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49th Annual Meeting

OWNING CHANGE: Taking Charge of Your Profession

Leading future practitioners to success in postgraduate training and beyond.

Suzanne Turner, PharmDEducation and Residency Coordinator

Lee Memorial Health SystemFt Myers, FL

Disclosure

I do not have a vested interest in or affiliation with any corporate organization offering financial support or grant monies for this continuing education activity, or any affiliation with an organization whose philosophy could potentially bias my presentation

Objectives

Describe recent pharmacy literature focused on qualifications and preparation for postgraduate training.

Identify resources for mentors to employ when assisting students and residents in career planning.

Discuss practical approaches to mentoring students and residents on career planning using both formal and informal activities.

Objectives

Summarize the residency application process including the role of reference letters.

Develop an action plan for use when mentoring students and residents on career planning.

Action!

Included in the handout is an action plan document for participants to capture ideas for implementation with current and future students and residents

Self Reflection and Action! slides Audience participation and sharing of ideas

Document new ideas for use

Self Reflection Question

Why are you here and not out by the pool?

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2015 versus 2014 Match

5% increase in PGY-1 applicants

6.5 % increase in # of filled PGY-1 positions Total = 2640 PGY-1 positions filled

7% increase in PGY-2 applicants

12.5% increase in filled PGY-2 positions Total = 794 PGY2 positions filled 297 early commits

Match Statistics

Graduates seeking residency has increased 13% in 2006

30% in 2014

1755 unmatched applicants in 2015

Workforce

National Pharmacist Demand March 2015 3.55 , March 2014 3.35

Scale: 1(surplus) 3 (balance) 5 (demand)

ASHP Pharmacy Forecast – for the year 2017 72% believe ample supply of qualified applicants in

specialty clinical practice

95% believe ample supply of qualified pharmacists for entry-level clinical positions.

Learning Objective

Describe recent pharmacy literature focused on qualifications and preparation for postgraduate training.

What are Residency Programs Looking for? Abundance of surveys generated over the last few

years

No central repository of the survey responses

Streamlining the process for initial review of pharmacy residency applications: An analytic approach

Johns Hopkins saw a 25% increase in residency applicants in a two year period alone

Purpose Which characteristics of PGY-1 applicants were most

strongly associated with an offer for an onsite interview

Data was used to streamline the process for initial review of resident applications

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Study Methods

Two years of applicants were reviewed

Scoring rubrics were assigned to 13 characteristics currently scored in the applicant packet Scores for each characteristic were compared for

students who received interviews to those who did not

Identify the characteristics, as well as the strength of correlation for invitation to interview

Characteristics Reviewed

• Rotation experiences

• Letters of recommendation

• Professional association involvement

• GPA

• Letter of interest

• Community service

• Professional awards and scholarships

• Research experience

• Presentations

• Skills and certifications

• Pharmacy work experience

• General leadership experience

• Publications 

Results: Characteristics Significantly Associated with On‐site Interview

Professional association involvement

Presentations

Rotation experiences

Publications

Pharmacy work experience

Grade point average

Skills and certifications

Discussion of Results

Duplicative information Research experience: presentation and publications

Professional association involvement: leadership, awards, community service

Narrow distribution of scores; time to review not beneficial Letter or recommendation

Letter of intent

Self Reflection A collaborative approach to residency preparation programming for pharmacy students

Collaborative programming by The Ohio State University , student pharmacy organizations, faculty members, current residents and residency directors from local programs is offered to pharmacy students to improve preparation for the residency application and interview process

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Program Design

Longitudinal program from September through April

Available to all students in all years of pharmacy schools

Program included CV review

Mock Residency Interviews

Residency 101 seminars

Residency 101 Seminars

Introduction to residency and Midyear

Midyear meeting preparation and reason to attend

PhORCAS review and demonstration

Preparing for residency interviews

Match logistics and surviving the scramble

Post- Match P4 discussion

Participant Survey: Outcomes

Most valuable components ranked Preparing for interviews session

Mock interviews

Post match discussion

Improvement for follow up on CV review and clarifying target audiences

Participants had 15% higher match rate than national average

Action!

Have you heard about something that you would like to bring back to your institution?

Learning Objective

Identify resources for mentors to employ when assisting students and residents in career planning.

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Learning Objective

Identify resources for mentors to employ when assisting students and residents in career planning.

Self Reflection

Share additional resources you utilize for career planning discussions with students and residents. AJHP articles

Books

Networking

Action! Document new resources

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Learning Objective

Discuss practical approaches to mentoring students and residents on career planning using both formal and informal activities.

Formal: The Ohio State Program

CV review

Mock Residency Interviews

Residency 101 seminars Introduction to residency and Midyear

Midyear meeting preparation and reason to attend

PhORCAS review and demonstration

Preparing for residency interviews

Match logistics and surviving the scramble

Post- Match P4 discussion

Self Reflection

Review the program design for similarities and differences with your practice sites formal program for career planning.

Action! Document ideas to pilot at your institution

Mentoring Students

Find out what they want to know and tell them what they need to know Be well rounded

What does that even mean?

Do I have to have a specialty area?

Encourage them to ask probing questions to all preceptors and to LISTEN to the answers

Students Speak Up

Raise your hand!

Use your strengths, do not try to fit into what are the popular strengths

Tell us about your struggles and let us see how you deal with them. Emails, prioritizing workload, work-life balance

Informal Approaches

Conversations with your students and residents Tell them about your pharmacy careerWhat would you do differently ?

