Residency Applicant Support Thread

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UGH!!! I need to decide today whether to reschedule or cancel my 5th interview. I don't know what to do.
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All4MyDaughter said:
UGH!!! I need to decide today whether to reschedule or cancel my 5th interview. I don't know what to do.
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Let me elaborate.

I applied to five programs. Four clinical pharmacy, one in another field of pharmacy. I like all five programs and am interested in both fields of pharmacy. Of my four clinical pharmacy programs I will probably rank three. One just wasn't a good fit. This could change after I interview at the other two next week.

The other organization I am interviewing with has a bad track record of hiring their residents. They are the only organization of that type in town (that hires pharmacists). All of their recent residents have relocated for jobs. I can't do that. I've also been annoyed by their lack of "with it" in terms of scheduling my interview. I got the "Please come interview" email about two or three weeks ago. The scheduler finally called me last week and gave me a date (today). Ten minutes later she called me back and said "That probably won't work and I'll get back to you." I heard from her this past Wednesday (a WEEK later!). I wasn't able to respond immediately so she sent me an email (and CC'ed it to the program director) saying I had not been responding to her requests. WHAT? She took forever to make initial contact, gave me a date and then took it away and then ignored me for a WEEK but I'm the one that is dropping the ball? :mad:

So I just have a bad feeling about all of it. Thoughts?
 
All4MyDaughter said:
Let me elaborate.

I applied to five programs. Four clinical pharmacy, one in another field of pharmacy. I like all five programs and am interested in both fields of pharmacy. Of my four clinical pharmacy programs I will probably rank three. One just wasn't a good fit. This could change after I interview at the other two next week.

The other organization I am interviewing with has a bad track record of hiring their residents. They are the only organization of that type in town (that hires pharmacists). All of their recent residents have relocated for jobs. I can't do that. I've also been annoyed by their lack of "with it" in terms of scheduling my interview. I got the "Please come interview" email about two or three weeks ago. The scheduler finally called me last week and gave me a date (today). Ten minutes later she called me back and said "That probably won't work and I'll get back to you." I heard from her this past Wednesday (a WEEK later!). I wasn't able to respond immediately so she sent me an email (and CC'ed it to the program director) saying I had not been responding to her requests. WHAT? She took forever to make initial contact, gave me a date and then took it away and then ignored me for a WEEK but I'm the one that is dropping the ball? :mad:

So I just have a bad feeling about all of it. Thoughts?
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When something gets off to a bad start like that, I try to walk the other way ;)

Go with your gut...

When I was talking to a faculty member about who to do my senior project with, they told me to pick a prof that was a good fit AND one that always follows through...

I can't claim to know anything about residencies (yet) but I do know that when something begins with such disorganization/miscommunication, it is not a good sign.
 
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All4MyDaughter said:
Let me elaborate.

I applied to five programs. Four clinical pharmacy, one in another field of pharmacy. I like all five programs and am interested in both fields of pharmacy. Of my four clinical pharmacy programs I will probably rank three. One just wasn't a good fit. This could change after I interview at the other two next week.

The other organization I am interviewing with has a bad track record of hiring their residents. They are the only organization of that type in town (that hires pharmacists). All of their recent residents have relocated for jobs. I can't do that. I've also been annoyed by their lack of "with it" in terms of scheduling my interview. I got the "Please come interview" email about two or three weeks ago. The scheduler finally called me last week and gave me a date (today). Ten minutes later she called me back and said "That probably won't work and I'll get back to you." I heard from her this past Wednesday (a WEEK later!). I wasn't able to respond immediately so she sent me an email (and CC'ed it to the program director) saying I had not been responding to her requests. WHAT? She took forever to make initial contact, gave me a date and then took it away and then ignored me for a WEEK but I'm the one that is dropping the ball? :mad:

So I just have a bad feeling about all of it. Thoughts?
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I would still try to reschedule and check out the program for yourself to eliminate any regrets later. Just because the secretary is not very organized; it does not mean that the actual residency experience is bad. Just check it out for yourself!
When I was looking to which residency programs to apply, one program really stood out for me based on its website. However, I got very disappointed with the program after I had difficulties with getting in touch with current residents. I decided not to apply because I went with my "gut feeling." However, I know 2 students who have just interviewed at that program and ended up loving it! Now I really regret for not applying there. So I say give them a chance, and if you don't like them you don't have to rank them.
 
cycloketocaine said:
Question......

