P2 Residency Workshop 5/9/12

Applying for a Residency
Katherine P. Smith, Pharm.D., BCPS
Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice
Roseman University of Health Sciences
May 9, 2012


Pharmacy Residency Programs

–These are post-graduate paid clinical training opportunities

–First-year residencies (PGY-1) are more broad and second-year residencies (PGY-2) involve specialty practices (ex. cardiology, critical care, transplant)

–PGY-1s are available in a variety of settings (hospital, home health, children’s hospitals, managed care, ambulatory clinics, community pharmacies, etc.)

–Most are accredited by ASHP

–In order to secure a position in an accredited residency, you must submit an application, participate in an interview, and go through the match process


Timeline

May – September 2012

Research whether or not you want to do a residency at all
Talk to clinical faculty, talk to former students who have done one, read about what residencies entail
Look at jobs you are interested in, see what credentials they prefer/require
Learn more about the programs
Review online residency directories
Review residency program web sites
What type of experience do you want and what type of setting do you prefer?

October – November 2012

Prepare for the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting by finalizing the list of programs in which you are interested
Finalize your CV and have it proofread
Decide whether or not you want to use Careerpharm’s Personal Placement Service at ASHP
Contact faculty, employers, etc. who you will ask to write letters of recommendation for you
Attend a pre-midyear seminar on campus (November)

December 2012

Attend the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting in Las Vegas, NV, December 2 – 6, 2012
Complete residency applications
Due dates are typically between December 15 and February first. Provide instructions to those writing letters.
Request transcripts
Register for “the match” with the National Matching Service (This is SEPARATE from the residency applications!)
Contact your Jan/Feb preceptors!
Be open to making up the time you will miss while on interviews.

January – February 2013

Attend a post-midyear Roseman/U of U residency seminar on campus (focus on interviewing)
Schedule and complete on-site interviews with programs once invited to interview
These will take the whole day and you may be invited to dinner the day before
Send hand-written thank you notes after your interviews (get their business cards)
Don’t forget to thank those who wrote letters as well, it is possible you might need more letters from them later.

March 2013

Submit rank order list to the National Matching Service
Receive match results from NMS


April – June 2013

Communicate with residency program regarding paperwork, licensing, etc.

 June 2013

Graduate, take NAPLEX and MPJE


First week of July 2013

Begin your residency


Researching Residencies

 Databases on the web
 Attending the Midyear Clinical Meeting
Contacting the programs for more information

 ASHP’s web site (www.ashp.org) has lots of information about accredited residencies
 Click here for specific info about residencies


ACCP’s web site
  ACCP residency directory

 APhA’s web site
 APhA community residencies link

 
The ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting
Dec 2 – 6, Las Vegas

 This meeting provides opportunities to talk to residency programs via the “Residency Showcase” which is included with meeting registration
The Residency Showcase is an informal gathering at booths in an exhibit hall
–No appointments needed
–Very loud and chaotic
–Residency directors, preceptors and current residents attend
–Go with a list of questions you want to ask
–Monday and Tuesday of the meeting only in 3 sessions
–Different programs attend during each of the 3 time slots!

 Careerpharm’s Personal Placement Service
–Occurs at the MCM but a separate registration is required
–Registration begins in October and contact lists are available in November. It is most productive to set up interviews via email BEFORE arriving at the meeting.
–Meetings with programs are 15-minute one-on-one formal interviews.
–Fewer PGY-1s participate

MAKE a first impression

Contact programs before Midyear and let them know you will be stopping by PPS or their showcase booth
Programs may begin to assess you AT Midyear, if you don’t attend, you may be at a disadvantage
If they don’t do many interviews, you may not be considered
Give current residents a good impression of you too.

 Contacting the Programs

You should contact the program in order to apply (email, phone or snail mail)
–Request an application/brochure
–Ask about web sites with more information about their program
–You may direct specific questions to the residency director but be selective!
Don’t ask them information that is on ASHP’s web site or that is in their application materials

PhORCAS

This is a centralized application service just like PharmCAS
Online demos are just being rolled out this month
The system will go online for the very first time in the fall of 2012.
Students will need to pay to register and there will be higher fees associated with more applications
Pros:
–Helping you keep the paperwork straight
–Real-time notification regarding receipt of portions of the application
–Simplified process for references to upload vs. mail letters of recommendation

 Cons:
 - Additional costs
–Won’t eliminate all “special” forms or documents for certain programs

Residency and Fellowship Applications

1. A copy of your CV
2. Filling out their application forms (Do not say “see Curriculum vitae”)
3. Academic transcripts
4. A letter of intent
5. Letters of recommendation

Curriculum Vitae

This is a longer and more detailed version of a résumé
It should contain your academic history and all of your pharmacy-related work history
Include descriptions of work activities
List your rotations and include preceptor names and titles
Focus on extracurriculars!!
Include papers and presentations
Do not include your age, height, SS#, children’s names, political party, etc.
Ask for help! Proofread!

