Oncology or Critical Care Residency PGY1 or PGY2

[Me_Gusta_Drugs]

• I hear oncology is the up and coming field to get into as a pharmacist and there are a lot of positions available for an oncology pharmacist. To land this position tho, do you need a PGY2, or are there PGY1 programs out there. If there are so many positions out there, and you need a residency to get these positions, but there aren’t many residency’s…then there seems to be a problem there
• Same thing for a critical care position, do you need a PGY2, or are there PGY1 programs out there
• I hear PGY2 are hard to get into. On another not, does anyone know if theyre more difficult to get into than a PGY1?

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[Quiksilver]

you can work in cancer hospitals without having a residency as a staffer. You might be able to get a clinical position, however being that there is a residency I would imagine that they consider that a requirement

 

[njac]

anything specializing will be a PGY2 unless it is unaccredited.

However, you can do a PGY1 hospital with a lot of critical care or oncology and tailor your rotations to reflect your interest.

 

[MustLoveDrugs]

I understand your concerns 100%. Despite the fact that residencies are becoming more popular, I would venture to say that residency-trained pharmacists are still in the minority. The residency graduates I have encountered are in high demand in hospitals and colleges of pharmacy across the country. I would absolutely encourage you to move forward with 1-2 years of residency training and/or fellowship training.

If you know or think you know what you want to do in the long run, I would suggest looking to do your PGY-1 residency at an institution where there is a PGY-2 that interests you. I am entering a PGY-2 in geriatrics next week at the same place I am finishing my PGY-1. I interviewed with a variety of other programs at Midyear but decided to take advantage of the early commitment option in the end. It saved myself and my institution a lot of money, time and headaches, and it is very reassuring to be staying somewhere that I know I am truly wanted. That said, the majority of PGY-2 residents go through the Match just like they did to get their PGY-1 spots, so don't feel like you have to go somewhere just because they have a PGY-2 in critical care or hem/onc. I just think it's something to consider.

It is definitely a scary thought that there are a limited number of specialty slots in a given field. What you have to keep in mind though is that a small percentage of pharmacy school graduates enter PGY-1s, and an even smaller number of PGY-1s opt to apply for PGY-2s. If there is one piece of advice I can offer you, it's DON'T BE SCARED BY THE NUMBERS. Sure, there are good people and good programs every year that don't match. Sure, there are residency graduates who can't find jobs in their specialty in their ideal location. And, yes, residencies are becoming more competitive and more of a necessity to move onward and upward in the clinical pharmacy world. But if you want hem/onc or critical care, go for it... and know that every other applicant is having the same concerns you are. Some are just better at hiding those concerns

 

[KARM12]

• I hear oncology is the up and coming field to get into as a pharmacist and there are a lot of positions available for an oncology pharmacist. To land this position tho, do you need a PGY2, or are there PGY1 programs out there. If there are so many positions out there, and you need a residency to get these positions, but there aren’t many residency’s…then there seems to be a problem there
• Same thing for a critical care position, do you need a PGY2, or are there PGY1 programs out there
• I hear PGY2 are hard to get into. On another not, does anyone know if theyre more difficult to get into than a PGY1?

In this stage of the game, if you are really interested in the those two areas, I would do a PGY2. It is hard (not impossible) to get any kind of specialist job without a PGY2 these days. Out of all the specialties, I believe that oncology and crit care have the most PGY2 positions available in the match.

 

[ffpickle]

Any idea what the starting salary for an onc. pharmacist may be? How about median salary?

 

[bigpharmD]

Any idea what the starting salary for an onc. pharmacist may be? How about median salary?

THe same as any other pharmacist position....most institutions will give you about 1,000 more per year for each year of residency....depending on where you live most will be right at the 6 figure range....now this doesnt include those who move to industry at some point or become directors of outcomes or research etc.

 

[sandyliu113]

THe same as any other pharmacist position....most institutions will give you about 1,000 more per year for each year of residency....depending on where you live most will be right at the 6 figure range....now this doesnt include those who move to industry at some point or become directors of outcomes or research etc.

In the past, hospital pharmacists were quoted to make about $70-80K. Is that still true? Is there a salary differential between staff hospital pharmacists and those that come out with PGY1? PGY2?