Copy and Paste? Not a bad idea but fix the formatting

I'm posting again today because I've identified an interesting problem. Some of the institution names are very long and complicated.  Here's an example: University of North Carolina Hospitals and Clinics/UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.  I talked to a bunch of people from this institution shortly after their name changed and they often forgot the "Eshelman School of Pharmacy" partly because it was new.  This was an amusing joke to the offenders, but it is not taken the same way when someone from the outside messes things up.

The point I'm trying to make is that the people at these institutions will know the name of their facility intimately and will notice it immediately if you refer to it as a "Medical Center" when it is a "Hospital" or when you leave out "at Brooklyn," "at Stanford" or "& Trauma Center" at the end of the institution's name.  Misspellings will also leave a negative impression.  When in doubt, use the name from the ASHP residency database as that is the name they will use in PhORCAS and the Match.  Include the whole lengthy drawn out name, even though it doesn't fit very well on the page.  Leaving something out could offend the wrong person and you never know...

This advice applies to your letters of intent and attached letters used by your references.

PhORCAS glitches

The PhORCAS reference portal is probably getting some heavy use this week and next but for the early bird reference writers, there are a few glitches you may want to be aware of.  None of this should affect your application but for the paranoid types, this may add a little bit of stress for your references.  I checked boxes and copied in free comments from Word (to lower the risk of typos, see last blog post comment) and then I got to the last page and saw a nice little button called "preview."  Yesterday, clicking on the preview button did nothing.  Today, clicking on that button resulted in the creation of a PDF which contained almost nothing on it but the student's name and some numbers.  I called PhORCAS to see if something went horribly wrong and they told me they were having trouble with the preview function which they were expecting to have fixed by the end of the week. This was good news to me but doesn't give me much peace of mind.  I'm happy that I have everything saved in Word but I'm hoping that I don't have to go back in and put information in there again. The PhORCAS representative on the phone said that everything should be submitted correctly. To those I'm writing for, I'm still 100% committed to make sure everything gets submitted befor the deadline.

The take-home-point is that if one of your references contacts you expressing frustration about the PhORCAS reference portal, you might want to tell them about this known glitch.  I'm hoping that the student's ability to preview their application is not affected, but it might be.  If you can share any wisdom regarding your own PhORCAS experiences, please comment on this post.  It will help us help your classmates!

Tips for Successful Residency Applications in PhORCAS

At the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting, I had an opportunity to attend a session about the new PhORCAS application system.  This session was co-sponsored by ASHP Accreditation Services and PhORCAS.

A few interesting facts:
-100% of ASHP-accredited residencies are using PhORCAS for the 2012-2013 cycle
-As of November 18th, there are >4000 applicants in PhORCAS.  This is expected to grow to over 6000 applicants.
-As of November 18th, there 3285 registered residency positions in the Match.

Here are some practical tips for you to consider as you submit your application materials:
1. Label documentation carefully! My letter of intent for Intermountain Medical Center should be easily distinguishable from Utah Valley Medical Center. Examples: SebranekLOI_IntermountainMedCtr versus Sebranek LOI_UtahValley.  Be sure you are uploading the correct documents to each program.

2. The acceptable file formats in PhORCAS are .doc, .pdf, and .txt.  NOTE: .docx (newer version of Word) documents WILL NOT be accepted and you cannot upload them to PhORCAS.  You can convert a .docx file to .doc in Word by "Save As" and selecting the correct file name.

3. A candidate CAN NOT e-submit his/her application until the separate registration and fee for the National Matching Service (NMS) has been submitted.  You can register for NMS through PhORCAS.

4. Once e-submission to a particular program has occurred, the only updates the candidate can make are to his/her contact information. 

5. Apply early!  For instance, if a program has a deadline of January 5th, do not wait until January 3rd to start application paperwork.  There are more than 1500 programs in PhORCAS so you don't want to run the risk of not completing an application because you ran out of time or there were web site difficulties because of the high traffic.

