Finding the pharmacy residency program that is right for you is an immense challenge and to some degree a goal that you can strive for but never truly achieve. While acknowledging that in finding a pharmacy residency it is just as important to ensure the residency is right for you as you are right for the program, the following is provided to help you on your journey.
Authored By: Kaitlyn Loi, Pharm.D.
Now that most application deadlines have passed for the 2017-18 year, thousands of post-graduate year one (PGY1) pharmacy residency programs across the United States are beginning their review of residency applications. Soon they will be extending interview offers to potential candidates.
If you are a fourth-year pharmacy student (P4) in the process of applying to residencies, the next few months will likely feel stressful as you prepare to “sell yourself” on interviews and eventually submit program rankings to the ASHP Residency Match Program. As you go through this process, how will you know that residency programs are right for you to rank in the match?
While preparing for interviews, do not forget that an on-site interview is the best (and possibly the last) chance you have to find out the information you need when deciding to commit to the next year (or two) of your professional life.
Here are things to consider when applying for a residency as well as questions to ask yourself or interviewers on an interview when looking for the right program. Hopefully this can help you find the best pharmacy residency program for you.
1. Location
When considering residency programs, it is often important for candidates to consider the importance of location on a large and small scale.
If you are considering an out of area residency, are you willing to move to that city or state? Depending on the state, pharmacy practice and pharmacy law can vary greatly from where you went to pharmacy school or completed training.
Does urban vs. rural make a difference to you personally? The patient population, medical conditions you see, and role as a pharmacist can vary depending on geographic location. Is the institution you are interested in located near a medical school or pharmacy school? If teaching and lecturing at a college of pharmacy is important to you and the closest one is over fifty miles away, will you realistically be willing to make that commute? In addition, what is it like in the surrounding area of the institution?
Questions to ask current residents/interviewers:
- Where do most residents live?
- What is the average commute/cost of rent?
- What is there to do outside of residency/work?
- In what ways is the profession of pharmacy progressive in their area?
2. Size
Residency program candidates looking at a program should consider the size of the institution and size of the pharmacy staff, in addition to the size and age of the residency program.
If you are the only PGY1 resident, will you be lonely? Is the institution/pharmacy department large enough to support the development/training and rotation flexibility of the pharmacy resident? Conversely, is the residency program so large that you may not get the attention you require or hope to obtain?
Do not kid yourself, when it comes to finding the pharmacy residency program that is right for you, size does matter.
Questions to ask current residents/interviewers:
- What are the benefits of having [insert number] residents?
- What are the cons of having [insert number] residents?
- How many pharmacists are preceptors for the pharmacy residency program?
- What is the level of engagement preceptors (i.e., not the residency program director) have in the development of the resident(s)?
3. Rotations
While most pharmacy residency rotation requirements for each program will likely be up to date on their website and at ASHP Midyear, it is important for candidates to know exactly what rotations are offered and required of a residency program, as well as how they are structured.
Resident interests can change over the the course of the year and if one residency program does not offer a rotation in a potential area of interest while another does, that may be a key factor in differentiating the programs being considered.
Candidates should also have a good understanding of what is expected of residents on rotations from the medical/interdisciplinary team and preceptor. Some programs expect much more than others from their residents. What is right for you depends on your personal needs and desires.
Questions to ask current residents/interviewers:
- Have changes been made to the required rotations in the last year or two?
- Have any substantial changes been made to elective rotations in recent years?
- Are there any new rotations planned for the next year or that started last year?
- What is the structure of [insert name] rotation?
- Do residents round alone/ have their own service or team?
- Do residents run the [insert name] clinic on their own and what level of support is present?
- Is it possible to change your rotation schedule if your interests change?
4. Teaching philosophy
When interviewing on-site or over the telephone, candidates should try to get a feel for and understanding of what the pharmacy department’s teaching philosophy is for the residents. For example, do they seem more like macro-managers or micro-managers?
What are the opportunities for personal and professional development and how does leadership support this in their employees? How do clinical and staff pharmacists work with/treat/support/interact with pharmacy residents? How do the preceptors structure their experiences to support the philosophies of the leadership?
Questions to ask current residents/interviewers:
- What is the orientation process like, do you feel like you had enough support from your mentor/residency program director?
- How does the department support continuing education/additional training and certifications/research?
- What is the level of structure instituted within learning experiences?
5. Fit
Most importantly, residency candidates should assess how well they fit with the program being considered.
Does the program provide what you need as a to be successful as PGY1 resident? Will it help you reach your long-term and short-term professional goals? Do you honestly fit the bill for what the program is looking for and does the program have what you are looking for? Can you see yourself there for the next year? Are preceptors and managers people you would want to work alongside and work well with? These are all questions to ponder as you assess the fit of yourself with the program you are evaluating.
Questions to ask current residents/interviewers:
- What skills/attributes do you look for in a PGY1?
- What characteristics have helped previous residents excel in your residency program?
Closing thoughts
While preparing for residency interviews can be stressful, do not forget that you are interviewing the program as much as they are interviewing you!
Be prepared to answer any questions the program may have for you, but also make sure not to leave without getting all the information you need to make a decision.
Having meaningful questions prepared will help give you answers that make your decision that much easier.
Good luck!!!
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