Try for residency, or go for ANY hospital job?

[hye345]

I'm about to start my rotations, and have been wrestling with a decision for the past few months: whether to apply for residency, or try to get a (less-than-desirable) hospital position right out of school. Maybe it's because I'm burnt out from school, but dealing with the hassles of applying/interviewing for/completing a residency, only to have to start the process again when looking for *real* jobs, is starting to lose its appeal

In my case, I don't have a burning desire to do *clinical* work, I'd be ok with outpatient stuff. I realize a lot of my opinions will probably change once I actually start rotations and see what the fuss is about, but in the interest of putting my mind at (temporary) ease, does anyone have any light to shed on this dilemma? Is it feasible for me to try and get a hospital position (assuming I have inpatient intern experience) right out of school if I cast a wide-enough net?

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[Sparda29]

More and more of the inpatient "staff" pharmacist positions are becoming hybrid in their staffing/clinical duties. Yeah, you may not be spending all day floating around the hospital doing rounds and chart reviews, but it's still quite a lot. A lot of hospitals nowadays have interchange policies and dose adjustment policies that allow the staff pharmacist to make those "clinical" decisions.

 

[hye345]

More and more of the inpatient "staff" pharmacist positions are becoming hybrid in their staffing/clinical duties. Yeah, you may not be spending all day floating around the hospital doing rounds and chart reviews, but it's still quite a lot. A lot of hospitals nowadays have interchange policies and dose adjustment policies that allow the staff pharmacist to make those "clinical" decisions.

That sounds about right. My question is, would positions such as these (or for that matter, outpatient hospital positions) require a residency? I realize there is a lot of nuance in terms of where you wanna work, but that's essentially my question: If I'm ok with working in (insert undesirable place and/or shift) for a while, could I realistically get away with not doing a residency?

 

[Dred Pirate]

this has been hashed out a lot on this board - generally a resident is required for many hospitals now days, unless you know somebody, or are willing to relocate to a less than desirable place. I just saw UNC's stats, they are two new grads take hospital jobs right out of school

 

[GoldfishPharmD]

If your hearts not in it, don't do a residency. Look hard for the hospital position. You may have to work a crappy shift but it may be worth it to you. Also, you may be able to find like a part time position and work your way to full time.

 

[Dred Pirate]

If your hearts not in it, don't do a residency. Look hard for the hospital position. You may have to work a crappy shift but it may be worth it to you. Also, you may be able to find like a part time position and work your way to full time.

where I work, even a resident gets a crappy schedule to start with that is the way it should be - give me something for my seniority!

 

[GoldfishPharmD]

where I work, even a resident gets a crappy schedule to start with that is the way it should be - give me something for my seniority!

What do you consider crappy?

 

[gwarm01]

where I work, even a resident gets a crappy schedule to start with that is the way it should be - give me something for my seniority!

Where I work, people with several years of experience are overlooked while fresh PGY1s working their first job ever are given the cushy jobs. I'm bitter.

edit: I'd say do the residency at this point. So many hospitals are making either PGY1 or hospital experience the minimum requirement for a new hire. You could take your chances, but then you might end up a bitter guy like me, being treated like a second class pharmacist due to your lack of residency.

 

[GoldfishPharmD]

Where I work, people with several years of experience are overlooked while fresh PGY1s working their first job ever are given the cushy jobs. I'm bitter.

edit: I'd say do the residency at this point. So many hospitals are making either PGY1 or hospital experience the minimum requirement for a new hire. You could take your chances, but then you might end up a bitter guy like me, being treated like a second class pharmacist due to your lack of residency.

What does your job entail? Why do you think you're being treated crappy?

 

[gwarm01]

What does your job entail? Why do you think you're being treated crappy?

I'm a clinical/staff hybrid pharmacist at a speciality hospital. The worst shifts (late night, batch preparation) are more often shifted on the non-residency trained pharmacists despite experience, seniority, or obvious difference in aptitude. It often feels like your opinion isn't taken seriously, or that we are treated with disrespect. Almost like they are talking to a student. It's frustrating.

 

[Dred Pirate]

What do you consider crappy?

rotating/second shift, more third shifts, get all the friday nights, etc. WHen they work the weekend, get the evenings

 

[GoldfishPharmD]

rotating/second shift, more third shifts, get all the friday nights, etc. WHen they work the weekend, get the evenings

So no M-F for the newbies?

I'll get M-F ~8-4 but I work one weekend a month.

