Minimum GPA to Apply for Residency?

[Oink]

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Hi everyone. I'm on rotations right now, and I was basically set on not doing a residency. I didn't want to do one mostly because I am 90% sure I won't be able to get one, but also because my inpatient/clinical rotations didn't seem interesting. However, some of my community rotations are pretty unique and the pharmacists actually apply some clinical knowledge to their work. My pharmacists told me to consider residency to get some kind of clinical work experience if I want to do something similar. I don't want to check my GPA but it is really bad (probably 2.6 or 2.7).

Some of the programs I looked up doesn't list their GPA requirement or just says "competitive GPA." I'm considering applying to some residencies that I'm interested in to see if I have a chance at all. I was wondering how I can find out what the minimum GPA is to apply for residency programs. I don't want to apply to residency programs just to find out I wasted my time because of GPA requirements. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[gwarm01]

Care to give some insight on the clinical community jobs they had? Where did they work? Were they also professors at a pharmacy school?

I had a few community rotations that were very clinically focused and interesting. A pharmacist actually seeing patients in a clinic and managing their medications! Then it turns out their positions were funded by the pharmacy school. These jobs just don't really exist for the majority of people.

I guess I'm saying to take their advice with a grain of salt if they aren't independently employed at a full pharmacist salary.

 

[Oink]

The two community pharmacies I was at were independent pharmacies. One of them is compounding. Both of them provide MTMs and also goes to meetings at the doctor's office to discuss treatment options for patients. These pharmacies seem to have good relationships with different doctors and medical offices. Both of the pharmacists own their pharmacies and they got their clinical experiences from past jobs (inpatient Kaiser, Am Care), but they were not professors. They did not go through residencies because they said it was easier to get a clinical job back then.

 

[297point1]

If you have access to AJHP, go read this article: Jellinek-Cohen SP, Cohen V, Bucher KL, et al. Factors used by pharmacy residency programs to select residents. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2012;69: 1105-1106.

They don't articulate what GPA they are looking for, but they do find that 98.9% of residency directors viewed pharmacy school grades as an important or critical factor in their interview invitation decision-making process.

Can you get a residency with a 2.6 or 2.7 GPA? You can. Are you likely to get a lot of interview invitations? You aren't.

 

[BMBiology]

I had a few community rotations that were very clinically focused and interesting. A pharmacist actually seeing patients in a clinic and managing their medications! Then it turns out their positions were funded by the pharmacy school. These jobs just don't really exist for the majority of people.

They are just training you for a career that is not here yet but soon it will be! You just have to be positive!




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[Oink]

Yeah I understand I have a low chance of getting interview invites. Is it even worth it for me to apply?

 

[gwarm01]

It couldn't hurt to try. To quote Kevin Smith, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

 

[Amicable Angora]

Be aware the mental ramifications (and financial pains) of applying, having expectations, and then crashing.

 

[Oink]

Thanks guys. I'm just gonna try to see what happens. Back to the actual question, do residency programs have a minimum GPA to apply? I searched the ASHP directory and all the ones I've looked at doesn't list a minimum GPA.

 

[BlackDiamond277]

Thanks guys. I'm just gonna try to see what happens. Back to the actual question, do residency programs have a minimum GPA to apply? I searched the ASHP directory and all the ones I've looked at doesn't list a minimum GPA.

Sorry, I know this is from a year ago, but did you end up applying and match? I've been wondering the same thing regarding GPA and residencies.

 

[beautifulrobot]

My understanding is that programs aren't obligated to have an official minimum GPA, i.e. ASHP accreditation doesn't set a minimum GPA requirement AFAIK. Having a low GPA will hurt your odds of getting an interview, no doubt, but there is no rule across the board for minimum GPA requirements for residencies. Unless the program specifically lists a minimum GPA on their application, I would assume that they would still consider your application regardless of your GPA. By consider, I mean they won't automatically toss it out (they might, but it's not a guarantee), but chances of getting an interview are pretty slim unless your application is exceptional in almost every other aspect (strong extracurricular, strong personal statement that explains what happened with your GPA, strong letters of recommendation by people known to the residency program, strong work experience, etc.).

GPA isn't everything, but if you were a straight C student throughout pharmacy school, that will definitely hurt your application and make the RPD doubt your ability to successfully complete a high workload, high stress residency program. You have to ask yourself why you got those grades, and why your grades are not an accurate reflection of your ability to comprehend complex pharmaceutical care concepts, and retain and apply clinical knowledge in a variety of situations where you are required to process large amounts of new information in a short period of time. If you can answer all those questions confidentially and convince yourself and others that you are up to the challenge, then by all means, you should apply and give it a shot.

 

[Oink]

I didn't end up applying but I have friends with "low GPAs" get into residencies. On the other hand, I know some people who seemed really smart and surprisingly didn't get a residency.

 

[Son_Goku]

I didn't end up applying but I have friends with "low GPAs" get into residencies. On the other hand, I know some people who seemed really smart and surprisingly didn't get a residency.

That's because they "know" the right people and are most likely well-liked (i.e. they fit the crowd at said residency). If you don't have the proper network, you will need to do it through official channels (i.e. minimum 3.5 GPA, a quality CV, etc.) and not be a stuck-up weirdo.