Residency Interview Invites 2017

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Hey guys was wondering if anyone had any advice on this. So a program sent me an invite to interview and they gave me a list of dates and times to rank. I did and sent to them. But no response, it's been over a week, I emailed the director and even called no response. What do you all think?

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I just received an interview invite for Beaumont Hospital - Dearborn, Michigan. Any clue of what kind of questions they ask?
 
Hey guys was wondering if anyone had any advice on this. So a program sent me an invite to interview and they gave me a list of dates and times to rank. I did and sent to them. But no response, it's been over a week, I emailed the director and even called no response. What do you all think?

I would email and follow up.


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Hey guys was wondering if anyone had any advice on this. So a program sent me an invite to interview and they gave me a list of dates and times to rank. I did and sent to them. But no response, it's been over a week, I emailed the director and even called no response. What do you all think?

I had the same thing happen to me! Their firewall blocked incoming emails from outside of the hospital, and eventually they sent a follow up email. I'd try again with an email, and if they don't get back to you by mid next week, see if they gave you a number to call.
 
If you haven't heard from some of your programs for PGY1, is it safe to assume that it's a no at this point?
 
If you haven't heard from some of your programs for PGY1, is it safe to assume that it's a no at this point?
I'm wondering the same thing. I've not heard from two programs, not "we've received all your materials," nothing. Are we supposed to receive rejection emails from programs, or can I safely assume that it's a no from these two places?
 
I'm wondering the same thing. I've not heard from two programs, not "we've received all your materials," nothing. Are we supposed to receive rejection emails from programs, or can I safely assume that it's a no from these two places?
As has been said previously in this thread, yes, we are supposed to hear from programs. Per the rules of the entire process, programs must make reasonable attempts to contact applicants regarding their applications.
 
As has been said previously in this thread, yes, we are supposed to hear from programs. Per the rules of the entire process, programs must make reasonable attempts to contact applicants regarding their applications.

Unfortunately, hearing from current and previous residents that although this is an ASHP rule, they said a good amount don't actually let you know your interview status or will send rejections right before the match.
 
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Unfortunately, hearing from current and previous residents that although this is an ASHP rule, they said a good amount don't actually let you know your interview status or will send rejections right before the match.
Then those programs should be reported to ASHP so that future applicants aren't put through the ringer like this.
 
Then those programs should be reported to ASHP so that future applicants aren't put through the ringer like this.
I, for one, have every intention of filing a letter of complaint with ASHP regarding my dissatisfaction with absence of notification deadlines from site listings and will specifically mention by name any program from which I never receive a response. I will also ask that sites be encouraged to provide information about how students are selected for interviews and whether they offer interviews on a rolling basis, in rounds, or by some other method. If you too feel that there are parts of the residency application/match process that could be improved, I would encourage you to also bring it to ASHP's attention in a productive manner.
 
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I, for one, have every intention of filing a letter of complaint with ASHP regarding my dissatisfaction with absence of notification deadlines from site listings and will specifically mention by name any program from which I never receive a response. I will also ask that sites be encouraged to provide information about how students are selected for interviews and whether they offer interviews on a rolling basis, in rounds, or by some other method. If you too feel that there are parts of the residency application/match process that could be improved, I would encourage you to also bring it to ASHP's attention in a productive manner.


I also think that there should be a very clear description of what residency programs are looking for in a resident. Paying $40 to be rejected based on a requirement that I didn't know they were looking for just doesn't make sense (personal experience). I mean, for any other position there is a clear description of the skills requested and expectations of the applicant.
 
I also think that there should be a very clear description of what residency programs are looking for in a resident. Paying $40 to be rejected based on a requirement that I didn't know they were looking for just doesn't make sense (personal experience). I mean, for any other position there is a clear description of the skills requested and expectations of the applicant.

Did you talk to them at midyear?

I know I was pretty forthcoming with candidates about what would make a good fit


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Did you talk to them at midyear?

I know I was pretty forthcoming with candidates about what would make a good fit


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I'm very glad to hear that you and your program are very forthcoming with that information. However, not all students know the right questions to ask to obtain that information, not all programs are that forthcoming (I had several tell me, "We just want a well-rounded individual"), and not everyone is able to attend midyear. I feel it would be mutually beneficial for programs to publish some of this information as it would help applicants make better choices and reduce the volume of applications programs need to go through and respond to.
 
