Roadmap to Residency | Residency Application Timeline
The Roadmap to Residency is an exciting time for students. It can be filled with long weeks/months of challenges and deadlines so let’s get started early. Today, I’ll be talking about the Residency Application Timeline – this post will be specific to Pharmacy Students. You may also call this Post-Graduate Training that includes Residencies or Fellowships (more information below).
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Getting started early in the process can help save you hours of anxiety and frustration in the future. Here is my opinion on how to tackle this Pharmacy Residency Timeline for ASHP-accredited PGY1 programs:
P4: Pharmacy Year 4 Timeline
Note, if you can get started with some of these tasks during P3 spring or during time-off between APPE rotations, I highly recommend updating your CV and looking into programs you are interested in early on. It can be overwhelming if you have not kept up with revising your CV on a quarterly basis throughout pharmacy school and have a wide range of interests with a long list of sites you are interested in.
July: Begin updating your Curriculum Vitae (CV) & Make a List of Potential Letter of Recommendation writers
August: Make a List of Potential Residency Sites you are interested in, Compile in an Excel file for easy comparison, & Investigate if these sites have scheduled Open Houses to learn more about their program (Open houses likely in fall)
September: Ask your ideal writers for a Letter of Recommendation & Register for any Conferences to attend – ASHP, ACCP, CSHP or your local state conference, Make a List of Potential Residency Sites you are interested in
October: Prioritize what Residency Sites you are most interested in & will attend Open Houses at & Visit their booths at Residency Showcase during conferences
November: Follow-up with Letter of Recommendation writers to ensure they are on track to complete your LOR by the deadline (likely near January 1st), Finalize any travel plans for conferences. Request transcripts be sent to PhORCAS.
December: Attend ASHP Residency Showcase & possibly Personal Placement Service (PPS) if appropriate (not required for PGY1 but highly recommended for PGY2). Finalize list of residencies to apply to. Finalize applications. Submit applications before deadline (likely near January 1st).
January: Submit any outstanding applications. Wait to hear back for Interview Invitations. Start preparing for interviews with practice questions, sessions and portfolio preparation (if you will bring a portfolio to showcase during your interview with presentations, examples, etc)
February: Interview. Begin thinking about your Rank List & review instructions for rank order lists
March: Submit Rank Order List. Receive results of Phase I Match. Begin Phase II Match if necessary.
April: Finalize Phase II Match if necessary. Sign contracts as requested by residency programs. Begin applying for licensure exams (depending on state)
July: Most residencies begin at the end of June or first week of July.
What about P1, P2 and P3 pharmacy students?
I encourage you to get involved with intern positions, volunteer service, co-curricular activities, leadership positions and research opportunities early on during pharmacy school. If you are able to attend a conference prior to P4 year, this is ideal. I attended several pharmacy conferences starting from my P1 year and this was invaluable for me in understanding the process, schedule and networking that occurs at each conference. Get involved with submitting research abstracts for poster presentation at conferences.
What about fellowship opportunities?
Fellowship positions may or may not go through the same ASHP-accredited Match Process. If they do, the timeline above will apply. If not, please see each individual program for specific deadlines. Likely, fellowship positions will require similar documentation with CV, Letter of Recommendations, Transcripts and Letter of Intent.
Interested in templates for your Curriculum Vitae (CV) and Letter of Intent (LOI)?
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Jessica Louie, PharmD, APh, BCCCP is the CEO of Clarify, Simplify, Align and Host of The Burnout Doctor Podcast. Dr. Louie uses her signature Burnout Doctor Method to coach burned out pharmacists & professionals to simplify because work-life balance is a LIE. Align work into your life & break free from people pleasing, perfectionism and thrive in life on YOUR TERMS.