Quote:
Originally Posted by bacillus1
I used to be a "doom and gloomer", but now I'm seeing that there are jobs, clinical jobs, with no residency required, in a large city on the East Coast. In the month since matching, I got 2 interview invites (and I didn't even apply for 1 of the jobs but I did an APPE there), and I'd actually like to end up in one of the jobs, at least initially. Trouble is that I matched already, so I guess I need to go through with this residency. Also, although this job would suit me initially, I'm not sure if I'd like doing it 5 or 10 years down the road, so I guess residency would help me get a better job then. This is a job at a coumadin clinic, and the pharmacist in charge of it actually doesn't really like residencies.
So my question, what is the proper course of action? I gather that I can't back out of residency (and the residency will most likely be useful for me later on) but what should I do to increase my chances of getting hired at this job post residency (if I find nothing better)? Should I call them? Or should I just send them a CV and tell them that I would be interested in this job, but I'm doing a residency, so I'll definitely consider it once I'm done with the residency?
Also, for the record, today is the day that I decided that I am not doing a PGY2, as clearly the pharmacy schools have us drinking the residency kool-aid and there are still clinical jobs with PGY1s (or even without PGY1s).
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I think that residency will help you out long-term. Even if initially you won't be able to land your dream job right out of residency, it will provide you necessary training to get to where you want to be eventually. I think sending your CV and explaining them that you will be interested in this job in one year is a great idea.
PGY2 is not a prerequisite for a clinical job but it is required if you want to be a specialized pharmacist. After I matched to my PGY1 residency, I was 100% sure that I will pursue PGY2. But as I was completing my rotations, I realized that I like most of pharmacy areas and don't necessarily need to work in one area for the rest of my life. Thus, I completely turned around and decided against PGY2. On the other side if you have a passion for fields such as critical care, oncology, transplant, and infectious diseases, you will need to have PGY2 training but it's not a prerequisite for other fields, in my opinion. Also, keep in mind too that if you want to practice in the pharmacy area in which you completed PGY2, you will have to relocate most of the time.