How big of a no-no is it to wear a light colored suit to an interview?

I went shopping tonight and found a light gray colored suit that I fell in love with. It looks very professional and spring like...so would it be okay to wear?
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Hey, how was interview yesterday? As soon as your tour group left the investigational pharmacist said "That gray suit looked good on the red head" so good choice. It's been fun seeing all the applicants come by. Some good competition for those spots.
 
All4MyDaughter said:
So I just have a bad feeling about all of it. Thoughts?
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I would go anyway. Then you can confirm your suspicions or find out it's actually a good program.

I interviewed at a program that I didn't rank after I visited. I'm glad I did though or I would have always wondered.
 
dginrit said:
Hey, how was interview yesterday? As soon as your tour group left the investigational pharmacist said "That gray suit looked good on the red head" so good choice. It's been fun seeing all the applicants come by. Some good competition for those spots.
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Hey! Lol about the suit...I was worried about it since I was straying away from the conventional black/dark grey suit that everyone else had on. I think it went really well. There is some crazy good competition though, but I think my interview went reallly good.

So...what are your job plans?
 
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cycloketocaine said:
Hey! Lol about the suit...I was worried about it since I was straying away from the conventional black/dark grey suit that everyone else had on. I think it went really well. There is some crazy good competition though, but I think my interview went reallly good.

So...what are your job plans?
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I applied for an IHS residency with the Choctaw Nation and was the only Indian Preference to apply, so they offered me that but also said they had a staff job if I wanted....so I took the job. I'm pretty happy with my choice. I didn't really want to do a residency very much and I really like the tribe and area(where I grew up) so I'll basically be going home.
 
dginrit said:
I applied for an IHS residency with the Choctaw Nation and was the only Indian Preference to apply, so they offered me that but also said they had a staff job if I wanted....so I took the job. I'm pretty happy with my choice. I didn't really want to do a residency very much and I really like the tribe and area(where I grew up) so I'll basically be going home.
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What's it like working in such a small hospital? I was interested in doing a rotation at an IHS site until I saw their bed counts. Seems like you'd be bored to the max and wouldn't really learn much.
 
dginrit said:
I applied for an IHS residency with the Choctaw Nation and was the only Indian Preference to apply, so they offered me that but also said they had a staff job if I wanted....so I took the job. I'm pretty happy with my choice. I didn't really want to do a residency very much and I really like the tribe and area(where I grew up) so I'll basically be going home.
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Ah, so you were the other IP in the state. Tori got the Claremore residency during the IP match. I would have done IHS because I am IP too, but I can't become commissioned, so a lot of benefits would be lost. Oh well. I'm glad you found something, a lot of people in my class don't have any thing lined up and no prospects at all. A lot of people are starting to freak.
 
joetrisman said:
What's it like working in such a small hospital? I was interested in doing a rotation at an IHS site until I saw their bed counts. Seems like you'd be bored to the max and wouldn't really learn much.
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I like it. They have an outpatient pharmacy that is pretty busy but plenty of techs and pharmacists counsel every patient. Sorta like retail but without the insurance/money hassle. Inpatient side can be boring. I think the average census there is like 12 on med/surge. Don't see alot of severely ill patients because they don't admit much, usually stabilize and send on.
 
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cycloketocaine said:
Ah, so you were the other IP in the state. Tori got the Claremore residency during the IP match. I would have done IHS because I am IP too, but I can't become commissioned, so a lot of benefits would be lost. Oh well. I'm glad you found something, a lot of people in my class don't have any thing lined up and no prospects at all. A lot of people are starting to freak.
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Yeah, I don't see the point and working for IHS/tribal if you can't go commissioned. Yeah, I've talked to some classmates that are really hoping this career fair produces some opportunities.

