Pass/Fail 3 year program and residencies

[YTAZ]

Hello guys!

I am very interested in pursuing a residency program upon graduation. I am a P2 at a 3 year program that uses a pass/fail system.

I have 3 different leadership positions. I am very involved in the school events. I am in Phi Lambda Sigma. I have done research with a faculty. I received a scholarship from my school as well.

Is it hard for the residency programs to compare my academic performance (no GPA) against another candidate (with GPA)?

I appreciate your time!

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[rl123]

It's not a deal breaker, but it would give cause for the RPD to scrutinize your application even more closely since they don't have an objective number to compare you to another candidate- or even gauge how "book smart" you are, especially when it comes to passing boards (see below). It's definitely ok to flat out ask during an showcase/ PPS with an RPD- "coming from a pass/fail program, how would my application be viewed here?"- just so you don't waste your time/money on an application

Other factors
- The reputation/establishment of the pharmacy school- ie accreditation status (to be honest, most of the pass/fail 3-year PharmD programs I've had candidates interview from were new schools)
- NAPLEX pass rate for the past few classes of your school- if it's low, an RPD isn't going to want to deal with the headache of having a matched resident not pass their boards in time

 

[YTAZ]

It's not a deal breaker, but it would give cause for the RPD to scrutinize your application even more closely since they don't have an objective number to compare you to another candidate- or even gauge how "book smart" you are, especially when it comes to passing boards (see below). It's definitely ok to flat out ask during an showcase/ PPS with an RPD- "coming from a pass/fail program, how would my application be viewed here?"- just so you don't waste your time/money on an application

Other factors
- The reputation/establishment of the pharmacy school- ie accreditation status (to be honest, most of the pass/fail 3-year PharmD programs I've had candidates interview from were new schools)
- NAPLEX pass rate for the past few classes of your school- if it's low, an RPD isn't going to want to deal with the headache of having a matched resident not pass their boards in time

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate it.

 

[bchmcs]

I was wondering the same thing! I also come from a 3 year program that has a pass/no pass grading system. I haven't started my program yet, but I've heard that schools typically give you a class ranking to give residencies an idea of how well you do academically. Not sure how true this is though, I've just heard rumors. Because it's a 3 year accelerated program, I'm also concerned that students from these programs won't have as many extracurriculars, leadership, or work experience compared to other applicants since their schedules are packed into just three years. How do you make yourself stand out in this case?

 

[lionheart555]

I was wondering the same thing! I also come from a 3 year program that has a pass/no pass grading system. I haven't started my program yet, but I've heard that schools typically give you a class ranking to give residencies an idea of how well you do academically. Not sure how true this is though, I've just heard rumors. Because it's a 3 year accelerated program, I'm also concerned that students from these programs won't have as many extracurriculars, leadership, or work experience compared to other applicants since their schedules are packed into just three years. How do you make yourself stand out in this case?

From my perspective, it would be more pressure on you as a candidate to stand out with your letter of recommendations, placement on class ranking, and your ability to network. In no particular order of importance. My residency just took a candidate I thought was terrible. The reason? The candidate came on site from a nearby city to talk to the residents and program prior to interview season. And our RPD REALLY liked that.

Just goes to show there is sometimes no rhyme or reason to resident selection. Everyone has their own biases and personal opinions. All you can do is present your best foot forward. And when you think you have your best foot forward, do even more. Never stop trying to make yourself stand out because that is what the thousands of other candidates are trying to do too.