Academic Transcripts

Official copies from Roseman are $5 each
Transcript request forms
Although the Roseman registrar can provide unofficial for free, they will usually not be accepted for applying for residencies
Give the office PLENTY of time to send them in
3 – 4 business days is the minimum
Do not email the requests (walk-in or mail only)
You can then either pick up the official transcript or have them mail them to the residency programs for you

Letter of Intent

This is similar to a “cover letter” in that you are describing the position that you want and why you want it.
Grammar and spelling should be perfect
The letter should be formal and polished but personal
Make sure the contact person’s name is spelled correctly and all addresses are correct
Keep it brief and focus on the specific features of that program in relation to what you are looking for (how do they meet your specific professional needs?)
Do not focus on the geographic location of the program
Do not try to make the letter funny or entertaining (standing out is not good here)
Focus on the hospital size, rotation types, etc.

Letters of Recommendation & References

Ask professors, preceptors, and employers
NOT Roseman administrative staff (ex. Jacklyn or Nicole), spouses, friends, pharmacy technicians, or parents
Spend time speaking with references about what you are looking for and your future goals
Make sure they can commit the time and give them AT LEAST 2 – 3 weeks to do them and do not expect them to work on them over the holiday break (the day you come back from Midyear is too late for many)
Provide them with detailed instructions; make it easy for them to do this for you and there will be no costly mistakes.

Residency Interviews

The interview date is mutually agreed upon by the program and applicant (try to be flexible!!)
Let your preceptor know WELL IN ADVANCE and be prepared to make up missed days if asked
Research the program thoroughly and come prepared with a list of questions
Dress professionally (your best suit)
Be courteous and on-time
Shake hands
Send a hand-written thank you note within a week
Act interested (even if you are not)


The Match

This is a computerized non-random system that improves fairness in filling positions
It has been used for years for filling positions in medical residencies, etc.
It prevents…
–Students being pressured to accept offers too quickly
–Students hoarding offers while other students wait
–Positions giving more offers of acceptance than they have positions to fill
Applicants are matched to programs based on rank lists submitted by the applicant and position
www.natmatch.org
ALL accredited PGY-1 and PGY-2 pharmacy residency programs will participate in the match
Except: military and public health (requires that you become an officer)
For now unaccredited also don’t participate, residencies in various stages of becoming accredited may also participate
Selection always starts with the applicant
 
No Match – “The Scramble”

If you do not match with a program, you can access a list of all of the programs with open positions
The programs with openings can also access the applicants who didn’t match (your name will be on the list ONLY if you participated in the match)
You contact them and they contact you
They may set up phone/Skype interviews, but you may need an on-site interview
Letters of recommendation and transcripts may need to be sent out again
It’s called “the scramble” because the process occurs very quickly. Most positions are filled within a few weeks after the match.

 FAQ…

How many students who want to do a residency will get one?
–During the last residency cycle, there were are a total of 975 PGY-1 programs participating (approx. 2413 positions, 11%­)
–A total of 3442 individuals from the class of 2012 applied for these positions
–2169 PGY-1 applicants matched (63%), 1273 did not match

How do Roseman students fare in the match?
–In the UT class of 2012, 16% of the class applied for a residency position (26% of the Henderson class)
–60% of South Jordan students who wanted one got a residency position (same % as the previous year) including students who found a position pre-match, in match, and in scramble.

How many programs should I apply to? How many should I rank?
–Class of 2012 students got one interview for every 3.9 places they applied
–The average number of positions ranked per applicant is approximately 3 – 4

Should I ask a program whether they accept students with no grades or GPA?
–It is tacky to discuss grades, class ranking, and remediation at ASHP Midyear. Do not use the word “remediation” with anyone!
–Instead, find out whether a Roseman student has interviewed/matched there. If yes, don’t ask the program.
–If there’s no history between that program and our school, send an email describing our unique educational philosophy in favorable terms and ask whether additional data is needed to apply.


The Class of 2012 “formula for success”


1.Attend all of the on-campus P3 workshops (even if over the phone)
2.Present a poster at a meeting (doesn’t have to be ASHP Midyear)
3.Attend and participate in a state association meeting
4.Have an experienced clinical faculty mentor who you are working with REGULARLY who is also writing letters of recommendation for you
5.Go to a smaller national pharmacy meeting and network like crazy
6.Don’t load up on big-name programs (ex. U of Illinois, Florida, UCSF)
7.Cast a wide net geographically but make sure there’s a consistent trend in program type
8.Apply to at least 13 programs
9.Jump into the process with 100% commitment to see it through to match day

Class of 2012 strategies of the unsuccessful

1.Attending Midyear without a clear vision for the type of program desired
2.Skipping Midyear and not attending any other professional meetings
3.Deciding to do residency in November
4.Skipping the CV and letter of intent proofreading by faculty/clinical preceptors
5.Contacting faculty to write a letter of recommendation in November when you are discussing your career plans with them for the first time.
6.Missing application deadlines
7.Deciding to take a year off to pay student loans before applying for a residency position