By: Christine Liaw, PharmD Candidate c\/o 2012<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition is the largest congregation for the pharmacy industry with an attendance of more than 20,000 professionals.\u00a0 This year\u2019s meeting included the New Practitioner\u2019s Conference, CareerPharm\u2019s Personnel Placement Service (PPS), the Residency Showcase, and an exhibit hall with more than 300 companies.\u00a0 Midyear provided an ideal opportunity to network, learn, and advance one\u2019s future pharmacy career.<\/p>\n
In many ways, the process of applying for a Postgraduate Year One (PGY-1) residency is similar to applying to college. \u00a0Before going to Midyear, it is crucial for students to have a plan about what they wish to accomplish during their visit. \u00a0The ASHP website always has helpful tools to assist with preparation, such as residency program listings and floor plans. \u00a0Students should have their curriculum vitae (CV) reviewed by a current resident or preceptor (from rotations) \u2013 this document must be ready for submission to program directors, especially during PPS interviews and booth visits. \u00a0Similar to a college fair, the residency showcase is a chance to gather more information about the program, as well as an opportunity to leave good impressions for both, the residents and other site personnel.<\/p>\n
When considering a residency, students ought to research the site to determine if it is a good match for their ambitions in the pharmacy field. \u00a0Students focusing on clinical pharmacy should also inquire about the amount time required to fulfill non-clinical responsibilities. \u00a0Some residencies, especially in New York, are very administrative-based rather than clinical; some affiliate with a local pharmacy school and offer teaching opportunities. \u00a0In the hopes of developing a balance, residents may have the program tailored to their interests.<\/p>\n
A common strategy for many students is selecting PGY-1 residency sites that also offer a PGY-2 in their areas of interest.\u00a0 The main reason is that the PGY-1 residency experience would allow for an easier transition to the PGY-2 program. \u00a0It is important to note that not all PGY-1 residencies are equivalent. \u00a0Although not impossible, residents from a site that is more administrative-based may have a difficult time applying to a specialized PGY-2 residency that prefers residents with a clinical background.<\/p>\n
If students desire fair assessments about a residency, they must ask the residents about their experience and if there is anything that they would change about the program. \u00a0Many residents will not outright speak poorly about a residency, but their tone and body language can be a telling sign. \u00a0In addition, students should not forget to ask about the major strengths of the residency that make it stand out from the rest. \u00a0These and other questions will help to determine if the program is something the student will be able to handle.<\/p>\n
I believe the most difficult part of the entire residency process is staying honest with one\u2019s self. \u00a0Although there is much excitement before and during Midyear, students should not confuse their goals with everybody else\u2019s. \u00a0Remember that the Midyear\/residency process is not a \u201cdo-or-die\u201d situation \u2013 it is only one of the many possible postgraduate paths.\u00a0 Taking time after school to find one\u2019s own niche and passion is entirely fine. \u00a0Student should not be afraid to do something different from everyone else in the pharmacy class.<\/p>\n
As the common proverb by Harley Davidson goes, \u201cwhen writing the story of your life, don\u2019t let anyone else hold the pen.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By: Christine Liaw, PharmD Candidate c\/o 2012 – The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition is the largest congregation for the pharmacy industry with an attendance of more than 20,000 professionals.\u00a0 This year\u2019s meeting included the New Practitioner\u2019s Conference, CareerPharm\u2019s Personnel Placement Service (PPS), the Residency Showcase, and an exhibit…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[343,2231,2227,314,20,210,363,968,1625,11,31,34,37,33,453,1061],"class_list":["post-302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-events","tag-and","tag-ashp","tag-ebola-virus-disease","tag-for","tag-health","tag-note","tag-of","tag-one","tag-or","tag-pharmacy","tag-research","tag-residency","tag-resident","tag-student","tag-system","tag-with"],"views":1019,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rhochistj.org\/RhoChiPost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rhochistj.org\/RhoChiPost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rhochistj.org\/RhoChiPost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rhochistj.org\/RhoChiPost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rhochistj.org\/RhoChiPost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rhochistj.org\/RhoChiPost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rhochistj.org\/RhoChiPost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rhochistj.org\/RhoChiPost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rhochistj.org\/RhoChiPost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}