Do you have to have a residency to work at a hospital pharmacy?

[ETSUpharmStudent]

I'm interested in working the night-shift 7 on/7 off position. Is it a requirement to get a residency to get a position like that now?

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[Dred Pirate]

search is your friend on this topic, has been debated many many times.

The short answer is: it depends.

Depends on where you want to work? Do you have work experience as a pharmacist?

I do NOT have a residency, but I have 10 years experience. In the 8 years I have been at my hospital we have gone from no residency required, to if you are a new grad, it is essential, if you have work experience, it is not necessary.

As a new grad, if you want to work in a hospital you most likely will have to either do a residency or be willing to go to some out of the way place that is hard to fill unless you get lucky and have an in with somebody.

If it was me, I would do a residency as that is the "wave of the future" and may be required soon.

 

[OmiPharmD]

I'm in the Midwest and what Dred Pirate said is exactly how it is here as well.

Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk

 

[inverness2012]

All of the pharmacists who work nights at my hospital don't have a residency. That being said, night shift is very hard to train for since you are alone with limited help. We have only hired people with previous pharmacy experience in the past for a night shift. If someone with a residency applied for the position, they would move to the top of the pile.

 

[pharmd15hopeful]

If you are a new grad, chances are you will need a residency. None of the pharmacists at the hospital where I work have a residency, however, they have practice experience. Every new staff pharmacist that is hired where I work has a residency.

New grad --> get your residency if you want to work hospital.

 

[Dred Pirate]

we will never hire a new grad as a night shift pharmacist, just usually not enough experience to be able to do so safely

 

[PumpkinSmasher]

we will never hire a new grad as a night shift pharmacist, just usually not enough experience to be able to do so safely

Completely agree, as new grad in hospital pharmacy you really need to be working with other pharmacists throughout the day to provide some mentorship and answer procedural and clinical questions. You will learn quicker and become a better clinician longterm if you seek out and receive good mentorship. I had a million questions when I started inpatient pharmacy as a new grad, I am very thankful for the mentorship I received!

 

[gwarm01]

It isn't a hard requirement yet, but it is becoming harder to get your foot in the door without one. I was able to get a hospital job without one, but my director has made it clear that a residency is very much preferred. My fear is that in ten years it will become an absolute requirement, and those of us who lack one might get the boot.

 

[Transformer]

It isn't a hard requirement yet, but it is becoming harder to get your foot in the door without one. I was able to get a hospital job without one, but my director has made it clear that a residency is very much preferred. My fear is that in ten years it will become an absolute requirement, and those of us who lack one might get the boot.

I highly doubt you will "get the boot" for not having completed a residency. As long as you stay put at your current hospital, and do a good job, you'll most likely have your job for the long haul. The absolute residency requirement will only apply to future new grads and people hired after you.

The question we should ask is when you want to switch to a different hospital job later down the road, how would your x plus hospital experience stack up against residency + hospital experience in the upcoming residency preferred era?

 

[B Wong]

I was a 7 on/7 off night pharmacist 5 years ago and my facility hired me as a new grad without any residency. I did my rotations there, spent a year interning at the facility, and got to know the higher ups pretty well. I knew how to do pretty much everything necessary prior to me being actually hired (they did train me on the day shift for a few months also). Even then it was really scary being on my own, and I wouldn't recommend starting out as a night RPh.

They tell me now that they are only hiring residency trained pharmacists now (Position doesn't matter, staff/clinical is all residency required). With their pick of the litter, many of the pharmacists applying do have residencies. The DOP told me that while the don't require a residency, they pretty much ignore anyone who doesn't have one because so many of the applicants do have them. I feel lucky to have gotten in when I did. If I could go back I would do a residency for piece of mind if I ever needed to transfer to a different facility/location. This is in CA if that matters

 

[awval999]

It isn't a hard requirement yet, but it is becoming harder to get your foot in the door without one. I was able to get a hospital job without one, but my director has made it clear that a residency is very much preferred. My fear is that in ten years it will become an absolute requirement, and those of us who lack one might get the boot.

You truly think your (future) 10 years of experience is not as valuable as a PGY1?

I personally don't understand the kool-aid residency drinkers.

Absolutely nothing wrong with a residency. And of course preferable to a new graduate. But to act like they are always better trained than someone with multiple, multiple years of experience is just laughable. There are good residency trained pharmacists and there are poor ones.

 

[gwarm01]

You truly think your (future) 10 years of experience is not as valuable as a PGY1?

I personally don't understand the kool-aid residency drinkers.

Absolutely nothing wrong with a residency. And of course preferable to a new graduate. But to act like they are always better trained than someone with multiple, multiple years of experience is just laughable. There are good residency trained pharmacists and there are poor ones.

Oh no, don't get me wrong. I don't drink the koolaid at all. My worry is that the administrators will eventually want to transition to an all residency trained staff as a matter of prestige, like you sometimes see when hospitals push for all BSN nurses and fire those with an associates. Some people are more concerned with paper credentials than actual skill.

 

[Dred Pirate]

Oh no, don't get me wrong. I don't drink the koolaid at all. My worry is that the administrators will eventually want to transition to an all residency trained staff as a matter of prestige, like you sometimes see when hospitals push for all BSN nurses and fire those with an associates. Some people are more concerned with paper credentials than actual skill.

I agree - although I do see a residency as slightly different - Have you seen any hospital that gave the boot to a pharamacist with a BSPS degree vs a PharmD? I see more likely them requiring BCPS (another BS item if you ask me)

 

[awval999]

I agree with Dred. A residency does not add any letters to your name. No one ever knows if you did a residency or not until you show them your CV. Your degree and board certification are right there after your name.

 

[KidPharmD]

I agree with Dred. A residency does not add any letters to your name. No one ever knows if you did a residency or not until you show them your CV. Your degree and board certification are right there after your name.

I don't think directors care about the letters, although they will see your CV. I see residency being required for all hospital pharmacist, and board certification for clinical specialists or those with significant clinical activity. With the addition of Critical Care and Pediatrics there are not many broad categories that aren't covered by either certification or AQs. I do see more AQs coming.

 

[awval999]

I have board certification. I do not have a residency. To be fair I may never leave my current job because of the job market and the future of our profession. I am protected via seniority and institutional policy. I feel for the current students that rotate through our facility.

 

[kendrick lamar]

I was also going to ask the question of what are the general considerations for a staff pharmacist at a hospital. I heard one of my preceptors telling a student that she was offered a staff hospital position despite having retail and no hospital experience for 8 years. I've heard another one of her friends who had no experience but got an overnight staff hospital position (this was approximately 3 years ago because I think she graduated in 2011).
Unfortunately, I don't have much experience working either retail or hospital except for my rotations (thankfully, my internal med/am care preceptors have very positive reviews about my performance) I would like to do a clinical residency, but I was only offered one interview at a place I really decided was not somewhere I wanted to do a residency at all. I am looking for a medium sized hospital, my strong preference being a teaching hospital and so I decided to apply again next year and find a position at a hospital as a staff pharmacist in the meantime, but I haven't had way too much luck in the process. I see occasional openings at the hospital I did my internal med/am care APPE at and I am trying to see if I can get in touch with my preceptors to see if they may be able to help me get in touch with the central pharmacy manager and maybe recommend me that way. Residency has also been a really competitive process and I'm afraid that even after reapplying, I won't get interview offers and will just be wasting my time and money, but I would love to have a greater clinical role if they are available