Hospital Pharmacist Job Qualification Question

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I'm sure this has been mentioned many times on SDN in that it is becoming increasing harder to find a hospital pharmacist position without having completed a PGY1 residency program or at least a year of actual pharmacist experience in the hospital setting.

I am a new grad who was fortunate enough to find a clinical pharmacist position without a residency in a large academic teaching hospital. However, it is in a semi-rural area that is 2 hours away from my hometown and would love to find a job a move back there someday within the next couple of years once I have some experience under my belt.

In order to improve my chances of obtaining a position in my hometown (urban, metropolitan area), would I still need to do a residency or would having some actual experience and obtaining my BCPS in 3-years be equivalent to a residency?

 

[WVUPharm2007]

Do your time up there and you will find yourself more marketable than some 26 year old with a year of residency.

 

[Dred Pirate]

what wvu said - get your experience - cut your teeth in the sticks - that is what I did , you may find out you actually enjoy the work their more (I did - but I didn't like living there). Then you will be much much more marketable that someone with fancy letters behind their name.

 

[BidingMyTime]

Definitely experience. BCPS is good for certain niche jobs, but for general hospital jobs, it's not really going to get you a job, and its a lot of expense and time to keep up, unless you are working in a job using that specific skill set each day.

 

[confettiflyer]

Jesus people, when did getting a PGY-1 equate to being something considered fancy, or is relegated to someone who's 26?

You can just cut the tension with a knife on SDN, sheesh.

And when did PGY-1 = BCPS? What?

 

[WVUPharm2007]

Jesus people, when did getting a PGY-1 equate to being something considered fancy, or is relegated to someone who's 26?

You can just cut the tension with a knife on SDN, sheesh.

And when did PGY-1 = BCPS? What?

I'm just telling the truth. Professionals in their 30s with 5+ years of experience are the most sought after. Young enough that you'll get mileage out of them, old enough to be a salty veteran.

 

[Dred Pirate]

Jesus people, when did getting a PGY-1 equate to being something considered fancy, or is relegated to someone who's 26?

You can just cut the tension with a knife on SDN, sheesh.

And when did PGY-1 = BCPS? What?

your second point, PFY-1 = BCPS - some places see that - I disagree, (and I have BCPS and no PGY-1) - but if you look at jobs many will say residency or board certification preferred. My point about "fancy letters" is saying real world experience trumps residency/certifications every time. Yes, you get experience in a residency, but it is not the same as someone who has been in the field for years dealing with the issues that you cannot address during a residency/educational time period. I have no issue with residencies, I am a preceptor for four residents a year, I was letting the OP know that if they stick with getting experience in a job they enjoy that they will be just fine.

 

[confettiflyer]

I'm just telling the truth. Professionals in their 30s with 5+ years of experience are the most sought after. Young enough that you'll get mileage out of them, old enough to be a salty veteran.

Cool I'm 2yrs away experience wise from your benchmark.

And I'm salty as f*ck.

 

[confettiflyer]

your second point, PFY-1 = BCPS - some places see that - I disagree, (and I have BCPS and no PGY-1) - but if you look at jobs many will say residency or board certification preferred. My point about "fancy letters" is saying real world experience trumps residency/certifications every time. Yes, you get experience in a residency, but it is not the same as someone who has been in the field for years dealing with the issues that you cannot address during a residency/educational time period. I have no issue with residencies, I am a preceptor for four residents a year, I was letting the OP know that if they stick with getting experience in a job they enjoy that they will be just fine.

Okay we're in agreement, there's just a lot of assumptions thrown around by people across the spectrum that BCPS, PGY-1, and "3-5 years of experience" are all roughly equivalent to the point that they're interchangeable. PGY-1 is PGY-1, BCPS is a damn multiple choice test, 3-5 years of experience is 3-5 years of experience, except the type of experience is important, too (signing off product for 3-5 years with minimal clinical intervention vs. consistent contact with prescribers throughout the decision making process).

 

[deleted205891]

Okay we're in agreement, there's just a lot of assumptions thrown around by people across the spectrum that BCPS, PGY-1, and "3-5 years of experience" are all roughly equivalent to the point that they're interchangeable. PGY-1 is PGY-1, BCPS is a damn multiple choice test, 3-5 years of experience is 3-5 years of experience, except the type of experience is important, too (signing off product for 3-5 years with minimal clinical intervention vs. consistent contact with prescribers throughout the decision making process).

