What will you be asking during interviews?

Most candidates will go through the process leaving a favorable or neutral impression, but occasionally candidates come up with questions which are perceived very negatively by the residency program.  They are negative because they are judgemental or delve into privacy issues.  Other questions which leave a negative impression are those which leave the residency preceptors with an impression that the candidate doesn't want to work hard or that the candidate is "high maintenance."  Here are some examples of questions which are best left out of your interview.

1. What problem areas were identified during the last ASHP accreditation visit?  It's fine to ask about what the program is hoping to improve upon; it is not okay to try to identify "dings" from accrediting bodies.
2. Why was so-and-so ex-resident let go from this residency program? Personnel issues are private as all pharmacy residents are considered employees.  There is really not a good way to ask about this topic. 
3. Why did so-and-so ex-resident quit this residency program? See #2 above.
4. Why did this program have an unmatched position last year (or the year before, etc.)? Because the matching process starts with the candidate and not the program, there are many reasons the program may have an unmatched position which may have nothing to do with the program's quality.  Sometimes the highly competitive programs are all going after a common pool of candidates, for example. Use other questions to try to assess the quality of the program but keep in mind that you should also be thinking about "fit."
5. What time would I be allowed to leave for the day as a pharmacy resident? This question implies that there is something in this resident's life which is a greater priority than the residency.  Candidates indeed have practicality concerns when it comes to childcare and similar responsibilities, but consider instead asking the current residents about the hours of their "typical day."
6. How did I do on the interview? Even if you have done well, this will leave a negative impression because it makes it seem like you are needy for constant feedback.  Asking this question is not worth the risk because you can't change how you did and even if they think you are a good fit, another candidate may outrank you.
7. Where will you rank me or how many candidates will you be ranking? This relates to the question above.  The "how many candidates" question is a problem because there may be candidates who will not be ranked and answering the question may reveal which candidates fall into that category.
8. How many candidates were interviewed? The temptation to try to calculate where you will end up in the match is very high in this process. It is far more valuable to focus your efforts on asking detailed questions about the residency as that will help sell your committment to finding the best residency for you vs. revealing your anxiety about "getting something" in the end.

Are you ready to interview?

Pharmacy residency interviews usually begin in late January and continue through the month of February.  If you've made the first cut based on your goals, achievements and the support of your mentors, congratulations!  Now the fun begins.  Here is a list of questions to help you determine if you are ready for the interview process.

1. Do you have your "elevator speech" prepared in response to the request to "tell me a little about yourself"?
2. Do you have your list of good scenarios prepared for a behavioral interviewing approach?  Can you come up with a story to describe a time when you: were shot down, made a successful intervention, were challenged by a patient, disagreed with a supervisor, had a conflict with a teammate...?
3. Do you feel confident that you won't appear stupid if you don't know the answer to a clinical question when you aren't sure of the correct answer?
4. Can you describe your weaknesses without using personality flaws?  For example, telling the interview team that you are always late is a problem.
5. Has anyone checked your mannerisms lately in high-pressure scenarios to make sure you don't do anything which is distracting or confusing (ex. use of "um," playing with hair, picking at clothing, grimmacing, laughing/smiling at the wrong time, etc.)?
6. Have you practiced your handshake with someone who will be completely honest with you about whether you've given a good handshake?
7. Have you prepared your list of questions for the programs and do you feel confident that the types of questions you will ask will reflect upon you favorably (ex. avoid "why did the program let a resident go last year?")?
8. Can you clearly describe your own preferences for a program in terms of the amount of flexibility, degree of autonomy, quantity/frequency of feedback, and exposure to certain activities like teaching and management projects?

The good news is that there is still plenty of time to make improvements to all of these items!  The bad news is that some work will be required on your part.  Don't forget about the opportunity to participate in the Mock Interview Workshop at the University of Utah on January 16th.  The preceptors/faculty know to look for the items on this list and can give you honest feedback without holding anything against you.  You only have until Friday the 11th to indicate that you want to participate.  Check your email inbox for the Surveymonkey invitation which was sent last Friday; you must fill it out to attend.

Top 20 Residency Interview Questions!

This is based on the results of a study where researchers attempted to collect a list of the most common interview questions with median rankings for importance (5 = most important, 1 = least important). Questions without rankings were provided as open questions by survey participants.

1. Why do you want to do a residency? (100% asking, importance 5/5)
2. Where do you see yourself after a PGY-1 residency?* (97% asking, importance 4/5)
3. What areas of practice most interest you? (93% asking, importance 4/5)
4. What qualities do you possess would make you a good resident? (88% asking, 4/5 importance)
5. What are your worst qualities? (73% asking, 4/5 importance)
6. What was your favorite rotation? (73% asking, 4/5 importance)
7. Describe the most significant contribution you made to a patient's care this past year. (60% asking, 4/5 importance)
8. Are you considering a PGY-2 residency or fellowship?* (59% asking, 3/5 importance)
9. What was your least favorite rotation? (56% asking, 3/5 importance)
10. Describe your most memorable experiences from rotations. (47% asking, 4/5 importance)
11. If I were to ask preceptor X to describe you, what words would he or she use? (37% asking, 4/5 importance)
12. Describe your favorite or most memorable patient. (32% asking, 4/5 importance)
13. What is your definition of pharmaceutical care?* (24% asking, 3/5 importance)
14. Who was your favorite preceptor? (19% asking, 4/5 importance)
15. Why are you interested in our program? (13% asking)
16. Describe or discuss the most interesting medical journal article you have recently read. (13% asking, 3/5 importance)
17. How do you handle conflict? (10% asking)
18. What do you like to do for fun? (8% asking)
19. Describe a conflict with a preceptor or attending physician. (7% asking)
20. Describe your time-management skills. (7% asking)

* Because this study was conducted in 2003, certain terms have been updated or might be phrased differently to reflect current standards and practices.

Be prepared for these questions to include follow-up, especially if the question is closed-ended (ex. Are you considering a PGY-2? vs. Why are you considering a PGY-2?).

Mancuso CE, Paloucek FP. Understanding and preparing for pharmacy practice residency interviews. Am J Health-Syst Pharm. 2004;61:1686-9.

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.