Rush to Residency at ASHP Midyear in Orlando
ASHP just recently celebrated its 75th anniversary. ASHP (American Society of Health System Pharmacists) works to promote the pharmacy pharmacy, improve medication use, and improve patient safety. ASHP Midyear is THE conference to go to if you are even slightly interested in residency or health system pharmacy. The annual Midyear meeting sees over 20,000 attendees from across the world. This meeting provides valuable opportunities for education on new products, professional networking, residency information, and new practice updates.
This year's midyear meeting was held at the Orange County Convention Center in sunny Orlando, FL. As a P3 who's interested in residency, this meeting was a must to get information on residency programs throughout the country. Midyear also allows students to network with other pharmacists and pharmacy students throughout the country. Receptions are held for several different groups such as Kappa Psi, Phi Delta Chi, Virginia Pharmacists, and many more. With so many student pharmacist organizations, this also provides you the chance to reconnect with former classmates or other students you have met during past meetings.
Picture is of the ACP Community Residency Booth
Pictured from left to right: PLS member Ian Wells, PLS Alumni and ACP Resident Chris Clark, ACP Residency director Dr. Michael Justice, PLS Treasurer Mark Arroyo, ACP Student Dre Wiltshire
The residency showcase provides you the chance to speak with any residency program you're interested in as well as programs you were unaware of. However, you only have 3-4 hours to meet with all the programs in your radar. It is best to come to the showcase with a relative game plan, because some programs are incredibly competitive. If you plan your time right, you will be able to speak with many possible future employers. Below is an image of the madness that ensues during the showcase.
Pictured from left to right: ACP P3 student Dre Wiltshire, PLS and ACP Alumni Dr. Courtney Sims (currently a PGY-1 Resident at Sentara RMH in Harrisonburg, VA), PLS Class of 2018 President Ryan Endicott, PLS member Class of 2018 Ian Wells
If you don't fully know what setting you want to work in, I would highly recommend giving ASHP Midyear a chance to change your mind. During the meeting, you can speak with so many other students and representatives to give you information on many different pharmacy settings. With all the education and professional opportunities being offered, it's easy to forget about all the great social opportunities. This year ASHP held a social event at The Groove, and they also booked Universal Studios for a night and all meeting attendees got in for FREE!!.
Since these meetings have thousands of attendees, it is rather expensive to attend. For those who worry about financing these trips, ACP allows several opportunities to have your costs partially or fully reimbursed. The student chapter of ASHP at ACP typically reimburses some (if not all) of registration costs depending on how many students are planning to attend. You can also get your FULL TRIP PAID FOR if you are the president of your ASHP student chapter, win the local ASHP Clinical Skills Competition, or present a poster. These are things to consider as a P1 and P2. It is incredibly important to take on leadership positions and develop good relationships with your professors.
Pictured is PLS Class of 2018 President Ryan Endicott presenting a poster at Midyear on his research done with Dr. U.S. Rao at ACP on his Research Elective Rotation
For those future P2s and P3s, I would highly recommend following these few tips when preparing for residency and ASHP Midyear:
-Dress Professional: First impressions are key, and you need to dress appropriately.
-Become a leader: There are several leadership opportunities in the numerous student organizations, and you should consider running for these positions. This helps your resume/CV, gives you something to talk about with others, and can make conference travel expenses more manageable
-RESEARCH: Read up on the educational seminars prior to the conference. Many interesting and beneficial seminars are occurring at the same time, so it is crucial to have a plan in order to best manage your time. Plus, the conference centers are HUGE and can be difficult to navigate if you aren't somewhat familiar with the location.
-If interested in residency, use the ASHP website to learn about all the different residency programs. There are residency programs throughout the entire country, and they are all different. Each program will have different learning opportunities, requirements, and benefit packages. It is best to go in with background information in order to make the interactions more pleasant.
-Work on your interview/communication skills. We have a few opportunities to practice interacting with others in certain classes, so you should use each opportunity as a chance to become more confident in your ability to communicate. The residency showcase is your first chance to impress possible employers.
-Talk with upperclassmen about their experiences. You have classmates who have done this before and can provide great insight on how to make the most out of your time.
-BRING YOUR BUSINESS CARDS AND CV. You will never know who you may meet, and they may want to contact you in the future. Some residency programs will request a copy of your CV or business card, so bring enough to get you through the trip.
Look for an email regarding our upcoming Spring Informational Event "Residencies and Fellowships" (date TBD). For anyone interested in joining Phi Lambda Sigma-Delta Iota Chapter, we will be sending out an email with more information on our application process in the coming weeks. If anyone would like more information on ASHP Midyear, residencies, or Phi Lambda Sigma, you can contact a current member or email me at ryan.endicott@students.acp.edu
