Residency prospects for a stay-at-home pharmacist mom

[cpjeapplicant]

I am a pharmacist in California who has only worked part-time in retail for less than a year now. I have taken a break from work for the past few months now to be with my kids. I wanted to find out what are my chances of landing a residency at a hospital in the Orange County area?

Has anyone joined a residency after getting a pharmacist license? Thanks.

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[KARM12]

I am a pharmacist in California who has only worked part-time in retail for less than a year now. I have taken a break from work for the past few months now to be with my kids. I wanted to find out what are my chances of landing a residency at a hospital in the Orange County area?

Has anyone joined a residency after getting a pharmacist license? Thanks.

I worked before going into residency. I worked full time as a hospital pharmacist, though. I think it helped me.

 

[njac]

I have a friend in a PGY2 after taking a year off for maternity leave.

But remember that a residency might consider the fact that you have children a negative. Not blatantly, and people have certainly done it, but it adds to the pile of things you'll have working against you.

 

[Its Z]

I worked before going into residency. I worked full time as a hospital pharmacist, though. I think it helped me.

Isn't that because you got licensed way before July??

 

[Its Z]

I am a pharmacist in California who has only worked part-time in retail for less than a year now. I have taken a break from work for the past few months now to be with my kids. I wanted to find out what are my chances of landing a residency at a hospital in the Orange County area?

Has anyone joined a residency after getting a pharmacist license? Thanks.

Did you graduate from either UCSF, USC, or UCSD with a lot of hospital intern experience?

 

[KARM12]

Isn't that because you got licensed way before July??

Yup, but I think working hospital as opposed to retail helped me.

 

[KARM12]

Isn't that because you got licensed way before July??

Yup, but I think working hospital as opposed to retail helped me.

 

[mustang sally]

I have a friend in a PGY2 after taking a year off for maternity leave.

But remember that a residency might consider the fact that you have children a negative. Not blatantly, and people have certainly done it, but it adds to the pile of things you'll have working against you.

Unless you actually are pregnant, how are they going to know you have kids unless you tell them? And I thought it was illegal to ask those kind of questions in interviews anyway.

 

[njac]

Unless you actually are pregnant, how are they going to know you have kids unless you tell them? And I thought it was illegal to ask those kind of questions in interviews anyway.

Oh, it is. But people really seem to like to talk about their kids a lot...

It depends on the intensity of the individual residency. I'm not sure if it's doable with every program.

 

[mustang sally]

Oh, it is. But people really seem to like to talk about their kids a lot...

It depends on the intensity of the individual residency. I'm not sure if it's doable with every program.

I think you bring up a good point, njac. I have successfully avoided the topic of family or my lack there of in interviews when the prospective employers were fishing for this information. I think it might be harder during a residency interview just because it sounds like these are all day events with mealtime conversation and things of that nature involved...would you recommend steering clear of these topics with everyone you talk to during the course of the day?

 

[All4MyDaughter]

I think you bring up a good point, njac. I have successfully avoided the topic of family or my lack there of in interviews when the prospective employers were fishing for this information. I think it might be harder during a residency interview just because it sounds like these are all day events with mealtime conversation and things of that nature involved...would you recommend steering clear of these topics with everyone you talk to during the course of the day?

I might just put it out there. If a residency didn't select someone because they have children, it's probably not a family friendly place to begin with. I personally wouldn't want to be stuck in a residency like that. I think it would make the year very difficult, to say the least.

 

[cpjeapplicant]

Did you graduate from either UCSF, USC, or UCSD with a lot of hospital intern experience?

Nope, is that a deal breaker as far as the hospitals are concerned?

 

[cpjeapplicant]

Also, are Pharmacist hospital residencies as bad as medical residencies as far as the number of hours you are expected to put in go? Are 80-hours work weeks normal during the residency?

 

[StriveForGlory]

Also, are Pharmacist hospital residencies as bad as medical residencies as far as the number of hours you are expected to put in go? Are 80-hours work weeks normal during the residency?

Ive heard 60-80 hours weeks are pretty common. Im not sure if that includes the staffing requirements that most (if not all) hospitals will have. The residents I know work 7-7 pretty consistently and have to staff every other weekend. Ive also heard of hospitals requiring you to have a pager and be on call for a good amount of time that you spend outside of work as well. Not sure how common that last one is though.