Advice for PGY2 or no

[20Pharmacist15]

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I am currently a PGY1 pharmacy resident at a large academic medical center. I came into it wanting to do a PGY2 residency to specialize, but I am finding myself questioning it now. (I am ready to move back to my hometown and settle down)

My question is how hard will it be for me to find a clinical pharmacist position with just a PGY1 or should I suck it up and do the PGY2?

However, the PGY2 would be in transplant, and I find myself worried about finding a job in that after a 2nd year and having to get a generic clinical position anyways.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[GoldfishPharmD]

I am currently a PGY1 pharmacy resident at a large academic medical center. I came into it wanting to do a PGY2 residency to specialize, but I am finding myself questioning it now. (I am ready to move back to my hometown and settle down)

My question is how hard will it be for me to find a clinical pharmacist position with just a PGY1 or should I suck it up and do the PGY2?

However, the PGY2 would be in transplant, and I find myself worried about finding a job in that after a 2nd year and having to get a generic clinical position anyways.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!

Do you want to stay in your hometown? Do they have transplant centers there? If you don't want to move and only want to stay in your hometown then I probably wouldn't specialize in transplant. It's a very specific field and isn't done at every hospital. You have to be able to go where the jobs are or risk working a "generic clinical position".

 

[njac]

Contact hospitals in your home town - are they hiring? Do they expect to be come spring?

If you can get a job where you want to be without the pgy-2, there's no shame in that. But it would be a real bummer to pass up the opportunity to do a pgy-2 and have neither next summer.


Seriously - hospitals love to hear that someone is coming home and wants to work there. Hiring and retraining is a pain, hiring someone with a potential long term commitment is a huge bonus.

 

[20Pharmacist15]

I am from Nashville. So there are a few that have transplant, but not a ton. I just don't want to do a 2nd year in a very specific field and then get the same job that I could get now. If that makes sense.

I just am not sure about the current job market for clinical positions for just PGY1 residents. I love all aspects of pharmacy and could be happy establishing a practice in pretty much any area as long as I could have clinical responsibility and not just order verification.

 

[njac]

That's tough because it's a real city with multiple residency programs. You may need a PGY 2, but should reach out to hospital now, premidyear.

I figured "home" was some small town lol

 

[pharmabcd]

Side note question about PGY2s, does anyone know if UW Medicine in Seattle early commits? I know they have multiple PGY2 positions but I haven't seen any mention of it anywhere.