By: Mark Shen, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2012

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Adding to Ms. Liaw’s article, my preparation for the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting included creating and printing my curriculum vitae, printing my transcript, searching for sites that I was interested in, and thinking of questions to ask the residents and residency directors.  I also had to contact the residency site directors to ask if they participated in the Personnel Placement Service (PPS).  If they did participate in PPS, I scheduled days and times to interview with the sites.  It was important to ensure that I did not schedule too many interviews per day – I needed enough time to visit the residency showcase to speak with other residency directors and residents.  Since the residency sessions changed each day (and even during some parts of the day), it was important for me to manage my time properly and map out the sites that I wanted to visit.

Since I had printed maps with marked locations and booth numbers of each site, the meeting was not as chaotic as I had previously imagined.  It was imperative for me to prioritize and manage my time effectively, but if I had the chances, I would have liked to look at other residency sites and educational events.