how early do you have to prep to apply for residency?

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jumboolia

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Hello,
How early do you have to start prepping to apply for residency your 4th year of pharmacy school? And how many letters or rec are traditionally required.
thanks
julia.

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Julia, :)

I completed 2 residencies - my pharmacy practice and then a specialty in heme/onc. I have been practicing (as a clinical specialist) for the past 2 years now.

Definitely start getting your CV in order. The secret to having a good CV is to update it consistently; don't wait until you are ready to start applying to go back and update; it's so much easier to update as you go. If you publish an article or review, for example, add this to the "publications" section of your CV as soon as you can. As your career progresses, your CV should continue to reflect your accomplishments. Your CV is a living, breathing document, so to speak.

As a pharmacy student, your CV will be relatively short; you would list your rotations and a few details about each. Later on in your career, your school rotations are not as important to the reader as they once were, and can generally be replaced as your work experience and list of accomplishments grow over time.

Have as many people proofread your CV as possible. You'd be suprised at the ones I have seen with glaring errors or inconsistencies. The CV should be perfect! We have rejected residency candidates due to sloppily written or incomplete CV's. :mad:

Also, start composing a generic cover letter as well as a letter of intent. As you apply for specific residencies or positions, you then tailor the generic letters to meet the needs of the particular residency/position you are applying for. Contrary to what many people say, letters of intent and cover letters are VERY important. We all have CV's, but what sets your application package apart from others is a strong letter of intent and a succinct cover letter. Cover letters generally aren't required, but letters of intent ARE.

The letter of intent is generally a one-page document detailing your interests, strengths, and what you see yourself doing in the future. In the letter of intent, you want the reader to see exactly what you bring to the table and how valuable you will be to their organization or program (in the case of residencies).

As for how many letters or recommendation are usually required, the standard is three, but you can have 1 or 2 extra (I wouldn't do more than that as too many can become overwelming to the interviewer and may just get your application thrown in the trash). :eek:

Hope this helps!

Bonnie :idea:
 
Thanks! that was really insightful.
Also, do you have to start preparing your application and have it in generally by January of the year you graduate? Furthermore, If I were to go work in retail for a year or in some sort of other setting and then apply for residency, would I be less competitive?
Is residency for Pharm. D. graduates very competitive? I saw an application for one by UNC and they didn't even ask for your transcript, just the resume, and 3 letters of rec. If you are graduating from a top 10 pharmacy school, should everyone that wants a residency get one (albeit it may not be their first choice)
Do you like your job? Sorry, I know taht sounds kind of like a dumb question, but I know a lot of staff pharmacists and retail pharmacists who are very jaded and abhor their job. I'm assuming since you did 2 residencies that you're the clinical pharmacist on a ward and go on rounds with teh doctors, make suggestions, review charts, etc. Do you still go fill prescriptions in the basement ? Could you please describe a typical day at your job...well as typical as you can make it.
I know this is an onslaught of questions but you seem to have been there and done that so any feedback at all would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Julia.
 
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Ok yes I read the FAQ section before posting this but does anyone have any good examples of CV's? I know I'm only a P1 but I want to get as early of a start on things as I can. I've looked at some websites but didn't see anything that jumped out at me. Any good examples would be really helpful!!!
 
Thanks! that was really insightful.
Also, do you have to start preparing your application and have it in generally by January of the year you graduate? Furthermore, If I were to go work in retail for a year or in some sort of other setting and then apply for residency, would I be less competitive?
Is residency for Pharm. D. graduates very competitive? I saw an application for one by UNC and they didn't even ask for your transcript, just the resume, and 3 letters of rec. If you are graduating from a top 10 pharmacy school, should everyone that wants a residency get one (albeit it may not be their first choice)
Do you like your job? Sorry, I know taht sounds kind of like a dumb question, but I know a lot of staff pharmacists and retail pharmacists who are very jaded and abhor their job. I'm assuming since you did 2 residencies that you're the clinical pharmacist on a ward and go on rounds with teh doctors, make suggestions, review charts, etc. Do you still go fill prescriptions in the basement ? Could you please describe a typical day at your job...well as typical as you can make it.
I know this is an onslaught of questions but you seem to have been there and done that so any feedback at all would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Julia.


Yes, I like my job. I don't set foot in the pharmacy. I am strictly clinical, so I round with the inpatient team, write chemo, adjust electrolyes, write TPN's, write ABX, etc.

My typical day: get to work between 6:30-7:00 am; get labs, look at charts, go on rounds (these can last from 2-5 hours depending on our census, etc). After rounds, I go back and write orders on the stuff that I didn't have time to do during rounds. I also reconcile the medications for the patients who are being discharged; give them a copy, and go over their meds (unless they are frequent fliers). I then send their scripts via computer down to the outpatient pharmacy (or call them in to Walgreens, CVS, etc). At my institution, the clinical pharmacist have delegated prescriptive authority, meaning I can write orders and sign them without having to "verbal order". The only drugs I have to get signed by the MD's are C 2's and chemo. It's a lot of responsibility, but it is rewarding.