This is the first year of PhORCAS so there will be inevitable bugs in the system to work out.  Good luck submitting your applications!

Healthcare Alphabet Soup

As you are conversing with programs over email and preparing to meet with them at ASHP Midyear, you may be encountering healthcare "alphabet soup."  How well can you define and explain the following?

Credentials
Board of Pharmaceutial Specialties: BCPS, BCACP, BCPP, BCOP, BCNP, BCNSP, AQ Cardiology, AQ Infectious Disease
Others: CGP, CDE, CACP, AE-C, DABAT

Healthcare Organizations
Pharmacy-Specific: APhA, BPS, ASHP, ACCP, AACP, NABP, AMCP, NCPA, NACDS
Others: AMA, TJC, CMS, AHRQ, ISMP, CDC, DHHS, NIH

Quality and Payment in Inpatient Healthcare
Pharmacy Practice Model Initiative (PPMI)
National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG) (which goals are related to pharmacy?)
HCAHPS Survey (which questions are related to pharmacy services?)
CMS Core Measures (which diseases are included? which medications?)
Value-Based Purchasing (VBP)
Pay for Performance (P4P)
Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG) Codes
Bundled Payments
403b Status
Affordable Care Act (ACA), sometimes known as "Obamacare"

Quality and Payment in Outpatient Healthcare
Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH)
Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC)
Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003
Managed Care Organizations (MCO)
Accountable Health Plans (AHP)
Drug Utilization Review (DUR)
Disease State Management
Medication Therapy Management (MTM)
Medication Therapy Review (MTR)
Personal Medication Record (PMR)
Medication Action Plan (MAP)
Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes
Affordable Care Act (ACA), sometimes known as "Obamacare"

Technology in Healthcare
Automated Dispensing Cabinets (ADC) / Automated Dispensing Machines (ADM)
E-prescribing
Computerized Prescriber Order Entry (CPOE)
Electronic Medical Record (EMR)
EHR "Meaningful Use"

ASHP online residency database searching TRICK!

The searching abilities of ASHP's online residency directory are very limited.  If one wants to search things other than city, state, zip or program name from the gigantic list of PGY-1s, some additional tricks are necessary.  Google lets you search within a web domain.  All pages within the residency directory are within the same web site domain, which lets you search by keywords within that domain.  Here's how it works.

Step 1: Copy and paste the URL from this page through the word "directory/"

Step 2: Go to the google search page and paste in that partial web address.  Type into the search box "site:" and make sure there is no space between site and the "http" part of the address.

Step 3: Put a space after "directory" and then put in the term you want to search for.  Here's an example of a search for "transplant"

Gearing up for Midyear!

Step 1: Registration

The base meeting registration fee is $255 for students who are members and $355 for students who are not members of ASHP.  This fee provides you with access to all of the following:

• Keynote presentation (Bill Clinton)
• Educational symposia from Sunday - Thursday (except ambulatory "intensive study")
• The residency showcase
• All poster sessions
• All industry exhibits

There are other activities associated with additional fees which range betwen $80 and $295 each.  Many are courses for pharmacists about how to run a residency program (RLS) and courses for pharmacists needing to recertify for a certain credential (like BCACP).  The only one of these activities targeted towards students is the board prep on Saturday. 

Step 2: Personal Placement Service

This is a separate registration and fee which allows you to interview with employers and/or residency programs at the meeting.  The fee for students is $125.  Not all residency programs participate in PPS and PPS participation does not guarantee you will be granted an interview with your desired site at the meeting.  You need to contact them, provide a copy of your CV and then be invited to interview at PPS.  To check whether a program you are considering is participating in PPS, please check this online list.  This list is expected to change frequently between now and the meeting.  Not all programs listed are recruiting for PGY-1 residencies so it might be advisable to contact them directly.

If you are considering PPS, register early so that potential employers/programs can find you and contact you.  Setting up interviews if you register for PPS on site might be problematic if all of the interview slots have been booked by candidates who registered in advance.

