Is Residency Valuable?

[Abby Atwood]

How valuable is residency training in terms of the actual knowledge and experience obtained through that training?

I participated in the 2017 match, but I didn't match with anyone. Through luck more than anything, I managed to obtain a position that would typically be held by a PGY2 trained individual. As a result, if I were to apply again in 2018, I would not be applying in the hopes that I could obtain a position in a particular area after training. I would be applying purely in the hopes of bettering myself as a pharmacist.

Since you don't know everything about me, you may not be able to advise me on my course of action; however, I was hoping that people here could give me a realistic idea of the benefits of residency when you subtract the increase in job prospects. What, if anything, am I missing out on by not being residency trained?

Even if I do apply, I'll probably fail to match ... again

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[njac]

How valuable is residency training in terms of the actual knowledge and experience obtained through that training?

I participated in the 2017 match, but I didn't match with anyone. Through luck more than anything, I managed to obtain a position that would typically be held by a PGY2 trained individual. As a result, if I were to apply again in 2018, I would not be applying in the hopes that I could obtain a position in a particular area after training. I would be applying purely in the hopes of bettering myself as a pharmacist.

Since you don't know everything about me, you may not be able to advise me on my course of action; however, I was hoping that people here could give me a realistic idea of the benefits of residency when you subtract the increase in job prospects. What, if anything, am I missing out on by not being residency trained?

Even if I do apply, I'll probably fail to match ... again

Do you like your current job? Can you see yourself there for the rest of your career?

Pure anecdote: I did a PGY 1 and PGY2. Will always encourage students with interest to consider, I've never regretted it. When I've applied for jobs (both in my specialty and per diem staffing) I usually get called back in 48-72 hours.

Meanwhile, at my last job there were multiple pharmacists who graduated the same year that I did and were able to get staffing jobs and were eventually promoted to clinical specialist jobs, equivalent to the position I held. Yet when they applied for jobs at other hospitals in the same major metro area, they weren't getting called back.

Just comparing my experience compared to coworker's who also held specialist jobs despite no residency in the same major metro area.

What would you get from a residency? Exposure plus support. The first time you see a disease state or a syndrome its not just you and dr Google (or uptodate or whatever) when your physicians ask for your help. It will take years longer to self teach yourself the same material. Topic discussions with an expert in the field are going to offer a broader experience than just the individual patient you see. And the support system doesn't go away the day you finish residency. I have a huge social network across the US of pharmacists (and physicians who were also residents the same time I was training) I can bounce ideas off of or "phone a friend".


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[lionheart555]

How valuable is residency training in terms of the actual knowledge and experience obtained through that training?

I participated in the 2017 match, but I didn't match with anyone. Through luck more than anything, I managed to obtain a position that would typically be held by a PGY2 trained individual. As a result, if I were to apply again in 2018, I would not be applying in the hopes that I could obtain a position in a particular area after training. I would be applying purely in the hopes of bettering myself as a pharmacist.

Since you don't know everything about me, you may not be able to advise me on my course of action; however, I was hoping that people here could give me a realistic idea of the benefits of residency when you subtract the increase in job prospects. What, if anything, am I missing out on by not being residency trained?

Even if I do apply, I'll probably fail to match ... again

I think njac gave a great answer to this but just giving some thoughts from a "2 month in residency" perspective. What is most useful to me is the hands on experience I am getting in multiple departments and the vast amount of skills I am developing concurrently. By the time I complete residency I will have at least some knowledge of and experience within all the departments in my company. This is something most of the practicing staff pharmacists haven't experienced in the 2-10 years they have been working without a residency.

Something one of the previous residents (who now works in the company's upper management) told me is that residency trained pharmacists bring a lot of value and credibility when applying for other positions and companies. It's an "edge" that non residency trained pharmacists are less likely to have. I'm sorry to hear you didn't match but it sounds like you got off to a great start regardless! I can't say whether you should go back for residency or not. Depending on where you are now and how flexible the position is, it may be more worth your while to gain experience in your current role and keep looking for opportunities to move into a dream job.

 

[Abby Atwood]

Thanks for the perspectives. That's definitely something I'm worried about. I'm really happy in my current position, but I'm probably not going to have the same learning opportunities as someone who is PGY1/PGY2 trained.

I'm still unsure of what to do. I know some people have irreplaceable experiences in residency, but I've also spoken to some residents during residency interviews that said residency is just APPEs part 2. As much as I value my APPE experiences, my current position is offering me a lot more opportunities for professional development. I worry about wasted time reapplying if I don't match again, and more importantly I worry about winding up somewhere that won't offer me anything beyond a check mark on a resume.

I suppose I'm being a bit of a whiner. I'm glad that I have something to lose.

 

[lionheart555]

Thanks for the perspectives. That's definitely something I'm worried about. I'm really happy in my current position, but I'm probably not going to have the same learning opportunities as someone who is PGY1/PGY2 trained.

I'm still unsure of what to do. I know some people have irreplaceable experiences in residency, but I've also spoken to some residents during residency interviews that said residency is just APPEs part 2. As much as I value my APPE experiences, my current position is offering me a lot more opportunities for professional development. I worry about wasted time reapplying if I don't match again, and more importantly I worry about winding up somewhere that won't offer me anything beyond a check mark on a resume.

I suppose I'm being a bit of a whiner. I'm glad that I have something to lose.

Honestly if you have opportunities + a decent salary and are learning at your current position, I would think maybe staying where you are and searching for a path forwards and upwards. Hopefully your employer would consider things like paying for additional degrees/certifications or paying for conference attendance. If you can get that, benefits, reasonable salary, and like your job, I can't really think of a good reason to go back to residency. That's the kind of job I hope to find anyway.

 

[gwarm01]

This is something most of the practicing staff pharmacists haven't experienced in the 2-10 years they have been working without a residency.

Thanks for the perspectives. That's definitely something I'm worried about. I'm really happy in my current position, but I'm probably not going to have the same learning opportunities as someone who is PGY1/PGY2 trained.

If you are in a facility with a culture like lionheart describes above, you may want to jump ship after a year or so. Get to know how different hospitals in your area operate and find one that invests in their employees. My first job was in pediatrics (PGY2 speciality even though we need people to check Pyxis bins and med batches just like anyone else), and my hospital system did a great job of investing in their employees. By the end of my first year I had rotated through every service except oncology, and was given about a month of training directly with the specialist in charge of the unit each time. By the end of my second year I was regularly working clinical shifts in every ICU and had picked up that coveted peds oncology training. It really helped me grow confident, not to mention it was easy to cover call-outs and vacations with all of the skilled staff.

If you are working somewhere that thinks all you are good for is sitting in the basement and clicking verify, I would seriously recommend against spending too much time there. Unless the pay is good, the job is secure, and the stress is low. I'd happily take that over working on the floor in a level 1 trauma unit again.

 

[Rockinacoustic]

It's also important to reflect on why you didn't match and how you can overcome that a second time around. Any decent program will ask you what has changed since your last residency interview.

 

[Abby Atwood]

It's also important to reflect on why you didn't match and how you can overcome that a second time around. Any decent program will ask you what has changed since your last residency interview.

The main change would be 6 months of clinical pharmacist practice experience. My retail background definitely hurt me in interviews because I had fewer examples to draw from for the "talk about a time when ..." type questions. It also took me several interviews to realize that the interviewer wasn't asking me a really basic question about an intervention because they didn't understand it, they were asking that really basic question because they were trying to help me elaborate on my answer and maybe get more points or whatever. There were a few early interviews where I walked away thinking, "shouldn't they know that?"