 

[Son_Goku]

I'm a clinical/staff hybrid pharmacist at a speciality hospital. The worst shifts (late night, batch preparation) are more often shifted on the non-residency trained pharmacists despite experience, seniority, or obvious difference in aptitude. It often feels like your opinion isn't taken seriously, or that we are treated with disrespect. Almost like they are talking to a student. It's frustrating.

Consider me a third party that has observed the same thing at every hospital. But that probably has a lot to do more with the people who didn't do residencies that were grandfathered in via nepotism and networking than actual credentials.

 

[UGAZ]

Residency is for those who would like to become professors and teaching. I don't see a reason to do residency to be honest. Once you are licensed..you should be able to do pharmacist' tasks if trained properly.

 

[GoldfishPharmD]

Residency is for those who would like to become professors and teaching. I don't see a reason to do residency to be honest. Once you are licensed..you should be able to do pharmacist' tasks if trained properly.

Um, no it's not. I know tons of people who did residencies that aren't professors, teachers, or even preceptors.

 

[Dred Pirate]

So no M-F for the newbies?

I'll get M-F ~8-4 but I work one weekend a month.

hell the oldies don't get a schedule like that - only the managers - well, they put in a lot more than 8-4, but you get my drift.

 

[N974]

I may get shot for saying this, but the (perceived?) quality of your school could be a determining factor in getting a hospital job right out of school.

Some of which could be simple math. Older established schools with strong clinical backgrounds are more likely to have older established pharmacists working in the hiring departments of hospitals.

 

[Dred Pirate]

I may get shot for saying this, but the (perceived?) quality of your school could be a determining factor in getting a hospital job right out of school.

Some of which could be simple math. Older established schools with strong clinical backgrounds are more likely to have older established pharmacists working in the hiring departments of hospitals.

wrong and wrong. I precept for UNC - rated the 2nd best college of pharmacy (not here to debate the rankings because they have MAJOR flaws in them).

As ofgraudation day 2014 - the class of 2014 had exactly 2 out of 144 grads taking a job in a hospital. 32 Were unemployed. If this is better than the perceived lesser schools - well - we are in trouble,.
https://pharmacy.unc.edu/programs/the-pharmd/prospective-pharmd-students/the-unc-pharmd/our-students

 

[GoldfishPharmD]

hell the oldies don't get a schedule like that - only the managers - well, they put in a lot more than 8-4, but you get my drift.

I mean I'll probably work longer than 8-4 depending on how busy I'll be but I'll only get paid for that time.

BTW, I'm courious where you work since you said you're in NC!

 

[N974]

A close friend tells me about 20 out of 36 graduates from 2014 at the Rockford campus of University of IL Chicago are in hospitals within one year of graduation. Out of the remaining 16, 3 did a residency.

I'm not sure of about the 150 or so graduates from the main campus, but again significant numbers went straight to hospitals, and also a larger percentage did a residency.

 

[awval999]

wrong and wrong. I precept for UNC - rated the 2nd best college of pharmacy (not here to debate the rankings because they have MAJOR flaws in them).

As ofgraudation day 2014 - the class of 2014 had exactly 2 out of 144 grads taking a job in a hospital. 32 Were unemployed. If this is better than the perceived lesser schools - well - we are in trouble,.
https://pharmacy.unc.edu/programs/the-pharmd/prospective-pharmd-students/the-unc-pharmd/our-students

To be fair; hospitals hire differently than retail. Hospitals need bodies when they need them, they don't put jobs on hold for 9 months like retail does. The most likely graduates to get hospital jobs are the ones without jobs at graduation--- I would know, I was one of them, in 2010.

 

[Dred Pirate]

I mean I'll probably work longer than 8-4 depending on how busy I'll be but I'll only get paid for that time.

BTW, I'm courious where you work since you said you're in NC!

I never said I work in NC - I said I precept for UNC

 

[Dred Pirate]

To be fair; hospitals hire differently than retail. Hospitals need bodies when they need them, they don't put jobs on hold for 9 months like retail does. The most likely graduates to get hospital jobs are the ones without jobs at graduation--- I would know, I was one of them, in 2010.

true - but at my hospital we have 50+ pharmacists - we are going to wait until we get the person we want - it is rare that we don't have at least one position open at any given time. The last position we just filled was open for 6 months until we found a suitable candidate. If you have 50 pharmacists, you can absorb 1-2 vacancies with minimal affect on staffing. A CVS store with 3 pharmacists can't without the use of floaters/part timers.

 

[Dred Pirate]

I mean I'll probably work longer than 8-4 depending on how busy I'll be but I'll only get paid for that time.

BTW, I'm courious where you work since you said you're in NC!

are you in NC?

 

[GoldfishPharmD]

are you in NC?

I went to school in NC.