Step 3: Network

Many colleges of pharmacy and large health systems conduct social functions at the Midyear in order to develop new contacts and reconnect with alumni.  Roseman's social function will be held Monday night at the Luxor and is open to all Roseman students registered for the meeting.  For other social events, it is recommended that you wait to be invited rather than spontaneously dropping in on a social event.  If you do attend, make sure you are wearing your most formal business attire.  Students in cocktail attire will stand out in a bad way.

Step 4: Residency Showcase

Start with a list of which programs strongly interest you.  Make sure you have researched each one thoroughly using the ASHP Residency Directory and the program's own web site.  Write down questions that you want to ask each program.  Not all programs should be asked the same questions since each will have different information available in the directory and on their web site.  Visit the Midyear web site to figure out which program will be in the showcase on which day since different programs have booth space on each day.  The showcase will be open on Monday from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m., on Tuesday from 8:00 - 11:00 a.m., and on Tuesday from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.  As of this posting, a list of dates for specific programs was not available; however, in "early November" per the web site, ASHP will provide an Excel file which can be sorted and filtered to help you figure out how to find the programs you are wishing to talk to by booth number.  There will also be an interactive floor plan map which can help you find exactly where on the very large exhibit floor each program will be. 

Communicating via email with residencies

So you might want to start letting certain programs know you are interested.  You also might be wanting to get more information from some programs.  If you are starting to communicate with residency programs, you should put some thought into the quality of your written communications in general. Here are some tips:

1. Start with being as formal as possible.  Use Dear Dr. XXX in the start of your email.  If you are not sure about whether Dr. is appropriate, use Mr. or Ms.  Do not use Mrs. or Miss.
2. Put something short but specific in the subject line.  "Request for residency information" or "Interest in applying."  This will also help make sure your email goes to the right person since it will be more clear what the email is about if someone needs to forward the email to someone else.
3. Do not use the email to talk about your qualifications.  When they want to know more about you, they will look for a CV or letter of intent, or they will ask you to send one. 
4. Start by explaining why you are emailing using direct and succinct language.  If you are unsure about grammar and spelling, write something in Word first and proofread it yourself or get some help.  Most programs will not be so critical of email but you also don't want to make your first impression a bad impression.
5. Thank them for their time and effort.  It is still a seller's market in residencies so all the points you can get for niceties and politeness count.
6. Use a salutation like "Sincerely," "Best regards" or something which feels natural to you.  It should match the tone of the email.  It can be easy to spot insincere sentiment when the rest of the email doesn't match the salutation.
7. Sign the email with your full name and your affiliation (i.e. Roseman University).  From the many applications they will receive and the many people they will meet, it is helpful from a memory standpoint if they can link you to your school and or city.  It is also much more professional.  If you would rather use a longer email signature, that works as well but still "sign" the email.

Save The Date Tues. Oct 16

On Tuesday, October 16th, we'll have our first of three on-campus meeting for Roseman P3 students in South Jordan.  Discussion topics planned include:

• The PhORCAS application portal
• Letters of recommendation
• Transcripts and the class rank letter

ACCP CV Review Service Opens Today

The ACCP CV Review Service is now open for student members of ACCP who wish to receive feedback on their CV.  This is free for members, but students can join to take advantage of the service for a mere $35.  Many pharmacists from all over the country volunteer to review CVs for students.  Feedback is typically received within 14 days of submission and the service is open until the end of May.  You do not have to be residency-bound to participate in the service but the pharmacists reviewing CV will be clinically-focused. 

The program web site where CVs get uploaded also includes sample CVs and resources. 

Pharmacy Practice Philosophy

Last week Dr. Smith emailed the Utah P3 class with information about APhA's Career Pathways Evaluation Program.  If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to complete the pathway to help you determine which factors are most important to you in your future career.  Simply wanting to do a residency is too vague of a short-term career goal.  With the tight economy, many residency programs are flooded with candidates who are applying because the candidates don't know what else to do career-wise or simply want to "gain more clinical experience."  Historically, these students do not fare well with securing residency interviews or matching with residency programs.