I figured Tori would apply to Claremore, glad I didn't try and compete against her, lol. I did have some interest in WW Hastings, manly because I liked living in Tahlequah but ended up just saying forget it.
 
dginrit said:
Yeah, I don't see the point and working for IHS/tribal if you can't go commissioned. Yeah, I've talked to some classmates that are really hoping this career fair produces some opportunities.

I figured Tori would apply to Claremore, glad I didn't try and compete against her, lol. I did have some interest in WW Hastings, manly because I liked living in Tahlequah but ended up just saying forget it.
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I know of several non-IPers going for Tahlequah, but you would have gotten it being indian and all.....

and as for the career fair, if the last one didn't produce anything, I don't think this less formal one will. I feel bad for people without a plan and a bajillion dollars in loans. It makes me thankful that I kind of know what I will be doing next year, lol.
 
All4MyDaughter said:
Let me elaborate.

I applied to five programs. Four clinical pharmacy, one in another field of pharmacy. I like all five programs and am interested in both fields of pharmacy. Of my four clinical pharmacy programs I will probably rank three. One just wasn't a good fit. This could change after I interview at the other two next week.

The other organization I am interviewing with has a bad track record of hiring their residents. They are the only organization of that type in town (that hires pharmacists). All of their recent residents have relocated for jobs. I can't do that. I've also been annoyed by their lack of "with it" in terms of scheduling my interview. I got the "Please come interview" email about two or three weeks ago. The scheduler finally called me last week and gave me a date (today). Ten minutes later she called me back and said "That probably won't work and I'll get back to you." I heard from her this past Wednesday (a WEEK later!). I wasn't able to respond immediately so she sent me an email (and CC'ed it to the program director) saying I had not been responding to her requests. WHAT? She took forever to make initial contact, gave me a date and then took it away and then ignored me for a WEEK but I'm the one that is dropping the ball? :mad:

So I just have a bad feeling about all of it. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Listen to your gut. The worst thing you can have in a residency program is disorganization. If the program is not well-organized, the preceptors will be so focused on trying to keep their own heads above water that they won't have time to teach you anything. You'd almost be better off NOT doing a residency.
 
How common is it for a program to hire its residents? Just curious to see what everywhere else is like.....
 
cycloketocaine said:
How common is it for a program to hire its residents? Just curious to see what everywhere else is like.....
Click to expand...

I think that it's happening less now (in my area) but I think it's attributable to the economy more than anything. Most places aren't hiring, period. :(
 
cycloketocaine said:
How common is it for a program to hire its residents? Just curious to see what everywhere else is like.....
Click to expand...

depends on the year, depends on the residents. I think before the economy took a total crap it was more common for residents to get hired on, but now not everyone can afford the FTEs to bring them on.
 
njac said:
depends on the year, depends on the residents. I think before the economy took a total crap it was more common for residents to get hired on, but now not everyone can afford the FTEs to bring them on.
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That was one reason I turned down residency for staff job. I asked the Chief Pharmacist how confident he felt my chances were of being hired on after residency and he was not very confident he would have the opening then, though it's hard to say that far in the future.
 
Dalteparin said:
Listen to your gut. The worst thing you can have in a residency program is disorganization. If the program is not well-organized, the preceptors will be so focused on trying to keep their own heads above water that they won't have time to teach you anything. You'd almost be better off NOT doing a residency.
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I think residency programs would love to hire on their current residents. However, as njac said, it isn't always possible if there isn't an FTE open. It makes sense to hire a resident over a new applicant because the resident is already trained.
 
KARM12 said:
I think residency programs would love to hire on their current residents. However, as njac said, it isn't always possible if there isn't an FTE open. It makes sense to hire a resident over a new applicant because the resident is already trained.
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Yeah, AR Children's said they're already 1.5 FTEs over already, and were 2.5 over until an RPh left in Feb this year. So even if I end up there, I'm not counting on being hired on after residency. Long Beach might be more readily able to do so as they're still expanding this year, but we'll see.
 
Done with 9 interviews! I think the hard part starts now, especially since all my programs are pretty similar and I really liked all of them. We'll see what the 23rd brings.
 
