Hi everyone, I need help coming up with a CE topic. Anyone have any cool ideas/where to look for ideas? Please and thank you! 🥺

Question above ^^

Not sure if you give a notice… if so, how much of a notice? or will it likely be that they tell you not to come back the next day? I’m a PGY2

** edited to clarify since people don’t seem to want to give a simple, straightforward answer: there’s no negotiation I want to have at this point. A lot has led up to this and we’re all fed up with it. Just wasn’t sure how residents do this (i.e., is there a 2 week notice type deal) since I guess I don’t understand what the point of finishing a rotation would be.

Since onc is such a learning curve how did you manage to remember all the different regimens and pathways?

From just one rotation as a PGY1 I feel more comfortable with supportive care, TLS, etc.

I feel conflicted with going through a whole year of something that I barely know anything about, whereas crit care for example you already may have a good foundation knowledge.

I love knowing the why behind things and onc was super interesting in school I am just terrified to commit to something and end up not liking it since we don’t really dive into the onc portion as a PGY1

Sorry for the long winded post.

My institution requires every 3rd weekend (20 hours) Evening/night staffing once/week (4ish hours) And an extra 30-60 minutes on a different day of the week. No comp days or time away from rotation.

I’m curious what other institutions require

I graduated in May with my PharmD and I had some personal stuff come up so I wasn't able to follow through with some fellowship stuff I was applying to last year. I really would like to avoid working in retail and with the bad job market it's been tough to find something, so I was thinking about applying for a PGY1 in managed care. I was really involved in AMCP at my school and wanted to get advice on how I can approach applying to residency 1 year later and properly addressing it in my cover letter, etc.

I've heard a lot of varying opinions about the different managed care residencies and I feel kind of lost about it all (health plan vs pbm, remote vs in person etc.) and what kinds of stuff I should be prioritizing so if there is anyone I could message about that or if anyone has any advice, I would really appreciate it!

I’ve been at my current position for about eight weeks. Albeit, training for most of it. I want to wait another month before I ask for feedback about my solo-performance but I’m not sure how to do so and who to ask. It was easier asking for feedback when I was a resident

Hi! Would love some advice on this. I am doing my PGY1 at a relatively large hospital and always thought I’d do a second year but honestly am just burnt out and want residency to be over. I love my program but I think just being in school for so long has finally caught up to me and I am just ready to feel like I’m not dedicating all of my time to my career.

I am curious though, this year has kinda solidified that I don’t think I’m super interested in hospital pharmacy (lol). I could definitely do it for a few years but I would really like to go into industry or admin.

Just wanted to hear y’all’s thoughts, is a PGY2 worth doing if you don’t think you want to be a clinical specialist? If it will help broaden my options/jf a lot of positions prefer a PGY2 I’m willing to do one but I guess I don’t know the utilization. Thank you :)

Hi! I’m currently at an PGY1 program that doesn’t have very much pediatrics, I’ll have one rotation in the NICU after applications are due. I’m looking to see any advice on applications for pediatric PGY2s or PGY2 residencies in general. I haven’t had any rotations with preceptors who did a pgy2 yet this year. any advice is greatly appreciated!

Hi, was wondering if anyone had any insight about any of the following programs in the Chicago area. I mainly want to ask about staffing experience and how genuine the preceptors are.

• Cook County
• RUSH University Medical Center
• Mount Sinai Hospital Medical Center
• Ascension Resurrection
• Ascension St. Mary’s
• Advocate Lutheran General Hospital

There is limited info on websites for the Ascension hospitals and Mount Sinai (is this possibly a red flag?)

Also, not all of the programs have current/past resident info or any showcase or virtual meeting details on the website. I’m not sure if it’s worth applying to these programs since there is so little information I can find. Wanted to ask on here before narrowing my options due to these reasons.

Thank you!

Hi everyone, I am a P4 student. I’m looking for some advice on my letter of recommendations. My current plan was to have a letter from my boss (I work at a hospital), one of my APPE preceptors, and my advisor who’s a faculty member at my school.