A good way to get started on this important skill is to complete a pharmacy practice philosophy.  To learn more about how to do this, visit the Pharmacy Practice Philosophy page on this blog.

These questions are very important as you begin researching residency programs and determining how you envision your residency training to be. Very soon you will be writing letters of intent to residency programs. Your letter should include detailed information regarding the above questions. In addition to evaluating how well of a "fit" you are to the residency program, residency programs will be considering how well their program meets your needs. If you are able to answer the questions in detail, you will stand out as more mature residency candidate with a clearer vision of pharmacy practice.

Poster abstract deadlines for ASHP and APhA

Since I know many of you are interested in presenting posters at either the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting in December or the APhA Annual Meeting in March, I want to pass on some helpful links.  The portal for ASHP Student Poster submission is now open:

http://www.softconference.com/subs/ashp/2012/MCM/StudentPosters/default.asp

Although the APhA Annual Meeting in not scheduled until March 1st-4th, 2013, they are already requesting abstracts.  The link to APhA's portal is:
http://www.aphameeting.org/index.cfm?do=cnt.page&pg=1033&cb=1002

Very important: Abstract deadlines for both organizations is October 1st, 2012.  Review submission guidelines for each organization carefully so you meet their requirements and your abstract is not rejected.  If you have never done a professional poster before, I encourage you to work with your preceptors or faculty members for guidance.  Start early so you have plenty of time to work through several revisions if needed.  Additionally, I advise submitting the final abstract earlier than the deadline to avoid the possibility of too much traffic on the website making it inaccessible.

PhORCAS Changes the Residency Timeline

There is a new date to put into your mind:  November 1st.  This is the date after which the residency programs will begin to start viewing student application materials in PhORCAS.  I believe this is a game changer for the residency application process.  In the past I imagine most application packets lived in an administrative assistant's office somewhere until all pieces flowed in.  Even then, nobody might have looked at the completed packets until interview selection time.  Now, the same residency administrators will be able to log into PhORCAS and view your CV, etc. instantly online from their desk.  They can even run reports by location, etc.  Roseman students can take advantage of this new feature by getting the materials in early.  P3s will be able to start uploading documents on October 1st. Being on a program's radar via PhORCAS before Midyear might give you a little edge over other applicants.  Since each program application involves an additional fee, you might reserve this approach for your top, top picks.

ASHP Housing Part 2

I've created the following public sign-up to facilitate the selection of roommates.  Each slot is for a single name.  If you want to room with someone who's put their name on the list that they need a roommate, contact them directly.  Take yourselves out of the sign-up once you've found your roommate.  In other words, names staying on the sign-up should be for students who are still needing one or more roommates.  Think twice about posting email addresses as this is a public signup.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ApZxZAqRszFHdFM1SHlhMU50NDVpTUNjNVBlMzVjWlE

How to write an abstract?

It's almost August and the submission site for abstracts for the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting will be opening in a few weeks.  It may seem early for some, but if you are in the throws of getting research started, it might be helpful to consider what type of information you'll need in your abstract.  Remember that a good abstract and a good poster will help you sell yourself at Midyear so don't wait until the night before.  I've provided some links for some resources I've found online about how to write an abstract for a meeting.  Enjoy!

ACCP abstract instructions (Here's a video too)

PPAG abstract instructions

This article is probably more than you need...but just in case

The last link has a great quote that I believe really rings true for abstract writing.

To paraphrase Dr Petty’s advice, on being asked to give a talk on a particular topic, “If you
want a 10-min summary, I can have it for you a week from today; if you want it to be 30 minutes, I can do it tomorrow; if you want a whole hour, I’m ready now.

Pierson DJ. How to write an abstract that will be accepted for presentation at a national meeting. Respir Care. 2004;49(10):1206-12.