...Or you could have all 3, as many people now have. It's now getting to the point where employers expect PGY-1, BCPS AND experience, and maybe a PGY-2 and a Purple Heart.
As far as BCPS though, no one seems to care about it that much. Like you said, it's just a multiple choice test. I mostly did it just to be bumped up 2 pay steps.

 

[gwarm01]

As a clinical pharmacist without residency I feel like BCPS helped me to get interviews.... N=1

I've seen job postings that require either PGY1 or BCPS, it's not too uncommon. I've also seen jobs that will state they want PGY1 or equivalent experience, with that equivalent range going anywhere from one to five years. It's just funny how inconsistent the expectations are.

 

[BC_89]

Cool I'm 2yrs away experience wise from your benchmark.

And I'm salty as f*ck.

Lol...from a non-traditional students view point, this made my day and not sure why

 

[Rattlergirl53]

The whole PGY1 equaling 3 years of experience in the eyes of employers is bullcrap. And I did a residency myself.

A PGY1 is a PGY1 and work experience is work experience. BCPS is the least important out of the three but if you're lacking a residency and have work experience BCPS can help. Then if you did a residency, you'll eventually get the years of experience so a lot of people figure why not get BCPS. Then you'll have all three residency, board certification, and experience.

 

[confettiflyer]

The whole PGY1 equaling 3 years of experience in the eyes of employers is bullcrap. And I did a residency myself.

A PGY1 is a PGY1 and work experience is work experience. BCPS is the least important out of the three but if you're lacking a residency and have work experience BCPS can help. Then if you did a residency, you'll eventually get the years of experience so a lot of people figure why not get BCPS. Then you'll have all three residency, board certification, and experience.

Bingo. People need to stop "converting" between these 3.

Residency is a residency, it's a type of work experience, but it's not "work experience."

And BCPS is $600 + 200 multiple choice questions answered mostly right.

 

[confettiflyer]

If you were the hiring manager, and you had 3 people applying with those different qualifications, who would you hire? I know they are not interchangeable but how do you choose then?

I've seen so many jobs that require residency. They are not even considering someone without one, even if they have experience in that practice area.

Assuming all three are equally qualified for the actual nuts and bolts of the position (i.e. oncology, and your 3 candidates are a PGY 2 new grad, 4 year experienced hired right out of school into an oncology position (hey it happens), and hell someone with 3yrs exp and passed BCOP)...I'd hire on personality and institutional fit.

Like if your whole staff loves to tell dirty jokes and swear a lot, I'm probably not going to hire someone who doesn't appear to have a laid back sense of humor that I will pick up over lunch or the informal parts of the interview.

Hiring an employee is like adopting a new child into a household with 25 other kids, and being a kid is the only technical qualification.

But I'm not exactly a hiring manager, but I've given feedback on new hires within their probation period.


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[confettiflyer]

A pharmacist I know had 3+ years of inpatient hospital experience and BCPS, but she was unable to get a "clinical" position. She went back and did residency. I think that is so unnecessary, but that's what this person had to do to get a "clinical" job.

Makes me question their three years of experience and their interviews. I can think of a dozen reasons they weren't hired that had nothing to do with her lack of residency.


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[farmadiazepine]

Do your time up there and you will find yourself more marketable than some 26 year old with a year of residency.

Totally agree with this.

Also, a lot of it has to do with the needs of the hospital. A hospital that has multiple open positions for whatever reason will be more desperate to fill those spots than a hospital that has one open position. They will be more open to hiring someone without residency, BCPS, or even hospital experience. I came from 4 years of retail to hospital. My real world experience in retail was enough to be hired in a hospital. So a lot of it is getting the timing right.

No offense to anyone, but I think PGY1 is bullshi*. These places are getting a pharmacist to do another year of rotations and pay them such little pay, and they still come out a year later with a certificate and find a job staffing at a hospital pharmacy like everyone else.

However, there are a lot of people I know in NYC who did PGY1 and PGY2 and are now leading pharmacy in specialty areas in many NYC hospitals, so take my comments with a grain of salt.

In the end, it's the person. However you want to get to the end goal and the route you take varies from person to person. There are people getting clinical jobs with simply work experience and no residency, and there are those who get clinical jobs with residency and no other work experience.

I still think residencies are stupid.