Residency Later on

[illusions]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Just wondering, Is it possible or do people ever pursue a residency after they already enter the workforce? Or just immediately after graduation?

 

[MRBPharmD]

Just wondering, Is it possible or do people ever pursue a residency after they already enter the workforce? Or just immediately after graduation?

You can do a residency whenever you want. Keep in mind the pay cut, however.

 

[MNnaloxone]

MRB hit it right on the nose. It was hard enough turning down $100K/year right out of school to make $33K at a residency. I think it would be a lot harder walking away from $100K (and the lifestyle) after a few years in the workforce...

 

[Oxycotin]

hello. has anyone here actually went back and done a residency after working, especially coming from a retail setting? if so, what were your experiences like? i'm currently debating whether to try for a residency right after graduation or work for a few years to see if a residency is really for me. thanks!

 

[ndearwater]

hello. has anyone here actually went back and done a residency after working, especially coming from a retail setting? if so, what were your experiences like? i'm currently debating whether to try for a residency right after graduation or work for a few years to see if a residency is really for me. thanks!

That's my tentative plan too. For what it's worth, my pharmacist did a residency with a 40-something pharmacist. My pharmacist eventually quit that residency and now works retail... but anyway, there was at least one person! 🙂

 

[starsweet]

I know that certain hospital pharmacists have completed residencies but was wondering for what type of hospital jobs do you need to complete a residency?

 

[dgroulx]

I know that certain hospital pharmacists have completed residencies but was wondering for what type of hospital jobs do you need to complete a residency?

Around here (in Florida), you need a residency if you want to become a clinical pharmacist. For a staff position, you don't need one but they still require a year of hospital pharmacy experiece. I'm not sure how you get that year of experience without doing a residency. 😕

 

[patmcd]

Well at least some of that year you could get during your rotations or working as an intern during school.

 

[Cocogirl]

I had orginally intended to do a residency right after graduation but due to unforeseen circumstances could not. I worked in retail for about 4 years and am now starting a residency this July. It is possible to take the pay cut and go back to do a residency. It's not as hard as you might think, especially if you saved some of the money you made during your "richer" days!

 

[Setor]

Do you think that the knowledge that you gained from working before completing a residency will help during the residency, and maybe make the experience a little less stressful?

 

[kwizard]

Just wondering, Is it possible or do people ever pursue a residency after they already enter the workforce? Or just immediately after graduation?

Yes it is possible to do residency training after entering the workforce. As many have eluded to on the list, one's patience may be less for politics/BS when you have already seen the "real world" and are trying to go back and do a residency. The basic problem w/ pharmacy residency training is that the quality of the programs vary a lot and the stability of the preceptors will vary w/ the budgetary obligations of that practice site. Basically, people tend to move around so you can find yourself interviewing w/ the program director and preceptors in January, but when June/July rolls around you realize that some of those people have since left for various reasons. It really just depends on the program. The programs typically w/ the best retention of clinical faculty are those w/ academic relationships w/ a local school of pharmacy and/or in the Veterans Hospitals as the school of pharmacy typically helps alleviate some of the financial burden by supplying some clinical faculty and VA hospitals tend to have a slower turnover due to benefits/scope of practice and also tend to have strong relationships w/ schools of pharmacy, but there is always an exception.

As far as the pay cut, well this depends on how well you saved up cash while in the workforce and also depends on how demanding you residency is. I prefer the residency programs that require </=50hrs per wk on the avg w/ minimal evenings/wknd coverage (1 evening/wk or 1wknd/3 wks) so you can maintain a functional life outside the program (for social activities or moonlighting for extra cash)

Leaving the workforce to go back for residency training is fairly common, but just make sure you do a program that meets w/ your expections intellectually and socially so you can minimize the likelihood of being disgruntled half way through the process. Good Luck.

 

[kwizard]

Do you think that the knowledge that you gained from working before completing a residency will help during the residency, and maybe make the experience a little less stressful?

Experiences are what you make out of them. The average pharmacy school simply prepares you to pass the boards. Everything else beyond that will typically be motivated by the individual. Residency training simply prepares or provides one w/ the tools that may be helpful in becoming more "clinically oriented pharmacst" in a shorter time period than when you could possibly gain such knowledge on your own. At the end of the day it is on you to gain as much knowledge as possible from any of your previous experiences and understand how to apply them to future scenarios. So yes, knowledge and maturity gained in the workforce (regardless of setting: community, hospital, etc) before residency training may certainly be helpful during the residency assuming the individual optimized the experience.