A place to share about interviews during the first part of the year, discuss projects, or anything else pharmacy residency. PGY1, PGY2, and beyond accepted!
2022 Residency Interview and Match Megathread
Since I know this is wanted, here is a thread for information and FAQ's about both interviews and the match. If you feel I have missed something I can put it at the top. RPD's and Preceptors especially if you see FAQ's that are missed.
Please put all basic questions in this thread.
Edit at the top for visibility: Please don't downvote questions in this thread. We are asking candidates to put their basic questions in here. Don't discourage that even if you think the question is stupid or gets asked too much.
Google Sheet for 2022
Note: The information on this sheet has historically been limited. Previous years sheets do not end fully filled out. Please take all info with a grain of salt.
ASHP Match Page
https://natmatch.com/ashprmp/applicants/index.html
Important dates
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2/14/22: Phase 1 Rankings Open
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3/3/22: Phase 1 Registration Deadline
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3/4/22: Phase 1 Rank List Deadline
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3/16/22: Phase 1 Match Day (Phase 2 positions posted beginning 12:00pm ET)
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3/21/22: Phase 2 Applications Open
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3/28/22: Phase 2 Rankings Open
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4/6/22: Phase 2 Rank List Deadline
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4/13/22: Phase 2 Match Day
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4/14/22: Post-Match (Scramble) Applications Open
How the Match Works https://natmatch.com/ashprmp/algorithm.html
Please review this page before asking questions about the match process.
Other Useful Links
ASHP Interview Skills Packet: https://www.ashp.org/-/media/assets/pharmacy-student/docs/Student-Residency-Guide/psf-residency-interview-skills-packet.pdf
List of Pharmacy Residency interview questions: https://www.idstewardship.com/list-pharmacy-residency-interview-questions/
Frequently Asked Questions
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Do programs send their invites all at once or on different days?
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Programs do both. Some programs send out a partial list of invites and then send out more based on who accepted an interview.
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Do all programs send rejection e-mails?
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All programs are supposed to notify applicants who will not receive an interview. However, the match rules do not specify what date this must be done by and this is one of the most frequently reported rule violations in previous years.
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I haven't heard anything, when should I assume I am not getting an interview?
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Most programs send interview invites by the end of January. However, applicants have reported getting invites into the first two weeks of February. Virtual interviews seem to have increased this practice.
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What is the best way to order my rank list?
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You cannot "beat" the match by ordering you list a certain way. The algorithm favors the applicant so the best way to order your list is your order of preference regardless of how well you think you did in each interview.
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I didn't love program X, do I still rank them?
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The best advice given on when to not rank a program I have seen is this: If you would rather not be a resident than spend a year at that program, don't match them. Otherwise, put them at the bottom of your list. The match is too competitive for you to assume you will get a residency in phase 2 or the scramble. That logic only works for programs.
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Does having a lot of interviews increase my chance of matching?
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No. Having a lot of interviews is only a reflection of your application. You can have 1 interview and nail it, get ranked number 1, and match. You can also get 10 interviews, bomb them all, and not match at all.
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Interview Presentation Advice from u/MassivePE For all of you residency applicants on the sub, we need to have a talk. Posting on this sub asking what you should do about your interview presentation(s) won’t help you. Stop asking.
The programs literally do not care what you present on (unless they give you a specific topic or guidance). No one on this sub knows what they want. That being said, let me give you some advice.
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Present something interesting that will make you stand out or make them remember you. It doesn’t have to be super technical or practice changing, just interesting.
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Use a presentation (or variation of one) that you have done before. Preferably something you’ve received feedback on from a clinical preceptor. This will take stress off of you as you will not have to start from scratch when you’re already stressing about interviews.
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Don’t go over the time allotted. Make sure you can deliver your presentation within the given timeframe including time for questions. You don’t want them to remember you as “the one who gave a 45 minute lecture” when they are ranking candidates.
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In all honesty, the evaluators probably don’t really give a damn what you are presenting about (again, unless they ask for something specific). What they want to see is how you present the information. They want to see how comfortable you are, they want to see if you can convey information to an audience, etc.
TL;DR: stop asking what you should present at and interview. Do your best and you will be fine. Try as hard as you can not to be a nervous wreck. Good Luck!
Anyone DNR a program within the first 5 minutes of an interview due to them being misleading about staffing requirement?
Some programs don't update their residency program page on ASHP or their own website. What was the program's requirement?
They decided after midyear to switch from every fourth weekend to every other weekend staffing which is completely their right to change, but I would not have applied if that was the case. Just frustrated that the website and midyear told a different story.