As far as residencies go, if you really want to do one (and if you are even thinking you want to do anything clinical, you need to do at least one), do your research and learn what you can about the different locations and programs. Interviewers can be impressed if you know something about their program; it means you took the time to look into their program and are seriously interested in what they have to offer.

I would say that if you really want to do a residency, you will get into one, although it may not be your first or second choice. If you are single and can relocate, this won't be a problem. Talk to residents at the institutions you are considering; get the inside scoop on what they do and how they would rate their experience. If you have friends that are current or past residents at a particular location, certainly use that to your advantage. Have them put in a good word for you; who you know can be as important as what you know!
 
Thanks! that was really insightful.
Also, do you have to start preparing your application and have it in generally by January of the year you graduate? Furthermore, If I were to go work in retail for a year or in some sort of other setting and then apply for residency, would I be less competitive?
Is residency for Pharm. D. graduates very competitive? I saw an application for one by UNC and they didn't even ask for your transcript, just the resume, and 3 letters of rec. If you are graduating from a top 10 pharmacy school, should everyone that wants a residency get one (albeit it may not be their first choice)
Do you like your job? Sorry, I know taht sounds kind of like a dumb question, but I know a lot of staff pharmacists and retail pharmacists who are very jaded and abhor their job. I'm assuming since you did 2 residencies that you're the clinical pharmacist on a ward and go on rounds with teh doctors, make suggestions, review charts, etc. Do you still go fill prescriptions in the basement ? Could you please describe a typical day at your job...well as typical as you can make it.
I know this is an onslaught of questions but you seem to have been there and done that so any feedback at all would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Julia.


Also, the match date for general pharmacy practice residencies is usually in March (although it may have changed since I got out), so applications are normally due by Nov-Jan (depending on the institution).

As far as going retail (or hospital for that matter) for a year and then doing a residency, I rarely see this happen. Once you start working and making real money, it's very hard to go back and accept a pay cut of 70% or so! I don't think it would make you less competitive; I would think program directors might see this is a positive thing since you are willing to take the obvious cut in pay; they will think you must really be motivated.
 
Bonnie
How much do clinical pharmacist make after the residency?Are Hospital benefits better than retail?
Thanks,
Priya
 
In the Houston area, clinical (hospital) pharmacists start in the 90's.

Actually at my institusion, I have been there a little over 2 years and I am up to 4 weeks vacation/year, so I cant' complain!

We have deferred comp, 453b, and a mandatory pension where you contribute 6.4% and are matched at 6%.
 
Bonnie- a lot of posters on SDN and some real-life experience has essentially stated that although you may make recommendations, physicians may simply not care what you write or ignore your suggestion.

My question is this: I realize respect is individual and not based on your degree; however, do you feel your opinion has substantial weight on the rounds?

Your job is essentially what I desire to do as a clinical pharmacist: counsel, make rounds, make recommendations and solve problems off charts.

I am just hoping my opinion would be valued, rather than dismissed non chalantly.

Cheers!
 
Bonnie- a lot of posters on SDN and some real-life experience has essentially stated that although you may make recommendations, physicians may simply not care what you write or ignore your suggestion.

My question is this: I realize respect is individual and not based on your degree; however, do you feel your opinion has substantial weight on the rounds?

Your job is essentially what I desire to do as a clinical pharmacist: counsel, make rounds, make recommendations and solve problems off charts.

I am just hoping my opinion would be valued, rather than dismissed non chalantly.

Cheers!

Hmmm...where should I start. I do not recommend, I write. Our doctors (oncologists) rely on the clinical PharmD's to order the appropriate electrolytes, ABX's, CV meds, etc etc. We write the chemos (the MD's still have to sign these), but I can tell you that they rarely question anything we do. I realize that the situation I am in is not the "norm", but there are a few institutions out there where the clinical pharmacist is not just there to throw out suggestions. I hope you find what you are looking for!!!
 
Bonnie- a lot of posters on SDN and some real-life experience has essentially stated that although you may make recommendations, physicians may simply not care what you write or ignore your suggestion.

My question is this: I realize respect is individual and not based on your degree; however, do you feel your opinion has substantial weight on the rounds?

Your job is essentially what I desire to do as a clinical pharmacist: counsel, make rounds, make recommendations and solve problems off charts.

I am just hoping my opinion would be valued, rather than dismissed non chalantly.

Cheers!


But you are right, I did rotations (and two residencies) at institutions where basically the "clinical" pharmacists have to "ask permission" to write for something as mundane as a KPhos run on a patient. I do see that the "
new" MD's coming out of residencies are more comfortable with the "multidisciplinary" approach to medicine, so hopefully, the trend will be toward clinical pharmacists doing what we have all been well-trained to do!
 
But you are right, I did rotations (and two residencies) at institutions where basically the "clinical" pharmacists have to "ask permission" to write for something as mundane as a KPhos run on a patient. I do see that the "
new" MD's coming out of residencies are more comfortable with the "multidisciplinary" approach to medicine, so hopefully, the trend will be toward clinical pharmacists doing what we have all been well-trained to do!

I think things will only be getting better for clinical pharmacists. Its still a new thing to many people and doctors, old and new, are realizing how well prepared pharmd's can be.
 
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