Best Pharmacy Residency Programs

[florafauna]

What do you all consider to be the best pharmacy residency programs? Include things like competitiveness, size, reputation, number of beds, awards, certifications, etc.

Differentiate between PGY1 (pharmacy /acute care vs. ambulatory case focus vs. managed care, etc.) and PGY2 (oncology, ID, cardiology, critical care, ambulatory care, etc.).

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[student457]

Residencies are all about fit. What's best for one person can be the worst for another. Different people fit into different programs and institutions so calling one the "best" is entirely specific to an individual because it all depends on what they are looking for. Some people want big classes, some people want small classes. Some people want on-call, some people don't. Then there is also culture. Some people like very strict and academic focused programs, others want programs that are more "laid back", for lack of a better term because I doubt any residency is actually laid back. Another big point to consider is your relationship with the RPD and everyone gets along with different types of people so that is also very individual specific.

So, to put it simply, I don't think the answer to your question exists, and if it did I'm sure US News would have a rank list of it already. You just have to consider all things and figure out what's most important to you to find the best program for you!

 

[FarmTheMine]

You simply cannot compared residency programs across the board like this. Too much subjective and anecdotal data, and not enough objective data to make a meaningful comparison. As the person above me also stated, what everyone wants in a program varies significantly.

My 900+ bed academic teaching hospital has issues and problems that a 300 or less bed community hospital excels at and vice versa.

 

[PharmD Hero]

Reputation and categorizing a program as "the best" is so subjective.

Think of it this way: When we were applying to undergraduate programs, everyone made us believe that getting a college degree at Yale was vastly superior to one obtained from XYZ State University. Fast forward four years and a cool $160,000 in private school tuition bills, and many Yale graduates are landing interviews for the same positions as graduates of XYZ State U. For the most part, the requirement of most entry level jobs is just to have completed a four-year degree – the university name on your diploma is far less important. The same holds true of residency. Regardless of where you complete your PGY1, you’ll be accomplishing the same ASHP goals and objectives as every other PGY1 resident. That’s the beauty of accreditation. When it comes down to it, most HR managers are only going to be screening your job application on the basis of whether or not you completed a PGY1 residency – not necessarily where you did it.

On the other hand, a program’s track record for producing successful residents is worth taking a look at. If the program is newer and has earned a “Conditional” status from ASHP, there might be a few red flags here. But, if the program boasts 10 years worth of residents who have gone on to land solid hospital pharmacy jobs, it’s probably a program worth looking into. However, you can’t make a decision based on this alone. Agree with FarmTheMine and student457. Residency is all about the fit for you.