Praziquantel86 said:
Done with 9 interviews! I think the hard part starts now, especially since all my programs are pretty similar and I really liked all of them. We'll see what the 23rd brings.
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Congrats and good luck!
 
Praziquantel86 said:
Done with 9 interviews! I think the hard part starts now, especially since all my programs are pretty similar and I really liked all of them. We'll see what the 23rd brings.
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I thought this too, until my last interview. I really clicked with everyone and the program, I hope they felt the same way.
 
Praziquantel86 said:
Done with 9 interviews! I think the hard part starts now, especially since all my programs are pretty similar and I really liked all of them. We'll see what the 23rd brings.
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Wow, that is a lot of interviewing. Good luck coming up with a rank order! I will be done this Friday, woohoo, I think I will only end up ranking 2-3 of the programs though, we will see. So far they have all been very impressive but a couple did not seem like the right fit for me.
 
Praziquantel86 said:
Done with 9 interviews! I think the hard part starts now, especially since all my programs are pretty similar and I really liked all of them. We'll see what the 23rd brings.
Click to expand...

I only have 2 to rank. AR Children's is unaccredited. They said they'd let us know before 3/11 so we can pull out of the match if they decide they want us and we want them. I actually like their program the best, so it works out for me to find out early.
 
nice to hear that some of you are done. I still have 3 to go, with the last being on 3/7.

Can we take a second to talk about how the match system works? I have read the nms website several times, but I just want to clarify.

If any program ranks you number one (or number 7 if the program has 7 spots), and you rank that program then you will match, correct?

Even if that program is your 5th choice, and you dont match 1-4, you will end up matching into that program, right? I just want to make sure I understand correctly.
 
NormalSaline said:
nice to hear that some of you are done. I still have 3 to go, with the last being on 3/7.

Can we take a second to talk about how the match system works? I have read the nms website several times, but I just want to clarify.

If any program ranks you number one (or number 7 if the program has 7 spots), and you rank that program then you will match, correct?

Even if that program is your 5th choice, and you dont match 1-4, you will end up matching into that program, right? I just want to make sure I understand correctly.
Click to expand...

Pretty much.

If there is a slot available at any of your programs during tentative matching and there is mutual ranking, you will match. That's why highly sought after programs can really be difficult to land because most of their highly ranked candidates have them as their first choice, so they don't go too far down on their rank list.
 
RX CARE said:
Pretty much.

If there is a slot available at any of your programs during tentative matching and there is mutual ranking, you will match. That's why highly sought after programs can really be difficult to land because most of their highly ranked candidates have them as their first choice, so they don't go too far down on their rank list.
Click to expand...

My #1 as of right now is a very sought after program, making the waiting game post rank order submission all the more miserable...
 
Going crazy waiting for March 23. One of my top picks is a brand new program (unaccredited) so it won't go through the match. I keep hoping they send me an offer so I can just withdraw from the match and be done!
 
pharm B said:
Are you guys mainly applying in your current or home state? What's the biggest number of residents you think a single system will take in? Just curious. :)
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Home city for me. And I don't understand the second question. Do you mean residents/site? Because that's site specific.
 
All4MyDaughter said:
Home city for me. And I don't understand the second question. Do you mean residents/site? Because that's site specific.
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Mind sharing your impressions of the local residency programs? I'm still a couple years out, but I'm trying to plan early. I'd be willing to go up to 300 mi away excluding a couple of really ideal programs for me. But I'm still quite curious as to what we've got here in town.
 
All4MyDaughter said:
I had my third interview yesterday and I really liked the place. So far my rank list is shaping up differently that I thought it might. That's cool, though. :)
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that's the way it went for me too, which is why I always advocate on the side of keeping your options broad.:thumbup:
 
pharm B said:
Are you guys mainly applying in your current or home state? What's the biggest number of residents you think a single system will take in? Just curious. :)
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I applied to 3 in CA (2 SoCal, 1 NorCal), and 3 OOS (MO, AR, TN)
As for most residents per system, depends on the size of the system USC takes more than 10, but that's 3 community, a few AmCare, a couple in concert with the VA, 4 (I think) at the University Hospital, etc. Intermountain Health in UT has about 4 sites, I think, not sure how many residents among those sites.
 
