It can be SUPER daunting to search for residency programs. There are so many out there, and they all vary on rotations, experiences, and more. It is also overwhelming to know what to look for in a program and how to keep it all organized.
Here are some of my top tips for your residency program search.
PS: I knew I wanted an ambulatory care focused residency so my search approach is based on this. Feel free to use these tips and apply it to the type of programs you may be interested in!
Where to search?
The #1 place to search is the ASHP Residency Directory. All accredited and candidate residency programs will be listed in this directory, so if it exists it should be there. You can search by program name, state, city, PGY year, and PGY subcategories. There are also advanced search settings, although I did not use that feature.
Let’s use UCHealth as an example. When you open and look at a program in the directory, you will find helpful information like the name of the RPD, starting date, application deadline, number of positions, stipend, and more. Sometimes they will include a link to their program’s website but not always. Some include a lot of detail, others are more basic.
As you can see, the directory won’t tell you everything about the program.
You can also use:
- Pharmacy residency websites. These are good for more detailed information on program structure, rotations, electives, and more. Will either be linked via ASHP Directory page or you can google search for it.
- Google for programs of interest (example: I googled “PGY-1 pharmacy ambulatory care focused” to find more programs to consider)
- Word of mouth. Ask your friends, current residents, mentors, preceptors, etc for any programs they think you would be a good fit for.
- Residency showcases. ASHP Midyear, ACCP Annual, and local/state conferences will have residency showcases with information about residency programs. This is a great time to ask questions for information you could not find online.
- Residency open houses. This was common in the year of COVID and something I really enjoyed. Keep an eye on residency program websites for information on possible virtual open houses.
- Residency social media pages share a lot of insider and behind the scenes information on programs.
Don’t be afraid to get creative with your residency search! I heard of my program from a resident and I also found lots of great programs just by googling.
Tip for ASHP Residency Directory:
The ASHP directory doesn’t offer filters for a lot of program characteristics that you want to know like staffing requirements, elective opportunities, etc.
And if you aren’t limited geographically, that is a lot of programs to click through and open.
If you have a particular area of interest that has a PGY2, you can search by PGY2 programs first, then look at what PGY1 programs they offer. For example, I searched for PGY2 ambulatory care programs, then looked to see if the PGY1 was ambulatory care focused or offered a lot of ambulatory care rotations.
How to organize programs? What should I look for in programs to compare?
I highly recommend using an excel document to keep track of programs.
I used column headings to organize different information and used it to help narrow down which programs I had already reviewed and narrow down which I ultimately applied to.
Columns should be things you are interested in. I thought of things like “must-haves” vs “would be nice”.
Some things I looked at (in no specific order):
- required and elective rotations
- ambulatory care scope of practice
- teaching certificate/opportunities
- staffing requirements and area
- PGY2s offered
- number of residents
- inverted research model
- culture of program
It is important to think about what you want from a program. Getting advice from current residents helped me determine what I wanted to look for.
Not sure how to make your own excel document? Use my blank copy to start your own (button below). I highly encourage you to customize it, rearrange it, and change/add columns to fit what you need.
How to narrow down programs to apply to?
This should be specific to you.
- Do the required rotations match your interests? Do they offer electives you want to take? How many electives can you do? Do they offer longitudinal electives? Make sure it fits well. If you are interested in pediatrics but they don’t have a pediatric rotation, that is not a good fit.
- If you are interested in a PGY-2, do they offer it? Not a deal-breaker if they don’t, but would allow you the chance to early commit if that is an option.
- If you are really interested in teaching, what type of teaching opportunities are there? Can you precept? Can you lead lectures and discussions? Can you be a TA? Is there a teaching certificate?
- Are you okay with staffing every other weekend or would you prefer every third weekend? Or every fourth? Consider how much this matters to you, impact on your work-life balance, other life obligations.
- What area of pharmacy are you staffing – inpatient main, decentralized clinical, administrative, outpatient pharmacy, or other? Or a mix?
- Do you want a large residency cohort or do you prefer a smaller group? Or do you want to be the only resident? I knew I wanted a bigger group to make friends and lean on each other when times get tough!
- How often do residents publish their research? Would you prefer an inverted research model? This is when you collect data and assess results from an already IRB-approved research study for the first half of the year, then propose and design a new research study for the second half of the year. This often makes more sense because it gives you time to learn the hospital and system before you begin proposing and designing a research study from scratch.
- Other things to look for may be more based on feeling and conversation rather than what you can read online. How is your interaction with the RPD? With preceptors? With the residents? Do residents seem happy? Do they have work-life balance? Are they well supported? These are things you can learn about during residency showcases or open houses prior to applying. Otherwise, you may not be able to determine this until you interview, which is okay!
Also, consider how “competitive” a program is. Usually, large university hospitals are more competitive than smaller hospitals or rural hospitals. The larger programs tend to get many more applications. The VA also tends to be competitive. Try your best to apply to a mix of competitive and less competitive programs. For example, even if you are the best candidate out there, you could apply to 20 very competitive programs and still not match because there are thousands of applicants you are competing with.
For those interested in PGY-1 ambulatory care focused programs:
- PGY1 ambulatory care-focused programs are not an official title via ASHP. So they will still show up under “PGY1” programs in ASHP directory. As I mentioned, you can search for PGY2 ambulatory care programs to find PGY1 programs with ambulatory programs. There are also programs out there without a PGY2 ambulatory care program but great ambulatory care PGY1 rotations, so keep an open mind when searching!
- States with strong ambulatory practice that I considered and looked at: CA, UT, AZ, WA, and NC (where I ended up!). There are likely many more, this is just the main ones I looked at.
- I always tried to ask more about scope of practice when speaking with residency programs because this can vary so much based on state laws, hospital system CPAs, and protocols.
- The VA system has many great PGY1 and PGY2 programs in ambulatory care. You can view all their residency programs on the ASHP Directory or on their website. I applied to 50% VA and 50% private/non-profit and really liked both options.
When should I start searching?
I started searching in September and October, with most of my serious searching in October and November.
Keep in mind, most deadlines are end of December. To give yourself enough time to prepare your letter of intent for each program, you should be done with most searching by early December.
ASHP Midyear Residency Showcase is in early December. The showcase is a great time to ask questions to programs you are on the fence about. If you already know you want to apply to a program, you do NOT need to talk to them at Midyear, especially if you are short on time! Use Midyear to get your questions answers that you couldn’t find online to determine what programs to apply to.
How many programs should I look at? How many should I apply to?
This is also very individualized.
Each program costs money to apply to. If interviews are in person (mine were virtual due to the pandemic), then you should also consider the cost of flights, lodging, etc.
Also consider how strong of a candidate you are. Residency is very very competitive. According to ASHP Match Statistics, only about 50% of applicants match during Phase 1. Statistically, candidates who apply to more programs were more likely to match. If you are not familiar with how the match works, watch this Youtube video.
Based on experience and speaking to other residents, I think a good number to apply to is around 10. More if you are not a strong candidate, less if you are really strong.
Regardless of your number, you should only apply to programs you are truly interested in and a good match for. Don’t waste your energy (and $$) applying for and interviewing a program you know you don’t want.
I really hope this helps! If you have additional questions, PLEASE feel welcome to reach out to me via DM on Instagram or email me.
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