One of my friends suggested that I get a letter of rec from a former preceptor of mine who is the RPD at my top choice hospital. While I would love to have a letter of them, I’m worried that it might be too much. I work at that hospital and a longitudinal student. And then if I have them write a letter, then all my letters of rec will be from the same hospital. I was talking to someone and they were saying I shouldn’t have 3 letters coming from the same hospital and to have at least one letter come outside the system to make me look more well rounded, which is why I chose my advisor.

However, I think this RPD’s letter of rec could help me with other places I will be applying to. But I’m worried that having them write a letter for the same hospital with me already working there and having a longitudinal there may be too much. I was just going to hope the RPD would just advocate for me. I’m just very confused.

Do you think my original plan is fine or should I ask this person? Do you think 3 letters from the same system is too much?

Edit: Also I had that rotation with the RPD a couple months ago. Maybe I should’ve asked them then 😓 Idk if it’s too late now.

Hi I am a resident in a community PGY1 program. I am not doing so hot right now, to the extent my RPD has expressed some concerns about my performance. I feel like he has been extremely accommodating all throughout and I just continue to fail to meet the bare minimum. This feeling of defeat feels more overwhelming especially because I've never felt that way in school. What's even worse is that I'm struggling in a community program which is supposedly less rigorous than a traditional inpatient one. Not to invalidate my own struggles but I do think that is the truth. I feel like the longitudinal projects are piling on all at once and I'm just feeling super swamped. On top of that the social anxiety and the fear of being judged for my poor performance actually makes me sick. Despite all the support from my RPD and preceptors (they are really great btw), this program has taken a toll on my mental health. As rewarding as it is, I just don't think I'm good enough to successfully make it through the end. If anyone has any similar experiences, I'd love to hear how you got through it.

I am a current PGY1 considering doing a PGY2 in oncology. I did not have any APPE experience, and like most, had the minimal didactic experience in oncology. However, I did find it fascinating in school and was able to pick up on the material quickly. I was able to do an oncology rotation in my residency, however I have been finding the material difficult. I do realize that oncology is a steeper learning curve since we come in with minimal experience. My preceptor has also been discouraging in that they think that if I can't handle this rotation, I won't be able to handle a PGY2. It's also not that I can't handle the rotation, but recall/memorization has not been as quick for me as it has been for other rotations where we've had a stronger foundation (ex: internal med).

I guess my question is for PGY2 oncology residents (or any PGY2 residents), how much would you say your prior experience of oncology is important? Would I be setting myself up for failure if I've only done one onc rotation and haven't been at the level I have during my other rotations? I know self-learning is big a part but to what extent would you say? How are the preceptors? Any other advice is appreciated! Thank you!

Hi all!

I am currently a P4 about halfway through my APPEs. I am having a difficult time narrowing down which programs I want to apply to. My interests currently lie within emergency medicine and critical care. My boyfriend and I are looking to explore and are willing to move to almost any state. I was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions for areas/health systems that provide a good exposure to these areas. I know that's such a vague request, I just can't believe how many opportunities are out there, it's so overwhelming. I'm also open to any advice for searching for a program. Thanks in advance!

I'm a PGY1 resident and I'm struggling.

A bit of background for my situation: My pet that I've had since I was a teenager had to cross the rainbow bridge 2 weeks before graduation and the day of graduation I was notified that my parent was put on hospice. A couple of days after graduation I went to Florida where my parent was staying with family that was supposedly "helping" them but that was all a lie. They were discharged from a long hospitalization a week ago before I arrived. My extended family is two-faced... they were all happy I was there to take care of my parent and nurse them back to health but they also expected me to help clean (AKA pick up after my cousins) their massive house. I cooked, cleaned and took care of my parent who at first was getting stronger but then decompensated. It turned out they had a cirrhotic liver and never got their lactulose picked up.

I decided I couldn't leave them here to die so I packed up what I could and flew back home to the midwest them. As soon as we landed we went to the ER since my parent also needs supplemental oxygen due to their advance lung disease. After discharge we stayed with my sibling and their fiance which was better since they didn't expect me to clean up after them but I still was by myself cooking, cleaning and taking care of my parent full time like before. They went off hospice had a bunch of follow up appointments for transplant candidacy... throughout this whole time I didn't anytime to study for my NAPLEX or MPJE.

