How do you know if you should do a PGY-2?

[someonesomething]

Hello!

I'm currently in my PGY-1 and I love it. I love my program, my preceptors, clinical pharmacy. I know I would like to be a clinical pharmacist, and I know what specialty I'd want to do. It's a saturated market, but it's what I love.

The only problem is that I'm not good at that specialty, or clinical pharmacy in general. I have a hard time finding areas that need intervention, a hard time speaking up on rounds (I'm very introverted and shy, which isn't a good match for clinical pharmacy, from what I'm finding), a hard time being proactive and finding opportunities in pharmacy and residency in general. I don't think clinically enough, for lack of better term, and I know you're not supposed to compare yourself to your co-residents, but I do fall flat compared to the others at my site.

So, do I just go for the PGY-2 anyway? Or should I understand my limitations and go into something where my own talents would be more useful?

How did you decide to go for a PGY-2?

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[Papichulooo_92]

Same boat.

 

[hopeful1994]

Think about your long-term goals...and how confident you are in working hard to achieve them. How badly do you want that particular end-goal? PGY-2 programs are not easy at all--it will make you question why you did it in the first place, numerous times throughout the year. But...if you want it badly enough, and are highly self-motivated (probably the #1 factor), you will work hard, be successful, and you will reap the fruits of your labor.

 

[projektreverb]

I feel the same way. If you think you have it in you for a PGY-2, that's great man. Please share how you still have motivation. 3 months into PGY-1: I hate my life and I'm thinking about quitting every single day. I literally keep asking myself why I thought this would be a good idea.

 

[Rx Maz]

You'll eventually "open - up" don't be so hard on yourself.

It's really all about where you want to be and what you want. I found out somewhere 6 months in. I don't have an issue with the clinical side of things, in fact, I love it - I just hated how much I had to micro-manage physicians it was very aggravating to me. Perhaps this was pertinent to my practice site? But speaking to other residents in the area it was the same stuff.

Ended up choosing administration for my PGY-2, it fit me as a person but I really only knew that around 6 to 7 months into the PGY-1. Great for networking too and also had the staffing element and component I was looking for with some clinical rotations here and there. So it was win-win.

Just go with the flow and things will become more apparent. Would consider PPS for PGY-2's at midyear though.

 

[rx25295]

I think many people are in the place where they're uncertain about a PGY2 at this juncture. For me, I knew I wanted to be in a specialized area, but I did not know if I could commit to another year of residency hell. I basically let the match decide that for me.

My advice would be to do PPS, talk to some programs and get a feel for it. if there are ones out there you could see yourself wanting to explore more, apply. Interview where you can, and when it comes to ranking, you can be much more selective than you likely were for PGY1. That is the beauty of PGY2 applications - it's nowhere near as nerve-wracking as PGY1. I felt that most of my friends went into PGY2 match thinking "if I match, great, but if I don't match, I know I can find a job....and I won't have to endure residency any longer"

Also, I feel like you're being somewhat hard on yourself, it is still sort of early in the year. You will likely loosen up more and become more comfortable putting interventions out there.