCRI. She cleared every doubt, even the simplest one. Learning was just fun.”
Abhishek NemmaniwarPharmacovigilance & Regulatory Affairs “I enjoyed my daily classes and learned a lot about PV. Mayuri Roy ma’am has great experience in PV and explained the course content with the best examples.”
Namrata BhanushaliPharmacovigilance course “A very motivating, knowledgeable, committed and patient teacher. She guided us throughout the course to build our confidence, skills and knowledge. Highly recommend BCRI.”
SurashamiPharmacovigilance course
FAQs
What is a pharmacovigilance internship?
It is a short period of supervised work in drug safety. You practise real tasks such as case triage, data entry, MedDRA coding and narrative writing, which helps you get your first PV job.
Can freshers apply for a pharmacovigilance internship?
Yes. Freshers with a degree in pharmacy, life sciences, medicine, dentistry or nursing can apply. Basic PV knowledge helps; if you have none, take a pharmacovigilance course first.
Can I do a pharmacovigilance internship online or from home?
Yes. BCRI’s standalone PV internship can be done online from home, or at our Bangalore centre. You need a laptop and a steady internet connection.
Is the BCRI pharmacovigilance internship free?
No. The standalone PV internship is paid, and your advisor shares the current fee. Diploma and Advanced Certification students get a 3 to 6 month host internship as part of their programme; the host decides whether to pay a stipend.
How long does a PV internship last?
Host internships for diploma and Advanced Certification students run for 3 to 6 months. For the standalone PV internship, your advisor confirms the current duration.
What certificate will I get?
The standalone PV internship ends with a BCRI certificate and a letter. Host internships end with an internship certificate from the SMO, CRO or hospital.
Do I need to know MedDRA before the internship?
Basic awareness helps. Our pharmacovigilance course and MedDRA coding training cover it if you are new to coding.
Will a PV internship get me a job?
An internship makes your resume much stronger, but no internship guarantees a job. BCRI gives placement assistance to its course students, and hiring decisions rest with employers.
Is the pharmacovigilance project work on poison-control data still running?
No. That 1- and 2-month project programme has ended. Today you can join the standalone PV internship or a diploma programme with a host internship. An advisor can help you choose.