Pharmacy Residency Podcast: Residency Interviews and Advice

The job market ain't pretty, but it's clear that people who have jobs tend to have a much easier time getting another job. Those that wait for the perfect position end up waiting a lot longer. These are my thoughts on this year's residency graduate's opportunities. Need help with a cover letter or letter of intent, head to https://www.residencyhelp.com/

Residency applications will rise sharply in addition to the number of applicants as three factors push them forward. In this episode, I outline why I think this cycle will be much more competitive than the last. Need help with your LOI? Visit residencyhelp.com or email me at tonythepharmacist@gmail.com 

Many people look at location as the #1 residency differentiator, but knowing if you will be a lone resident versus a part of a team is a much different experience. Your birth order (or how you generally find satisfaction working with others) is important in knowing where to apply. Apply wrong and you'll be a mismatch, apply right, and it will seem a natural fit. Contact me at tonythepharmacist@gmail.com for help with your Letter of Intent. 

Block 1 has likely been a nightmare for current P4s, but how you explain and deal with it is what residency programs are looking for. In this episode, I talk about some big changes that might happen with the showcase, applications, and how you can be ready. If you want to reach me, use tonythepharmacist@gmail.com 

The one certainty right now is uncertainty. What really makes someone essential? NPR had a story about a healthcare worker who thought they were essential, but is now laid off, one of 1.4 million from April. In this episode, I talk about what it takes to make sure you are essential as a current or future resident or pharmacist. Want to contact me or need help with writing a Letter of Intent or Cover Letter, email tonythepharmacist@gmail.com

A residency project can take up a ton of your time if you let it, but knowing what you want to do, what looks good on a poster, and having a storyboard of the objectives, methods, results, and conclusions can make it a lot more fun. Also, if you are looking at getting a residency, this is a great exercise to start thinking about how to brand and distinguish yourself as an expert in an area. 

Dr. Hillary Blackburn of the Talk to Your Pharmacist Podcast is running for the APhA-APPM Executive Committee and Diana Harshbarger is running for Congress. I encourage you to support them both. For APhA, here is the link to vote: https://www.pharmacist.com/apha-elections

A student of mine published a short book in Block 9 of our Academic APPE together and I thought I'd share it with you. I'll talk more about the process in another episode, but here's his book. https://www.amazon.com/Pharmacogenomics-Personalized-Approach-Patient-Care-ebook/dp/B087KQWBQD/ If you want me to edit your book, I have a minimum charge $75 for the first 5000 words and 15 cents a word thereafter. 

Hiring is kind of off right now in all areas, I wanted to explain why this is happening and when I believe it will ease up. I'm hearing NAPLEX authorizations to test in August to October of 2020 which is going to make things difficult for everyone, hopefully, this is regional. 

This is a video podcast episode that you can also find on my TonyPharmD YouTube channel. Here's the link to the documents I used. https://www.residencyhelp.com/coverletter

For those interested in Academia as a profession, I've released a five video series that I use in the first week of my rotation that you can look at here: https://www.residencyhelp.com/appe Also, good luck to those students for the Phase II Match tomorrow, can't believe April 8th is already here! 

If you had more than one interview, you are likely going crazy trying to figure out which to rank first, second, third and so on. On e the one hand, you think you have a better chance at one residency, on the other, you think, I really want to be here. In this episode, I go over my thoughts on how to make those tough decisions. Email with questions tonythepharmacist@gmail.com 

I go over what's going on as we graduate a new pharmacy school class into the Coronavirus madness, a few notes about residency next year, and how the organizations are trying to help. 

If you want to become a professor/instructor, you can do a remote Academic APPE with me, we would focus on online teaching, publishing, and brand/career topics. Email aaguerra@dmacc.edu or text 410 299 7522 and let me know your situation and I can see if we can work it out and make it a good fit. 

Two important Facebook groups Pharmacist Staff for COVID-19 https://www.facebook.com/groups/187817265995139/ and LTC Connection https://www.facebook.com/groups/LTCPharmacistConnection/ will help keep you connected and in the know. I also address job security concerns, canceled APPEs, and residency working around those who cannot graduate.