I missed the deadline submission for a presentation for an interview to be given beginning of next week (this was not clearly communicated to me or I otherwise would have done so sooner), I still submitted the presentation, however. Should I be expecting a DNR as a result? Help I'm dying inside
Do programs normally interview 3x the amount of candidates for their program? Or does it normally depend on the amount of resident positions they offer?
Managed Care RPD here We interview 12 for 2 positions. No real reason behind it... It's simply been the the best number to interview to get a big enough pool of candidates without overcommitting our Selection Committee. We have tried interviewing more/less in prior years, but 12 appears to be the sweet spot for our program.
After an interview, is it okay to email the RPD and to pass on the thanks to the other preceptors/admin or is it more professional to e-mail each person individually? TIA
What types of questions should I ask residents during an interview? I have a few in mind, but I was just looking for more that you have noticed helped you make your decision or that you wish you would have asked. Thanks!!
I've been asking about whether the staffing component has been enough experience. Some programs have once a month staffing requirement so I want to know whether they feel those 1 or 2 shifts per month actually prepare them to take on a staffing position
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Shoot I just noticed your flair, my bad. Did you mean in the case you wrote? Honestly that was my biggest worry for my own case too. I had so many people look at it to make sure it was right and not too hard.
If you haven't sent your thank you email yet, correct your answer in that. I did that in my own interview and matched at that location.
Wow I went to my first interview and I’m comparatively very under qualified. It’s gonna be a long 6 weeks.
You probably aren't as underqualified as you expect. Obviously you got an interview, so you were good enough for that. I have also found that candidates are often a little mistaken on what things make someone well qualified and what things are just CV fluff.
Freaking out about my upcoming PGY-1 residency interview at VA hospital. Not sure what to expect!
You got this! Make sure you can articulate why you want the VA specifically.
Is anyone able to edit the excel sheet? I see that multiple people can edit it by the times things are x’ed, but I can’t edit it personally.
What you can do is enable it to be edited offline. Then you turn off your wifi on your computer/tablet/device, go in and edit it, then turn your wifi back on on your device and go back into google sheets. Then it should show up!
Edit: It looks like someone deleted all of the interviews and rejection dates on the 2022-2023 tab. I can't see those rows anymore.
UGH!!
Luckily if you go to version history you can still see everything!
January 27th --> 2:14am version is right before the delete.
yeah.. I'm trying to see if i can restore but im not the document owner so i dont think I can
idk why but you just have to exit and enter the sheet until u get lucky and it lets you edit
i think maybe only 1 person is allowed to edit at a time?
As a PGY1, are there any disease topics you would recommend studying up on (e.g. diabetes, ID, etc)?
Basics. Asthma, diabetes, hypertension, MI, stroke, pneumonia. Many clinical questions will be testing your ability to reason more than your knowledge though.
If you require Phase 2, do you have to pay for applications again?
In previous years, you still pay the cost for additional applications (over the first 4) unless you already applied to that program in phase 1.
How many interviews is too many? Do candidates ever decline interviews?
I overapplied to programs because of paranoia and now have 10 interviews...still waiting on 6 sites to hear back from and am worried about double-booking issues and overextending myself.
I have a friend who applied to 25 programs and said he will have a hard cut off at 10 programs (unless his #1 contacted him) but idk how that works if his bottom 10 contact him before his top 15 😶
That's a lot of interviews, but it's also nice to have options. Just remember that you still have APPEs to pass. It's ok to decline future interview offers if you're feeling overwhelmed or have interviews at some of your top choices.
One of the interviews I have this week hasn't sent out the itinerary yet and I'm freaking out a little. I'm worried they DID send it out earlier but misspelled my email and that there may be expectations to do a presentation that I don't have ready. I'm totally catastrophizing. I emailed them and that's about all I can do for now 😵💫
Residency season is a crazy time for pharmacy departments. Add all the strain on the system from COVID and it's even more stressful. I think it's appropriate to contact via email as long as you worded it professionally. Sites may appreciate your patience during this time.
Thank you! They ended up emailing me a couple hours ago. Thankfully no presentations :)
Waitlist etiquette? To respond or not to respond?
I am so excited about a program that I think is truly a wonderful program in every aspect. I have been notified of waitlist via webadmit email. So the response would be sent directly to RPDs email. I may never land an interview there but regardless I still think they're great!
Do I respond to the waitlist email with a something along the lines of: "thank you," + "I'll be ready in case even last minute" + "But if I don't hear from you, so great to be considered"
Written professionally of course. Or, do I not respond and just do a little happy dance inside? I know waitlist odds aren't fantastic but I'm so hopeful and happy.
