Students Preparing for Residency Application 

Prepared by the Residency Committee

Introduction:

A residency is an option for pharmacy students after graduation.  Generally, residencies are paid positions lasting one year, in which the resident receives intensive training in the practice area in which the residency specializes.  A residency is a great choice for students wishing to pursue a career in academia or "clinical" pharmacy positions. 

Although residencies are paid positions, they typically are paid at approximately one-half of the rate paid a staff pharmacist.  This financial burden may be partially offset; student loans can often be deferred during the residency-training period.

 Some types of residencies are:

·        Pharmacy Practice Residencies (General hospital residencies)

·        Specialty residencies:

o       Ambulatory Care

o       Family Medicine

o       Geriatrics

o       Oncology

o       Nutrition

o       Critical care

o       Psychiatry

o       Clinical community pharmacy

o       Nephrology

(Many specialty residency programs require having first completed a general residency.) 

Fellowships are another type of post-graduate training available for pharmacists.  Fellowships are generally two years in duration, and focus intensively on research of some type.  Like specialty residencies, many fellowships require an applicant first complete a general residency. 

Finding a residency

There are multiple ways to find a residency program, but probably the best is to participate in the ASHP "Residency Match".  The Match allows you to meet with different residency directors and to rank which program you most want to participate in.  More information about the match can be found at www.ashp.org.   The deadline for registering for the match is January 10, 2002.  The cost is $75. 

 The American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) also publishes a list of residency programs, and has this information available at their website (www.accp.org) 

Also, you can find out more about residencies at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting Residency Showcase.  Luckily, this year's meeting is being held in New Orleans.  The Residency Showcase will take place from Monday through Wednesday of the meeting week.  Again, more information can be found at the ASHP web site. 

Also available at the Midyear Clinical Meeting is the Personnel Placement Service. 

It is not necessary for you to participate in the PPS in order to obtain a residency, but some of the larger programs will interview only at PPS.   You can still register for Personnel Placement on-line at the ASHP web site. 

Deadlines for applications to the clinical meeting are fast approaching.  It is not absolutely necessary to go to the meeting in order to participate in the match, but it is highly advisable. 

Curriculum Vitae

All students wishing to participate in the Match or in the PPS should prepare a Curriculum Vitae.  A Curriculum Vitae is literally a story of your life (professionally at least).  Some students distribute C.V.'s at the Residency Showcase, but this is certainly not mandatory.  Some recruiters would prefer a simple card with your contact information at the point of the Showcase.  Sample Vitaes are available from any faculty member, or from the Clinical and Administrative Offices.  Of note:  Vitaes should contain no abbreviations of any sort, and should be completely error free. 

Additional information

For more information about residencies, please contact one of the members of the residency committee:

                        Chris Lynch                 clynch2@lsuhsc.edu

                        Lisa Ross                     ldigio@lsuhsc.edu

                        Justin Sherman              sherman@ulm.edu

Also members of the committee will be available to meet with you during the Midyear Clinical Meeting, to help you keep sane and on the right path.  We plan to meet Monday through Wednesday afternoons from 4 to 5 p.m. at a location near the Convention Center.  We will give more details about this as they become available.

 Local Residency Programs:

There are currently two pharmacy practice residency programs available in Louisiana:s

·        LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans

o       Contact:  Helen Calmes, Pharm.D.

§         Director of Clinical Pharmacy Services

hcalme@lsuhsc.edu

·        Ochsner Hospital of Louisiana (Jefferson, LA)

o       Contact: Debbie Simonson, Pharm.D.

§         dsimonson@ochsner.org