ASHP Midyear Registration Opens

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) has just opened registration and hotel booking for their Midyear Clinical Meeting which will be held from December 2 - 6, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Because this is the largest annual gathering of pharmacists, with a strong showing of student pharmacists, inexpensive hotel rooms close to the meeting book up fast.  The meeting will be held at Mandalay Bay which is on the South end of the Las Vegas Strip.  Hotels besides the meeting hotel which are close include Luxor*, Tropicana, Excalibur, MGM*, New York New York*, Aria*, and the Monte Carlo.   ASHP will provide shuttle buses between some strip hotels and the meeting hotel (indicated with a *).  There is also a free monorail which runs between Mandalay Bay, Luxor, and Excalibur.  Other hotels (ex. Motel 8) can also be found nearby but may not be as safe, especially at night.  Click on the link below to register for the meeting and book hotel rooms.

  ASHP Midyear 2012 Web Site

USHP Annual Meeting

In case you missed it, registration for the USHP Annual Meeting is currently open.  The meeting will be held on Saturday, August 11th, at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray.  In addition to the regular CE topics, there are two specific areas of interest to students:

1) Poster presentation opportunity.  Please read the submission guidelines carefully and note the abstract deadline is Friday, July 9th.

2) A residency "boot camp" session to be held in the afternoon.  A panel of residency directors, preceptors, and residents in Utah will discuss topics including: types of residencies, expectations during residency, CV preparation, interviewing techniques, and other survival tips.

http://www.ushp.org/meetings/

ACCP Meeting Registration Opens Today

The ACCP Annual Meeting will be held Oct. 20 - 23, 2012 in Hollywood, Florida.  Here are some highlights for students in their final year.

Saturday:  Career Development Symposium, Student Orientation, Student Reception

Sunday: Career Path Roundtable Session, Opening Reception

Monday: Residency and Fellowship Forum, PRN Business Meetings and Networking Forums

Tuesday: PRN Business Meetings and Networking Forums

TBA: Education and Training PRN Mock Residency Interviews (Monday or Tuesday evening)

These sessions were selected because they focus on student career development and networking opportunities.  There are many other great sessions on a variety of clinical topics.  Watch the semi-finals and finals of the Clinical Pharmacy Challenge on Sunday and Monday for some solid entertainment.

ACCP Annual Meeting Detailed Information

New this year: students can indicate they will be participating in the Residency and Fellowship Forum and can fill out an applicant profile.  Links on that page are still in development, so check back later.

Add a comment if you need a roommate for this meeting!

ACCP Clinical Compass

The clinical compass page of the student section of the ACCP web site has descriptions of and links to useful resources for students in all stages of the process of looking at residencies.  I especially like the links to accreditation information, the list of accredited specialties, and the examples of residency application documents.  There's a small section on fellowships, but there is only a link for pharmaceutical industry fellowship information.  There are also clinical research fellowships available.  If you are considering a non-industry fellowship, let me know and I'll try to get you some additional information.

ACCP Clinical Compass

ACCP Annual Meeting Posters

Are you considering presenting a poster at the ACCP Annual Meeting in October 2012?  There are several travel award for students presenting research.  Click on the link below for more information.  Note: the student abstract deadline for those who want to present a poster is July 6, 2012.  You must have your abstract accepted in order to present a poster at this meeting.

ACCP Student Travel Award Information

Pharmacy Residency/Fellowship Online Databases

Residency directories!  Here are the links to the databases which will allow you to search for residency programs by state or type. 

ASHP Residency Database
ACCP Residency, Fellowship, and Grad Program Database
APhA Community Pharmacy Residency Database

Please add your comments.  Are these easy to use?  Have you had any specific difficulties?  Do you have tips to share with other students?

Opening the Blog

Welcome to the first-ever Roseman University Pharmacy Student Residency Blog (RUPStuRB).  Between now and March 2013, Dr. Sebranek and I will post articles with information about things that might help you in your pursuit of a residency.  Feel free to share your experiences, resources, and questions.

May Workshop Handout