I don't think you need to reply :)
There is at least one Indian Health Service residency program missing from the spreadsheet. They were just accredited in May 2021, but they are a growing program and you may want to add. Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital
Also, the others are listed here: https://www.ihs.gov/pharmacy/resident/residencies/
Thanks!
Waitlist Question: So I know 2 students who applyed at the same place as I did, one got an interview offer email yesterday and the other got a rejection email yesterday - but I haven't heard anything either way. Can I assume I'm on the 'waitlist'? If so is there something I should be doing in the mean time?
Edit/Update: Turns out yes I was waitlisted, I didn’t reach out or anything but they just contacted me today via email to offer an interview! So I think it’s appropriate to wait it out, but maybe if it goes more than 2 weeks shoot an email? Not sure but in this case the waiting game paid off
I recommend continuing to wait and see, at least another week. Wouldn't recommend reaching out.
I am having the same concern. Would like some advice on what to do or if it's acceptable to reach out and ask or continue to wait and see.
What are PGY2 programs looking for in interview presentations? I’m applying to internal med programs and a lot have asked for a 20-25 minute presentation on whatever I want. Should I go with a patient case? Topic overview?
For my PGY2 presentation I did a review of Shingrix (this was when it was new). Overview of two trials, don’t forget your objectives and learner assessment questions to drill home the main points
Either of those would be fine
Was getting rejections like it was candy...decided to reach out to a couple of programs to find out how they were perceiving my application. I heard back that they believed I was well-rounded, competitive, and were impressed with my CV and experience. Turns out I had one letter writer rate me as "recommend with reservations" I am truly confused as to how someone could be so cruel as to waste their own time to write a negative letter. Even if it is the truth why not just tell me they wouldn't be able to write a good one and tell me to move on why allow me to submit it blindly to all my programs so I basically end up digging my own grave like a fool. Rant over...someone please tell me if this is the end of the world or not because I tried to check as many boxes as I could as a student and on rotation for one letter to be my downfall its almost a joke
I am wondering if this happened to me as well..
You won’t know unless you ask! I highly suggest you do, I phrased it like “would you be willing to provide me with some feedback for growth purposes or let me know how your team perceived my application” they were more than happy to let me know. And I was able to figure out the issue and try to do damage control lol
I just sent out a few emails asking for feedback! For damage control do you mean for phase 2 applications? If there’s a way I could get ahead of it now I definitely want to try 😅
Yea I was told to hold out until phase 2, I got in touch with my academic advisor and was told to reapply during phase 2 and to be prepared to address this during interviews if they decide to bring it up. I’ll come back on here with more advice I was given as soon as I get more!
That sucks, how did you decide to ask that person for a LOR?
Has anyone had an issue with receiving interview invitation emails (sent via PhORCAS)? I never received the initial invitation email for one of the programs I applied to (who sent it through a PhORCAS automated email list). If they hadn’t personally reached out to me, I never would’ve known I got an interview. Has this happened to anyone else? I’m worried this might happen for the other programs I applied to and I’d just be left in the dark. Thanks!
I had this issue as well. I reported this issue to PhORCAS. I haven’t heard anything from my 8 other programs. I am so worried too lol
Does the invite also show up in messages in PhORCAS?
Wo, wait, are you saying that you were invited to an interview via PhORCAS and didn't receive the email?!?! Please don't say it's another PhORCAS glitch.
Exactly that :/ I’m confused why I was the only one who didn’t get an email. I checked everything in my inbox and spam, and nothing
Is anyone else annoyed that programs with GPA cut offs don't acknowledge publicly what said cut off is? Like applications are expensive and I'd rather not waste $43 if I don't stand a chance.
I've heard of some PGY2s who applied to programs who already early committed but didn't updated ASHP :(
That’s ridiculous
That was a phorcas thing. Our program updated our early commit due dec 17th or 18th, and phorcas still listed the damn thing. We reached out to them they finally took it down no idea if they reimbursed people or not.
Damn. I forgot you paid per program. Wonder what is the average amount of money a candidate spends on this whole process?
When I applied last year I spent over $700 for ~17 applications.
Personally I’m sitting at about $700 but I know plenty of people over $1,500. Only in medicine would you have to pay to apply for a job.
Or publish
I would agree and feel this should be public knowledge for that reason, the only reason they may not is maybe they adjust it annually based on their applications? But I think that’s good feedback for a program… just not sure how you would give that feedback to them.
What is the etiquette on declining interviews? Or if I accept an interview at a program and then get an offer from somewhere else with interviews only available on days I’m interviewing elsewhere?