What was the best decision you made regarding your career and why?

Tell them how you Continually Develop yourself Professionally and the importance of CPD

What words of wisdom do you routinely provide to your students and residents?

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Informal Approaches

Highlight in the moment experiences that students have that are unique or will make them stand out

They may not know what is unique

Colleges

Who do students respect? Alumni, state or nation leaders, faculty

Bring in current pharmacist in various careers Discuss their career journey

Impart words of wisdom This is your future!

Make the most out of every experience

Provide students exposure to unknown practice sites early in their curriculum

Mentoring Residents

Leadership resources ASHP Foundation

Harvard Business Review

Consider your strengths and interests when looking at career options

You must be willing to take a role in your own development

Mentoring Residents

Be realistic with your goals and your timelines

Self Reflection

Action!

List new ideas you heard for informal mentoring of students and residents on career planning

Learning Objective

Summarize the residency application process including the role of reference letters.

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Residency Application Timeline

CV development and review Ongoing

Reference writers During APPE rotations

Contact programs of interest November, prior to Midyear

Development of letter of intent

Residency Application Timeline

PhORCAS and Match registration

Update CV

Residency Showcase at ASHP Midyear

Request transcripts

Confirm reference writers Communicate application requirements and deadlines

to reference writers

Customize letter of intent to programs

What are Programs Looking For?

The Johns Hopkins study Professional association involvement

Presentations

Rotation experiences

Publications

Pharmacy work experience

Grade point average

Skills and certifications

What are Programs Looking For?

Small survey of Residency Program Directors Comments and feedback are outlined in next few slides

Opinions are varied

Discussion welcome!

CV Development

Use formal resources to identify samples

Review of CV by mentors Formal program through ASHP

Informal

Ask for input from more than one person

CV

What training programs and employers want Formatted and professional

Pet peeves Inconsistent formatting

Typographical errors

Bulking up, overselling

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Letter of Intent

Most personal part of the written application process Opportunity to highlight yourself

First impressions Formatting , grammar and length

Why my program

Letter of Intent

Must include Information specific to the program Just enough, don’t overwhelm

Genuine areas of interest match our program strengths

Length should not be excessive Define excessive

Letter of Intent

Don’t want to see Extremely personal information or too touchy-feely

All buzzwords, no substance

General letter with no mention of program name or any key elements of the program

Addressed to wrong person

“Hey Bill”

Self Reflection

What are your preferences or pet peeves for CV and Letters of Intent?

Number one piece of advice regarding CV and Letter of Intent development for students and residents?

Action!

Reference Writers

Who do students think are the best people to ask to write them a letter of reference?

Reference Writers

Who training programs want as references Clinical Preceptors

Supervisors

Professional Organization mentors

Faculty

Leaders in Pharmacy

Deans

Personal

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Serving as a Reference Writer

Key questions to ask when a student or resident asks you to serve as reference writer. Who else is serving as a reference?

What is the unique perspective that you are providing?

What activities did you observe the student providing during your interactions on rotation/organization/ in class that you will highlight or should be highlighted?

Serving as a Reference Writer:

Your discussion should also include Student identified strengths and weaknesses

How does the training program or institution/position meet their interests?

Areas for development identified during your interactions. Be clear to the requester that you will include areas for

development

Other points for discussion?

Reference Writers:

Preceptor Pearl Take notes during and at the end of each rotation

directly onto the ASHP PhORCAS form

Can be a segway into a career planning discussion with your student

Do for all students You will be surprised at who may end up applying for

residency!

Reference Writers:

What do you do when The student is average

You don’t feel comfortable writing the letter

PhORCAS

PhORCAS Form evaluates 13 characteristics

Exceeds, Appropriate, Fails to Meet what is expected to enter a residency program. Each characteristic exceeds!

Fails to meet

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PhORCAS Characteristic Comments Useful comments are those that are ______.

Concise

Use adjectives

Quantitative

Include examples specific to the practice area of the program

Match the score assigned to the characteristic

PhORCAS Narrative Comments

Degree of independence and if increased or reduced over duration of rotation.

Skills compared to peers.

Two strengths and how they will be beneficial in a residency program.

Two areas for improvement and how a residency program will be able to work with these areas.

Self Reflection

What are program directors and preceptors looking for when reviewing the PhORCAS form?

What are the most important components of the Residency Application?

Action!

Residency Showcase Advice

Some basic tips Know the program

Have questions

Be respectful of time

Don’t travel in a pack

Be yourself

First impression matter Be engaged

Maintain professional communication at all time

Closing Remarks

Has the “ideal residency candidate” characteristics changed over the last 20 years?

49th Annual Meeting

OWNING CHANGE: Taking Charge of Your Profession

Leading future practitioners to success in postgraduate training and beyond.

Suzanne Turner, PharmDEducation and Residency Coordinator

Lee Memorial Health SystemFt Myers, FL

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References

Rider, SK, et al. A collaborative approach to residency preparation programming for pharmacy students. AJHP June 1, 2014. 71: 950-955

Ensor, CR et al. Streamlining the process for initial review of pharmacy residency applications: An analytic approach. AJHP October 1, 2013. 70: 1670-1675

Bookstaver, PB et al. Roadmap to PostGraduate Training in Pharmacy. 2013 McGraw Hill.

Preceptor’s Handbook for Pharmacists. Cuellar LM. BinsburgDB. ASHP 2005

ASHP WebSite www.ashp.org