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I'm very glad to hear that you and your program are very forthcoming with that information. However, not all students know the right questions to ask to obtain that information, not all programs are that forthcoming (I had several tell me, "We just want a well-rounded individual"), and not everyone is able to attend midyear. I feel it would be mutually beneficial for programs to publish some of this information as it would help applicants make better choices and reduce the volume of applications programs need to go through and respond to.
What requirement did the program have they didn't tell you? I agree I pretty much only heard "flexible and well-rounded" when I asked at midyear.
 
What requirement did the program have they didn't tell you? I agree I pretty much only heard "flexible and well-rounded" when I asked at midyear.
That's exactly the problem- I don't know. The only requirement any of the programs I applied to was a 3.0 GPA at an accredited school.
 
That's exactly the problem- I don't know. The only requirement any of the programs I applied to was a 3.0 GPA at an accredited school.

I would assume it's just part of the site's checklist for applicants. They use the checklist to compare you against other applicants. I guess they could be considered as "soft" requirements. If enough applicants are hitting each component of their checklist, then why would the site interview someone if they only have one or two components of the checklist? Interviews are time and resource intensive for the sites. It would be nice if those checklists were available publicly :) The site that I did my APPEs at had a checklist that included stuff like GPA>3.3, research, 2 LORs that marked the candidate as "highly recommended", and other basic stuff.
 
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I also think that there should be a very clear description of what residency programs are looking for in a resident. Paying $40 to be rejected based on a requirement that I didn't know they were looking for just doesn't make sense (personal experience). I mean, for any other position there is a clear description of the skills requested and expectations of the applicant.

I'm sorry, but you sound ridiculous. It's pretty common knowledge that the general things programs are looking for include high gpas, work experience, leadership, research, teaching, etc. You can look at how each program values them and which they emphasize by looking at how they set up their program.

Programs can only interview so many candidates and they must choose out of those who apply. They take the top candidates that apply each year and each year it grows. A top candidate might not receive an interview just because of the depth of the applicant pool.

I'm sorry things didn't work out for you but really this response just reflects poorly on you. You could have done more digging, you could have sought guidance on what type of candidate you were and applied to less competitive programs and you could have put some of that energy into making yourself a better candidate throughout school.
 
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You have to ask questions and talk to people who have access to information. I assume your school of pharmacy has faculty that work at surrounding hospitals with residents or at least understand the process fairly well. I would be surprised is they were unwilling to sit down and talk about the process for selection of candidates. Also on rotations, select sites you would want to do a residency with or that at least have residents, so you get a real look at the program and can get real information about applying for residency. Residency selection is fairly universal, programs want people with higher GPAs, leadership, work experience, and research experience. If you are lacking in any of those areas, you are going to be hard pressed to get interviews with many programs. Clearly more respected programs will have more applicants meeting all of those criteria and only a limited number of slots for interviews. The real question is what did YOU do? Did you have your CV and Letters of Intent reviewed by preceptors who could make suggestions for content and formatting? Did you have strong rotations to allow for good experience and letters of recommendation? Did you put in effort to work outside of school, perform research, and or be involved? If the answers are no to those questions, then that is the issue. These programs do not have time to review every detail about you, literally, your CV and Letter of Intent can instantly get you excluded from an interview, even if you were a legitimate candidate.
 
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Anyone interview with Sentara Norfolk hospital PGY-1? Any advice or comments on your experience?

For ALL applicants, what types of case questions did you encounter on your interview? There is a case question segment of my interview and I'm trying to prepare! Thanks!
 
I'm sorry, but you sound ridiculous. It's pretty common knowledge that the general things programs are looking for include high gpas, work experience, leadership, research, teaching, etc. You can look at how each program values them and which they emphasize by looking at how they set up their program.

Programs can only interview so many candidates and they must choose out of those who apply. They take the top candidates that apply each year and each year it grows. A top candidate might not receive an interview just because of the depth of the applicant pool.

