2016 ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting- Viva Las Vegas
Where to begin?
Each year, thousands of pharmacy professionals gather to attend ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting. Every year, this convention is hosted in different cities around the United States. Last year, the Midyear was held in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year, the ASHP Midyear took place in Las Vegas, Nevada. According to the ASHP website, "MCM16 has been one of the LARGEST and one of the best Midyear Clinical Meetings of all time." I believe that next year's ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting is in Florida!
So what is so special about this convention? I do not even know how to explain how attending this convention has changed my life. Not only do you have the opportunity to visit and participate in the exhibits, forums, lectures, ceremonies, showcases, and personal placement services, you have the opportunity to network with pharmacy professionals from all over the United States. My partner, Kieu Lan Le (Pharm.D. Candidate Class of 2017) and I participated in this year's Clinical Skills Competition at ASHP Midyear. There were a total of 131 schools that participated in the competition this year (the highest participation from schools that there has ever been until now). While the competition took place on Saturday, December 3rd there were so many other events happening at the same time and scheduled until Thursday, December 8th!
Many students from the Appalachian College of Pharmacy, both P2, P3, and alumni attended and participated in this year's festivities. Dr. Michael Justice was our ASHP Advisor and ACP representative for this event. We had the greatest showing of ACP students at this event than at any other in the past! Way to go ACP!
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Here is what Alexis Park, a P2 at ACP, had to say about attending her first Midyear Meeting:
Student: Alexis Park, Pharm.D. Candidate Class of 2018
Position(s): ASHP Vice President, Phi Delta Chi Worthy Keeper of Records and Seals
What exhibits/lectures were you able to attend?
- Seminars such as Mysteries of the Match, Fundamental Strategies to Secure a Residency (Getting a Head Start as a P1-P3): It was a 101 on residencies, PhORCAS (ASHP residency application process), and the residency matching process meant for new attendees and anyone interested in obtaining a residency upon graduation.
- Clinical Skills Competition Final Round Presentations: Here, schools who made the top 10 after the Semi-Final Round were able to participate in an oral presentation round. This final round consisted of 2 minutes allotted to presenting the case and 8 minutes to answer questions from the judges. Questions included MOA and reasoning for therapy. Students needed to be prepared to answer any and all questions.
- Awards Ceremony and Student Society Showcase: I was able to exhibit and present a poster that the ASHP- ASP officers at ACP created for this year. The topic was on "Pneumoconiosis: Black Lung Disease" and how it has impacted the local Southwest Virginia community.
- Exhibit Hall: Pharmaceutical companies were able to display their current innovations and successes. Exhibit goers were able to explore and be introduced to new and upcoming projects.
- Residency showcase: This was a gathering of all residency programs from all over the US in one building. Each residency program was given a booth. Thousands of students were able to introduce themselves to the programs, ask questions regarding the programs, and exchange information. It was a wonderful way to network.
What did you learn from attending the Midyear Clinical Meeting?
I learned more about how the matching process (phase I & phase II) works. By attending the residency showcase, I was able to introduce myself and meet the program residents and directors in person. At the Exhibition hall, I learned more about the latest drug products and new technology systems from the companies. For instance, I now know that Daptomycin (generic Cubicin) was launched by Fresenius Kabi.
What was your favorite part of the convention?
I was able to learn more about the residency programs directly from the directors and current residents that I was interested in. It was a good time to network in order to get to know the programs that I may be interested in applying to in the future.
What advice do you have for students interested in attending Midyear in the future?
BE PREPARED! It helps to plan out where you want to go, what you want to do, etc. It is one of the biggest conventions for pharmacy professionals and is a little overwhelming for first timers.
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I was in Alexis's shoes last year. This year, I chose to pursue a different experience. In your final year of pharmacy school, students qualify to participate in a program called "Personal Placement Services" or "PPS" for short. Here, students are able to register, create a profile, and request interviews with potential programs. In a way, it is similar to that of the Residency Showcase, however, you are scheduled to speak individually with a specific program for 30 minutes. These programs are here to meet you and you them. Many programs are included and are not limited to PGY1 and PGY2 Residencies, Fellowships, and other clinical positions. Interviews are scheduled from Sunday - Wednesday from 8 am - 5 pm depending on the program. Interviews are scheduled in 30 minute blocks. I met students who had as many as 11 interviews scheduled in one day! Let's just say that I have never experienced anything like this before. What is the benefit? Well, many programs such as Fellowships require PPS participation and interview many of their potential candidates only during PPS. Residencies may or may not participate in PPS, however if they do, you are able to interview the programs 1 on 1. I was able to learn lots about the programs and about myself. PPS signups are available about a month prior to Midyear, it is to your advantage to do some prior research to see which programs offer PPS!
Advice? As Alexis stressed above... PLEASE BE PREPARED! If you are invited to talk to these programs, it is an official interview. It is important to be professional at all times so this includes demeanor & dress. The individuals you interview with and/or other candidates are potentially your future employers and coworkers, and if it has not been stressed before, please believe me when I say that the world of Pharmacy is very small. For instance... I interviewed with a program in Texas and the Director knew my current preceptor in Maryland. Lastly, although you are being interviewed, you are also interviewing the programs! So remember to relax, be yourself, and show them how great you are!
Things to bring to PPS?
Highly Recommended:
- CVs! Lots of them! One program recommended printing out 50 copies to have on hand.. I would recommend at least triple the number of interviews you are scheduled for. Many interviews were conducted by at least 2 individuals. Many times, the interview process for each program may require multiple interviews ("call-backs").
- Business cards: I would recommend paper-clipping/attaching them to your CVs.
- Portfolio binder: Use these to house your CVs, business cards (both yours and your interviewers), and pamphlets that you may receive.
- Thank you cards! (Many students wrote thank you cards after their interviews, and many booths had designated places to put them.)
- Day planner of some sort: I had Google sheets uploaded on my phone so I used it to help me keep track of my interviews. Some people brought physical day planners. Find a method that works best for you! Note... some programs will have multiple rounds of interviews during the few days and you will not know until you've had your first interview!
Aside from the amazing opportunities already mentioned... What are other awesome perks of attending?
Peyton Manning was the Keynote Speaker for this year.
Students were able to explore the city by day and by night.
Also, Michael Phelps made a guest appearance in the Exhibition Hall...
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about our experiences at the Midyear Clinical Meeting. It was great to see members of the ACP community in Vegas. Looking forward to next year! Keep up the great work everyone!
"If we wait until we are ready, we'll be waiting for the rest of our lives." - Lemony Snicket
