Will being a certified PT help with getting into a residency?

[Pharmacy Kid]

Hi, I am planning take the ACSM exam for personal trainers. Ever since I started college, I have been passionate about physical fitness. I am not involved in any pharmacy organizations mainly because they're just not interesting. I already was majorly involved in undergrad but mostly just went through the motions.

My question is if I became ACSM certified and started my own little side business while in pharmacy school, how would it look? If Epic or Zyvox saw the following on a CV, would it help, hinder, or not affect my chances of getting into the residency at all?

PharmaFitness (Name of Business)
ACSM Certified Personal Trainer
December 2008- May 2011

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[Glycerin]

Hi, I am planning take the ACSM exam for personal trainers. Ever since I started college, I have been passionate about physical fitness. I am not involved in any pharmacy organizations mainly because they're just not interesting. I already was majorly involved in undergrad but mostly just went through the motions.

My question is if I became ACSM certified and started my own little side business while in pharmacy school, how would it look? If Epic or Zyvox saw the following on a CV, would it help, hinder, or not affect my chances of getting into the residency at all?

PharmaFitness (Name of Business)
ACSM Certified Personal Trainer
December 2008- May 2011

They may wonder why you're in pharmacy and not just personal training. Grades and letters of recommendation are part of the equation, too, but if you have no leadership and/or membership in anything pharmacy related, I personally would have a hard time considering you compared to others with similar grades and letters but had pharmacy extracurricular experience.

 

[Pharmacy Kid]

Glycerin, I understand what you're saying. My grades are not super, but solid. I am a member of VASP but not really involved (I'm sure that paying dues and attending 2 meetings a year doesn't count).

It's just that getting into a residency seems like another set of hoops to jump through. I knew how to play the game and get into pharmacy school (get >3.5 gpa, develop relationships with 2 teachers for LOR's, be involved with 2-3 EC's, don't screw up the interview, yada, yada, yada). Now to jump all over again? I'm getting shin splints.

No really, I just wanna do something I enjoy besides studying and pretending to be involved in pharmacy EC's. I'm thinking I can somehow combine being a trainer with the expertise of drug and nutrition knowledge (prevent drug-exercise intxns, tell people how much protein to take, etc).