I'm sorry things didn't work out for you but really this response just reflects poorly on you. You could have done more digging, you could have sought guidance on what type of candidate you were and applied to less competitive programs and you could have put some of that energy into making yourself a better candidate throughout school.

No reason to be sorry. I was fortunate to receive a pretty decent number of interviews. I worked pretty hard in school to make sure I checked off all of the boxes needed for residency applications. I talked to my advisors, had excellent letters of recommendation (was told during interviews), and had my CV and LOI reviewed by five different individuals. I'm just stating that I've had frustrations even locating information. I've had residents tell me incorrect information, which lead to me not having a silly clinical research requirement. I've had residency programs with two different web pages for their PGY1 programs. I've even had difficulty getting answers during the interview process. I did my research, but I don't understand why there isn't a standard format. It would have made my application and interview process.
 
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No reason to be sorry. I was fortunate to receive a pretty decent number of interviews. I worked pretty hard in school to make sure I checked off all of the boxes needed for residency applications. I talked to my advisors, had excellent letters of recommendation (was told during interviews), and had my CV and LOI reviewed by five different individuals. I'm just stating that I've had frustrations even locating information. I've had residents tell me incorrect information, which lead to me not having a silly clinical research requirement. I've had residency programs with two different web pages for their PGY1 programs. I've even had difficulty getting answers during the interview process. I did my research, but I don't understand why there isn't a standard format. It would have made my application and interview process.
I would like to thank everyone for their comments regarding this conversation. I too feel that some tweaks to the application process would be beneficial. I am pleased with the interviews I was offered- but also a bit confused. I was given interviews at the programs I applied to as long shots but not ones I felt I was a good candidate for- as someone pointed out this may have been due to the other applicants or lack thereof. I know that changes have been made to the process over the years which have increased the number of positions being filled, such as adding a second round match. I hope that improvements continue to be made but recognize that this will only happen when enough feedback and proposals are made both to ASHP and the programs.
 
For those of you who haven't heard back from programs yet and finished all other interviews, are you going to start ranking them or wait before finalizing in case the program decides to offer an interview last minutes?

Is anyone reaching out to programs who haven't responded?

Just wondering has anyone received anything from New York Methodist?
 
For those of you who haven't heard back from programs yet and finished all other interviews, are you going to start ranking them or wait before finalizing in case the program decides to offer an interview last minutes?

Is anyone reaching out to programs who haven't responded?

Just wondering has anyone received anything from New York Methodist?

Exactly the same struggle I have, I think I'm gonna wait another week. Would love to get feedback from residents in the past on this issue.
 
I applied to Henry Ford in Detroit, but I haven't heard anything. I also applied to University of Michigan. I haven't heard anything from them either.
Sorry that I can't be more help :/
Did you end up hearing anything back from UofM?
 
Exactly the same struggle I have, I think I'm gonna wait another week. Would love to get feedback from residents in the past on this issue.

FYI you can update your rank list until the deadline even after you certify it


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Did you end up hearing anything back from UofM?
I haven't. Based on the amount of time I've been waiting, I feel safe saying it's a no. Their deadline was 1/6/17, and I've heard back one way or another from everyone else. Oh well :)
 
Good Luck to all,

We just completed our interviews.. about 20 applicants for 2 positions. About 10 solid applicants. If you're presenting, make sure you know your topic inside out, and please read the studies you're quoting.
 
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I also think that there should be a very clear description of what residency programs are looking for in a resident. Paying $40 to be rejected based on a requirement that I didn't know they were looking for just doesn't make sense (personal experience). I mean, for any other position there is a clear description of the skills requested and expectations of the applicant.
You know the programs do not get any of this $$$
 
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Good Luck to all,

We just completed our interviews.. about 20 applicants for 2 positions. About 10 solid applicants. If you're presenting, make sure you know your topic inside out, and please read the studies you're quoting.
That's definitely good advice. It sounds like you will wind up with someone great!

