We've learned in the last few weeks that nothing has gone completely according to plans in the scramble. It made sense to us that programs would want to see information from scramblers populate in their PhORCAS "inbox" starting on March 25th. What happened instead is that perhaps programs were waiting to hear from those still interested in an effort to save students the time and expense of loading a bunch of stuff into PhORCAS without prior contact with the program. We feel this is unfortunate and it may have put some students who were trying not to be a nuisance at a disadvantage over the "squeaky wheels." We did hear of a few cases of programs responding with "don't email us" or "don't call us" so this was definitely not always the case. We also wondered why students didn't seem to be given the opportunity to make changes to their pre-match application without forking over another $25 per program. Dr. Sebranek spoke with Janet Teeters at ASHP last week and made her aware of this issue. This is something they were definitely interested in hearing about. Ms. Teeters couldn't confirm whether the cause of programs disappearing from PhORCAS before April 1 was the filling of positions or programs already receiving plenty of inquiries/applications. She mentioned that the moratorium on offers before April 1 may become mandatory in the future.
What to do now?
Option 1: Keep your eyes peeled for new positions coming open in PhORCAS. Since there is no cost to the programs, it would seem they would want to put their openings in there. In case inertia is the issue, keep your eyes peeled in other places as well such as the pharmacy association email distribution lists and web sites which display openings (especially ACCP). Continue to let people in your area and in your speciality (ex. managed care) know you are still looking.
Option 2: Start planning for next year. Look for job openings in areas which are related to your practice site of interest. Think about casting a wide geographic net and don't forget about rural areas where demand might be higher. One Roseman student started working per diem for a hospital shortly after graduation. This position eventually turned into a full-time night-shift position. That position eventually turned into a 9 - 5 M-F shift in a hospital in another city.
Hang in there and continue to feel free to reach out to Dr. Sebranek or myself for assistance.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Friday, March 22, 2013
How to select programs in the scramble
I know it's been a long and arduous process, but if you are scrambling, get ready for the final sprint. By now you have probably at least browsed through the unmatched position list, but where to start? Here are some steps which might help you break this down a little.
- Look for places for which you have already applied. They might not be THE hospital you sent your original application to, but consider the possibility that they might be willing to consider you more seriously since you have already been vetted by their "sister" hospital. Another reason I put this first is that you might be able to swing a rotation at the other hospital which first attracted you to the system. This couldn't hurt if they have a PGY-2 you are interested in for next year as well.
- Ask a few mentors for ideas. They might know someone at one of the sites. Make sure they know what you are looking for so they don't try to send you to a critical care place when you really want more of an ambulatory care place. This means you need to give people copies of the unmatched list so that they can browse and do a little research. As I was poking around, I found a former student from Henderson who is now in a completely different part of the country at a site with an unmatched slot.
- Since you have a much smaller list than when you did this the first time around, consider a process of elimination vs. a process of adding sites to your list. If you don't want home infusion, for example, you can cross off all of the "Critical Care Systems" slots. If you are considering this program, give me a call, I know the director pretty well.
- If you are thinking about a PGY-2 in an inpatient specialty, consider the benefits of a good solid well-rounded PGY-1 experience at a community hospital. If they offer the basics like cardiology, critical care, pediatrics, internal medicine, administration, and infectious disease, you will have a good foundation for future specialization. Some of these places might be in more rural areas, which might mean less competition from students at other schools.
- Don't be afraid of programs in candidate status. Like the regular application process, you want to apply broadly to more well-known and lesser-known to improve your chances. EVERY program started in candidate status at some point. There could be something in there with great potential as long as you will get the experiences you are looking for.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Preparing for The Scramble
I have had a few individual questions about how best to prepare for "The Scramble." Each year navigating the Scramble becomes more difficult as there are increasing numbers of unmatched PGY1 applicants (in 2012 this number was 1438 unmatched candidates) and decreasing number of unmatched positions for all types of PGY1 residencies (in 2012 this number was 145 unmatched residencies). Please do not be discouraged as there are many well-qualified student pharmacists who do not Match. Each year Roseman *has* had at least one student secure a position in the Scramble. See a few tips below about how to streamline your efforts:
Prior to Match Day (Friday, March 22nd):
1. Update your CV and upload again into PhORCAS. Even if you have favorable results with the Match, spending the time to update your CV is worth it because you will need to continue updating your CV throughout your career.
2. Contact your reference writers. If you haven't already done so, please send them thank you notes. Depending on the number of programs where you applied, each reference writer spent between 5-10 hours of their own time to write a letter.
On Match Day:
1. Access information about unmatched programs in PhORCAS starting at 10 a.m. Mountain time. Research these programs just as you did when you originally selected programs prior to submitting your applications starting on Monday, March 25th. Though it may be tempting, do not apply to programs outside your area of interest simply for the sake of obtaining a residency. Remember a residency is a commitment for a year and being in an undesired practice setting is unlikely to meet your professional goals. Both you and the program may be similarly frustrated in the coming year.