It seemed like they were getting stronger and we were really hopeful for everything but then they decompensated again which landed them intubated in the ICU and after 5 days they passed away.

All of this took place from May to August. We came back to the midwest at the end of May which was when I let my program know about what was happening. They offered my to either defer my start date, defer the whole residency all together to the next year (though it would have been difficult on their end and it wasn't guaranteed), or reapply for next year.

I chose to delay my start date.... now 2.5 months in I failed my NAPLEX and MPJE, my evaluations repeatedly stress my work up is lacking and I have below average resident foundational knowledge. I had a meeting with my program director and they told me that they see I am overwhelmed and floundering under the surface and sinking and asked me if I can commit to residency. Before they asked me that they were talking about how they are not asking me to leave the program but that residency doesn't have to happen now but maybe in the future. I told them that I literally have no financial safety net and I'm financially responsible for my cousin (they recently immigrated to the US) and still dealing with everything my parent left behind. They offered the thought of me work as a tech, which is fine.

But I'm just so hurt overall that they can't trust me to pull through by the end of the residency year. I worked so hard on all my residency applications and interviews, so hard in school. But I also don't want to close a door by committing and failing. I have an old boss of mine that I'll be talking to for some advice as well.

Hi everyone, for anyone who took BCIDP exam recently, did you get asked about COVID-19? It seems like this is an area where things may be changing fast so I am not sure if I should study the newest guideline for it. Thank you!

Unrealistic preceptor requirements were previously discussed here.

Looks like in Sept 2024, they removed standard 4.6.c which listed examples of "demonstrated professional engagement in the field of pharmacy". Preceptors required THREE of several criteria to be "qualified".

It was a lot. I imagine sites were struggling to prove that their preceptors were "qualified", especially for smaller sites.

Thoughts? Does anyone have the old standards? I'd like to see the exact language of those two removed criteria.

Hello everyone,

P4 Student thinking about letter of recommendations for applying to residencies. Unfortunately both my Gen Med and Institutional Rotation are in the spring, since I was originally interested in industry, but no longer the case, and I know RPDs look for the LORs from clinical preceptors.

1. Do you think I’m at a disadvantage for this? I’ve at least had my amb care rotation already and know that preceptor can write me a good LOR, but even my community rotation was a unique independent that was fully outpatient so there was no opportunity for me to showcase patient counseling/answer questions

2. Does it look bad to have my IPPE preceptor write me an LOR? Even though it was an IPPE rotation, I made it clear I didn’t want a basic tech role, and she allowed me to follow APPE students on ICU rounding, joined and contributed to topic discussions, did presentation for AMSC, created an abx formulary request, and worked on an abx protocol with her. We got along well and know she would write me a very strong LOR.

For reference my current plan is to go with amb care preceptor/professor, pharma industry preceptor (v strong LOR), and professor/Masters program advisor who I’ve done research with (also strong LOR)

Thank you in advance !

According to their website here are the differences:

Relevant updates from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) for the 2024–2025 respiratory virus season include:

• All influenza vaccines will be trivalent (not quadrivalent). An influenza B strain will be removed because it is no longer circulating.
• The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine is recommended for everyone age ≥ 75 years, in addition to people age 60–74 years with an increased risk of RSV.

https://pharmacy.uworld.com/guideline-drug-updates-errata/

here also the differences of the books since 2020

2020 to 2021

• Updated Drug Information: New drugs approved by the FDA and updates to existing drug information.
• Guideline Changes: Adjustments to clinical guidelines and treatment protocols.
• Errata: Corrections to any errors found in the 2020 version.

2021 to 2022

• New Chapters: Addition of new chapters covering emerging topics in pharmacy practice.
• Practice Questions: Updated and new practice questions reflecting recent exam trends.
• Study Tips: Enhanced study tips and strategies for exam preparation.

2022 to 2023

• Drug Formulary Updates: Changes to the list of commonly prescribed drugs and their formulations.
• Case Scenarios: New case scenarios to help students apply their knowledge in practical situations.
• Visual Aids: Improved charts, tables, and illustrations for better understanding.