In defense of the other 10 applicants, candidates are typically putting together about 3+ presentations in a span of 2 to 3 weeks. On top of preparing for interviews, we have 40+ hours a week of rotation activities. Many of us are working 15+ hours a week as well. My guess is that the better presentations were the presentations that had been given previously and required minimal updates. If you run into one of us over the next few years, I think we would ask that you not hold our residency interview presentations against us. :)
 
Since this seems to be a general residency discussion thread for this application cycle, is anyone else having trouble ranking? Personally, I'm torn between my top 2-3 choices...
 
That's definitely good advice. It sounds like you will wind up with someone great!

In defense of the other 10 applicants, candidates are typically putting together about 3+ presentations in a span of 2 to 3 weeks. On top of preparing for interviews, we have 40+ hours a week of rotation activities. Many of us are working 15+ hours a week as well. My guess is that the better presentations were the presentations that had been given previously and required minimal updates. If you run into one of us over the next few years, I think we would ask that you not hold our residency interview presentations against us. :)

Note: I'm not involved in residencies or residency selection whatsoever. I don't even work professionally. I'm just a lowly P4 student.

If I were interviewing you, I'd absolutely hold your presentation against you if you did a poor job. It's your job to prepare. Residency itself is insanely rigorous, but you can't sacrifice the quality of your work there. Also, you've gotten this far. If you don't know what questions to expect for your presentation or what the data suggest on the topic you're presenting, that is really telling about your understanding of the significance of what you're presenting. AND that's the topic you chose to present on!

But I definitely empathize. There are some crazy requirements at some of these programs. One of my classmates had to essentially put together a portfolio for submission a week prior to her interview that included a clinical presentation slide deck, a non-pharmacy related presentation slide deck, two drug information questions and responses, a journal club handout, and a topic discussion handout. She essentially had a two week turnaround on it all. That seemed like overkill to me. Not to mention all the other time commitments you already mentioned. And on top of it all, the huge expense and stress of applying and traveling for interviews is really off-putting. There's no denying the financial stress involved. I really wish the pharmacy profession made more of an effort to make this cost effective for students.


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Note: I'm not involved in residencies or residency selection whatsoever. I don't even work professionally. I'm just a lowly P4 student.

If I were interviewing you, I'd absolutely hold your presentation against you if you did a poor job. It's your job to prepare. Residency itself is insanely rigorous, but you can't sacrifice the quality of your work there. Also, you've gotten this far. If you don't know what questions to expect for your presentation or what the data suggest on the topic you're presenting, that is really telling about your understanding of the significance of what you're presenting. AND that's the topic you chose to present on!

But I definitely empathize. There are some crazy requirements at some of these programs. One of my classmates had to essentially put together a portfolio for submission a week prior to her interview that included a clinical presentation slide deck, a non-pharmacy related presentation slide deck, two drug information questions and responses, a journal club handout, and a topic discussion handout. She essentially had a two week turnaround on it all. That seemed like overkill to me. Not to mention all the other time commitments you already mentioned. And on top of it all, the huge expense and stress of applying and traveling for interviews is really off-putting. There's no denying the financial stress involved. I really wish the pharmacy profession made more of an effort to make this cost effective for students.


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What you're saying is very reasonable, and presentation performance should definitely influence candidate ranking; however, I don't think presentation performance alone should influence someone's professionalism toward someone else in the distant-ish future. Given the time commitments required of students, it is difficult to put together something noteworthy on the spot. I gave three presentations. I was really proud of two of those presentations and less proud of the third. I didn't fail to answer a question on the topic or anything, but there wasn't anything special about it. It was just a regular presentation and people familiar with the topic probably would have been bored. My two better presentations were presentations that I had given on rotation with only minor tweaks. My third presentation had to be developed from scratch based on the presentation request.

Based on my own experience, I can confidently say that the presentations I did well on were a result of a greater amount of time spent preparing the presentation materials. An even test of candidates would require a presentation request that is either universal to the point where everyone has given a presentation of that type or so specific that every candidate will be starting from square 1.
 
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What you're saying is very reasonable, and presentation performance should definitely influence candidate ranking; however, I don't think presentation performance alone should influence someone's professionalism toward someone else in the distant-ish future. Given the time commitments required of students, it is difficult to put together something noteworthy on the spot. I gave three presentations. I was really proud of two of those presentations and less proud of the third. I didn't fail to answer a question on the topic or anything, but there wasn't anything special about it. It was just a regular presentation and people familiar with the topic probably would have been bored. My two better presentations were presentations that I had given on rotation with only minor tweaks. My third presentation had to be developed from scratch based on the presentation request.