2. Let your reference writers know your status right away. They will want to share your success if you matched. If you did not match, you will need your references to write new letters of recommendations. Letter writers can upload new evaluations as early as 10 a.m. Mountain time on March 22nd. Since programs can make offers as early as April 1st, your reference writers will need to submit a new letter within a few days so you will need to verify they have this availability to do so.
3. Use your networking strategies. Programs receive hundreds to thousands of inquiries about unmatched positions so they are much more likely to pursue a known candidate. This may translate to if you had any contact with them at ASHP Midyear or other professional meetings, if you had previously applied to their program, or if they know anyone who knows you. I highly encourage you to contact college faculty (especially Dr. Smith) about your status in the Scramble. We can determine if there is a connection between any Roseman faculty member or past alumni with the program.
Do not underestimate the power of networking! Last year a South Jordan candidate shared how he matched in the Scramble due to networking on behalf of a program. The residency director knew one of the pharmacists at an APPE site where the Roseman candidate had completed a rotation. The director contacted this site pharmacist without the knowledge of the candidate at the time. The site pharmacist had never served as the candidate's preceptor but was able to relay positive information about the candidate's professional demeanor and clinical performance based on word-of-mouth. Remember, pharmacy is a small world and you want to use this to your advantage!
Beyond Match Day:
1. Await contact from programs. If a program is interested in you, you will most likely be asked to participate in a brief in-person interview (if local) or a telephone interview. These interviews are likely to be much shorter so you have to make a strong impression very quickly. You may be asked to submit examples of projects (journal club, case presentations, educational handouts, etc.) you completed on APPE rotations for them to gauge your clinical skills. Programs will evaluate all candidates they decided to pursue and then extend acceptance or rejection offers at their discretion.
2. Recheck PhORCAS often about available positions. Keep in mind some programs will find out in April or May if they have been granted funding for additional positions. These positions will become available in PhORCAS and you can apply to them just as you did in December/January.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Prior to Match Day (Friday, March 22nd):
1. Update your CV and upload again into PhORCAS. Even if you have favorable results with the Match, spending the time to update your CV is worth it because you will need to continue updating your CV throughout your career.
2. Contact your reference writers. If you haven't already done so, please send them thank you notes. Depending on the number of programs where you applied, each reference writer spent between 5-10 hours of their own time to write a letter.
On Match Day:
1. Access information about unmatched programs in PhORCAS starting at 10 a.m. Mountain time. Research these programs just as you did when you originally selected programs prior to submitting your applications starting on Monday, March 25th. Though it may be tempting, do not apply to programs outside your area of interest simply for the sake of obtaining a residency. Remember a residency is a commitment for a year and being in an undesired practice setting is unlikely to meet your professional goals. Both you and the program may be similarly frustrated in the coming year.
2. Let your reference writers know your status right away. They will want to share your success if you matched. If you did not match, you will need your references to write new letters of recommendations. Letter writers can upload new evaluations as early as 10 a.m. Mountain time on March 22nd. Since programs can make offers as early as April 1st, your reference writers will need to submit a new letter within a few days so you will need to verify they have this availability to do so.
3. Use your networking strategies. Programs receive hundreds to thousands of inquiries about unmatched positions so they are much more likely to pursue a known candidate. This may translate to if you had any contact with them at ASHP Midyear or other professional meetings, if you had previously applied to their program, or if they know anyone who knows you. I highly encourage you to contact college faculty (especially Dr. Smith) about your status in the Scramble. We can determine if there is a connection between any Roseman faculty member or past alumni with the program.
Do not underestimate the power of networking! Last year a South Jordan candidate shared how he matched in the Scramble due to networking on behalf of a program. The residency director knew one of the pharmacists at an APPE site where the Roseman candidate had completed a rotation. The director contacted this site pharmacist without the knowledge of the candidate at the time. The site pharmacist had never served as the candidate's preceptor but was able to relay positive information about the candidate's professional demeanor and clinical performance based on word-of-mouth. Remember, pharmacy is a small world and you want to use this to your advantage!
Beyond Match Day:
1. Await contact from programs. If a program is interested in you, you will most likely be asked to participate in a brief in-person interview (if local) or a telephone interview. These interviews are likely to be much shorter so you have to make a strong impression very quickly. You may be asked to submit examples of projects (journal club, case presentations, educational handouts, etc.) you completed on APPE rotations for them to gauge your clinical skills. Programs will evaluate all candidates they decided to pursue and then extend acceptance or rejection offers at their discretion.
2. Recheck PhORCAS often about available positions. Keep in mind some programs will find out in April or May if they have been granted funding for additional positions. These positions will become available in PhORCAS and you can apply to them just as you did in December/January.
Good luck and keep us posted!
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