What changed from when you spent money on applying and being offered? If they only offer one time they MAY have other times but are just working with their schedule and multiple people at the same time. If you cannot make that time, say that and ask if there’s any possibility there are other options? If there are not, then up to you if you want to adjust another or say thank you, but unfortunately I will not be able to work that into my schedule. Thank you for your consideration
Is there a good way to reply to rejection emails looking for some guidance as to which parts of my application were weaker so that I can better improve my applications in the future?
The most common answer is you didn't have enough points on their nomogram and every program is different in what they value. I have received several of these emails from applicants and I have yet to give a different response. It's also an incredibly busy time of year in the middle of a another covid surge, so it can be challenging to reply to theses emails.
Personally I would not wait, since by the time people find out the match results it’s probably too late to use the information to adapt the application for Phase 2. Just don’t expect an immediate response or replies from each program.
I would wait and do so if you don’t match :) especially for some of the more competitive ones, it may be less a flaw in the application and more of just the circumstance of competition.
Does it look bad to re-use a presentation I have given in the past for an interview? One of the programs I received an interview at requires a patient case presentation. I have previously given a case presentation on rotation over an interesting topic, but the title is listed on my CV. Would it be ok to change the title and condense the presentation? Or would it look bad to not make a brand new presentation just for the interview…
Definitely reuse but also get feedback on it and make some edits so it’s even better the 2nd time around!
Absolutely reuse one that you’ve presented before and gotten feedback on. We aren’t expecting brand new presentations to be made.
Thank you for the input! That alleviates a lot of stress not having to make a ton of brand new presentations in a short period of time
Also Can you shorten and reuse a grand rounds presentation?
100%
How are PGY-1 and PGY-2 interviews different from each other? Ex: type of questions, clinical cases, people who interview you, number of candidates per interview, etc.
Yes. All those…
Do you have any specifics examples on these? What sort of things would they ask me that they don't ask PGY-1s?
They will be more related to your specialty, cases may be more related to your specialty or clinical questions. I don’t know your specialty and each program is so different so it’s hard to answer your question completely!
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I know this sounds impossible but - try not to worry about how "good" you did. The way the match works, you rank programs by how you felt and nothing else. Don't try and guess what they thought of you and rank those programs higher, it'll just bite you in the ass.
So ignore how good or bad the interview went and just focus on the answers you got to your questions, the vibe you got, and if you can see yourself at that institution. Like another commenter, I loved a certain program and really enjoyed my interview but thought I bombed it and they hated me. But I ranked them #1 and matched with them.
You can feel it
You probably won't know until match.
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It could mean that, not a guarantee though. For our program we def keep a few "wait listed" candidates after invites for initial interviews are sent out. This way if someone backs out of an interview another candidate can be invited. I can't speak for all programs but the ones I have worked with like to have a set number of candidates they enter into the rank list to minimize chances of going into phase 2. Trust me EVERY SINGLE program is going to try like hell to avoid phase 2. Not because the candidates are any better in one phase or the other, but because the amount of work and time it take to set up interviews, coordinate schedules, book rooms, and then meet to discuss candidates is a lot. All while still covering your service....
Sorry for the rant.
Can an program sent an invite out for an interview and then retract the invite?
Sort of. It's rare and usually due to a mistake on their end. Most programs have no reason to ever do this.
Thank you! This happened to me and they said it was miscommunication.
So far I’ve gotten 3 flat out rejections and I’m SAD. I’ve worked so hard to check boxes over the last 4 years, but of course so has everyone else. I know I shouldn’t take it personally but I’m taking it personally.
I received my first rejection and while disappointing, I'm trying to look from the aspect of at least I won't be holding out hope if the program didn't communicate.
I applied to 9 programs and so far one rejection and 2 others that have already given out interviews.
3 down, 6 to go to find my match!
Don't take it personally. I'm sure you are a great candidate but when you compete with other great candidates.. well someone is bound to get a rejection. It's not because you suck it's because everyone is so competitive, it might be little things they look at to distinguish. Depending on the program, the priorities "fit" might be different. If they love a high GPA candidate and one is 4.0 and you're a 3.95, maybe they interview the 4.0
*Edit: it's just an example, I'm not saying there are programs that put a significant emphasis on GPA
My friend took me to get ice cream when I got rejected from my top programs. Definitely keep your head up and don’t count yourself out. You’re still in this!
After 3 rejections and nothing else, I was going to take myself out for ice cream. But having applied to 26 programs, I’m afraid I’ll gain 15 lbs with this strategy.
But we’re definitely still in the early days of the whole process! We can do this!