Farmercyst said:
I applied to 3 in CA (2 SoCal, 1 NorCal), and 3 OOS (MO, AR, TN)
As for most residents per system, depends on the size of the system USC takes more than 10, but that's 3 community, a few AmCare, a couple in concert with the VA, 4 (I think) at the University Hospital, etc. Intermountain Health in UT has about 4 sites, I think, not sure how many residents among those sites.
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I think it's highly variable. Here in Louisville:

University Hospital: 4 PGY1 and 2 PGY2
Norton Healthcare: 3 PGY1
Kosair Children's: 1 PGY1 (I think... maybe 2?)
SUCOP: 2 PGY1, 1 PGY2, 1 Drug Info resident
Humana: 2 PGY1

That's all the local programs I can think of.
 
Farmercyst said:
I applied to 3 in CA (2 SoCal, 1 NorCal), and 3 OOS (MO, AR, TN)
As for most residents per system, depends on the size of the system USC takes more than 10, but that's 3 community, a few AmCare, a couple in concert with the VA, 4 (I think) at the University Hospital, etc. Intermountain Health in UT has about 4 sites, I think, not sure how many residents among those sites.
Click to expand...

All4MyDaughter said:
I think it's highly variable. Here in Louisville:

University Hospital: 4 PGY1 and 2 PGY2
Norton Healthcare: 3 PGY1
Kosair Children's: 1 PGY1 (I think... maybe 2?)
SUCOP: 2 PGY1, 1 PGY2, 1 Drug Info resident
Humana: 2 PGY1

That's all the local programs I can think of.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the numbers guys. :) Just trying to figure out what some other programs look like, especially so I know how local programs compare.

I looked up my hometown on the match website earlier today (just out of curiosity) and we have only one residency program in the city. The good news is only a portion of my class is interested in pursuing a residency, and hardly anyone wants to stay in the area. :D
 
Can I ask how everyone with significant others are dealing with the uncertainty of where they'll go? Do people just go off on their own for a year or 2 during a relationship if their Sig-O has a job they can't afford to leave or can't find quickly at the (specific) residency site you match?
 
jnmnh said:
Can I ask how everyone with significant others are dealing with the uncertainty of where they'll go? Do people just go off on their own for a year or 2 during a relationship if their Sig-O has a job they can't afford to leave or can't find quickly at the (specific) residency site you match?
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From my experience, SOs have moved along with them or the relationship ended.
 
jnmnh said:
Can I ask how everyone with significant others are dealing with the uncertainty of where they'll go? Do people just go off on their own for a year or 2 during a relationship if their Sig-O has a job they can't afford to leave or can't find quickly at the (specific) residency site you match?
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This is why I only applied locally. My husband's job is too good to give up and besides, we can't do without his health insurance. We are also tied to this community in other significant ways.
 
jnmnh said:
Can I ask how everyone with significant others are dealing with the uncertainty of where they'll go? Do people just go off on their own for a year or 2 during a relationship if their Sig-O has a job they can't afford to leave or can't find quickly at the (specific) residency site you match?
Click to expand...

My wife and kids will come with me. Haven't decided for sure, but will probably stick around for the PGY-2 to help with continuity depending on where I end up.
 
joetrisman said:
Mind sharing your impressions of the local residency programs? I'm still a couple years out, but I'm trying to plan early. I'd be willing to go up to 300 mi away excluding a couple of really ideal programs for me. But I'm still quite curious as to what we've got here in town.
Click to expand...

Sorry, wasn't ignoring this request. I was just thinking about whether or not I should do this. After mulling it over, I don't think it's a good idea for me to be too specific on here. After all, I'm pretty easily identifiable and you never know who could be reading.
 
I finished my 6 interviews last week and it feels awesome! I'm going to certify my rank list this week, which is nerve wracking. My rank list coming out of interviews is the exact same as it was going in. The only explanation I have for this is that I was very familiar with all of the programs and directors before interviews.
 
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