Based on my own experience, I can confidently say that the presentations I did well on were a result of a greater amount of time spent preparing the presentation materials. An even test of candidates would require a presentation request that is either universal to the point where everyone has given a presentation of that type or so specific that every candidate will be starting from square 1.

I don't want to call anyone out, but the negativity of my original reply may have been a somewhat indirect and passive-aggressive reaction to a weird text box about "pretty nurses." We are supposed to be professionals; and, in this anonymous forum, one pharmacist represents all pharmacists.

Ahhh, gotcha. I misunderstood, thinking you were advocating for the presentation to not be considered in the residency application process, which seemed a bit weird to me. My apologies. But I totally get what you're saying now and agree.


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Since this seems to be a general residency discussion thread for this application cycle, is anyone else having trouble ranking? Personally, I'm torn between my top 2-3 choices...
Me too! Some programs fit me better than others, but I would be happy to wind up with any of the programs I interviewed at. I hope the programs feel the same way. I know our ranking can impact our odds of getting into a program, but I'm not really sure how the match program does the math. Based on the presentations at midyear, something like 95%+ of people wind up at one of their top 3 choices. It looked like the odds of matching with a program decreased almost exponentially with each slot a program moves down on your list. I wish the logic rules for the match program were published.
 
Me too! Some programs fit me better than others, but I would be happy to wind up with any of the programs I interviewed at. I hope the programs feel the same way. I know our ranking can impact our odds of getting into a program, but I'm not really sure how the match program does the math. Based on the presentations at midyear, something like 95%+ of people wind up at one of their top 3 choices. It looked like the odds of matching with a program decreased almost exponentially with each slot a program moves down on your list. I wish the logic rules for the match program were published.

I don't know how odds decreasing exponentially with each slot a program moves down on your list, but I know the more programs you rank, the more likely you'll be matched assuming you did alright during those interviews. Someone care to chime in?
 
Me too! Some programs fit me better than others, but I would be happy to wind up with any of the programs I interviewed at. I hope the programs feel the same way. I know our ranking can impact our odds of getting into a program, but I'm not really sure how the match program does the math. Based on the presentations at midyear, something like 95%+ of people wind up at one of their top 3 choices. It looked like the odds of matching with a program decreased almost exponentially with each slot a program moves down on your list. I wish the logic rules for the match program were published.

If you rank 5 programs but you were ranked number 2 by programs 1-4 and ranked number 1 by program 5, you could still get any of the first 4 programs if the number 1 ranked candidate matched elsewhere. Then, if you were ranked 1 for program 5 and you got bumped from the previous 4, you would match at program 5. So the only change is what order you rank programs. I don't think your chance changes in any way (except for if you match to a higher program, obviously the others down the list you will not match to).

The system will favor you no matter how you rank. Where I "think" it gets tricky is when you anticipate being ranked highly in more than 1 of your top programs and you need to decide how to rank those. I think it seems less likely to get programs further down the list simply because people are more likely to rank programs they liked and I would think that people would like programs they believed they "fit in" well with. So it seems natural (to me) that more people would match with a top program as opposed to one further down the list.

I am also torn between programs :) But we have a week to decide. Good luck!
 
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Me too! Some programs fit me better than others, but I would be happy to wind up with any of the programs I interviewed at. I hope the programs feel the same way. I know our ranking can impact our odds of getting into a program, but I'm not really sure how the match program does the math. Based on the presentations at midyear, something like 95%+ of people wind up at one of their top 3 choices. It looked like the odds of matching with a program decreased almost exponentially with each slot a program moves down on your list. I wish the logic rules for the match program were published.

I think the YouTube video that the match service has that shows examples of the algorithm explains it really well. It's hard for me to put that into words, but after seeing that video, it made a lot more sense.
Similarly, I'd be happy with any of the programs I interviewed at as well! For my top programs, the debate between them is a matter of geographical location vs. program/"fit."
 
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