2023 to 2024

• Regulatory Updates: Updates to pharmacy laws and regulations.
• Technology Integration: Information on the latest pharmacy technologies and their applications.
• Safety Guidelines: Updated safety guidelines and best practices.

2024 to 2025

• Immunization Updates: Changes to immunization schedules and recommendations1.
• Respiratory Virus Season Updates: Specific updates for the 2024-2025 respiratory virus season, including changes to influenza and RSV vaccines1.
• New Practice Cases: Additional practice cases to reflect the latest exam format and content.

Hope it helps

Hello! Looking for any advice regarding residency. Currently I am a P4 halfway through my APPEs. Before starting fourth year, I was really interested in critical care and emergency medicine. Having done some rotations my views have changed and I am now questioning whether or not I should pursue critical care. Some other areas that interest me are internal medicine and transplant. For me I want to retain alot of the knowledge I acquired throughout school and not specialize too much. I like a challenging fast paced environment and like to see something new everyday. Any advice helps!!!

Hi! I'm in the process of applying for my program's early commit for PGY2 and am looking for some help/advice.

How different should my LOl be from the one l applied for PGY1s with? Quick background, I have been very clear in my attentions/area of interest from my original LOl to my interview to throughout the past 3 month. For those of you who have completed this process, what all did you include in your LOI?

Additionally, for my CV, should I keep my APPE rotations?

Any and all advice is appreciated! If anyone feels comfortable sharing their LOl or CV I would greatly appreciate the inspiration.

Hi! I am a P4 student and am currently looking at programs that have PGY2s in both ambulatory care and psychiatry, as I am torn between what I want to do (I know I have plenty of time). I would love a PGY1 that would allow me to early commit to one of these later on and would prefer not to move between years. Anyone have any recommendations on places to apply?

Hi all, Im wondering if anyone whos completed the FPGEE and is currently doing their internship hours has any advice on applying for a PGY1. I was curious to know whether people have applied for their PGY1 whilst doing their intern hours, in time for residency to begin. I wasn't sure whether to submit my applications for PGY1 this coming year or the year after my intern hours are completed? I wont be able to realistically finish my NAPLEX and MPJE until July

I’m a P4 on rotations right now and I’m interested in applying to residency. (Acute care focus with an care electives) I know for residency usually 3 letters are required. Right now I have 2 people confirming that they will write me a positive letter. (One from acute care rotation and one from school professor) I am currently on my ambulatory care rotation and I was planning on asking my preceptor to write me the third letter. But this rotation has not gone as what I was expecting. There’s a lot of remote days and my preceptor is extremely busy and I don’t feel I’ve really built a connection with her. I also did not think I had outstanding performance during this rotation.

My question is, should I still ask my am care preceptor to write me a letter or should I ask another pharmacist that I worked with during my acute care rotation. (My acute care rotation was a mixed rotation that you rotate through different specialties each week) Is it okay to ask two pharmacists from the same rotation site for 2 LORs? (Different specialties) I think this other pharmacist from my previous acute rotation might write me a stronger letter than the am care pharmacist but I’m just worried that it doesn’t look good/looks repetitive to have 2 letters from the same rotation.

Thanks in advance for your advice and please feel free to share your letter writers when you applied!

I am a PGY1 pharmacy resident and honestly I just feel so burnt out and tired daily that it is hard for me to build the connections and want to ask questions to my preceptors. Mentally I feel like I am pushing along and trying to take things day by day and I feel inadequate daily. I am trying my best but it feels like my co-resident is doing so much better than me since he is more vocal. I feel I am struggling to express myself and I am feeling like I am lost.

Anyone else feeling this way?

Was looking at some PGY-2 programs in the KC area and noticed their websites indicated interview required at MidYear. I know the interview process is slightly different than going into PGY-1, but besides for simply reaching out and inquiring about the program, is there anything I can do to put myself in a better position for an interview? Is that interview simply an entrance interview to be offered the formal interview process like PGY-1? Hate that it feels I'm just starting to get comfortable at my PGY-1 site and it's already time to start thinking about these things, haha.

Anyone know how long it takes to get BCPS scores back now that it’s continuous testing? Still full 60 days?

I am looking for someone to review my letter of intent. Any feedback will be appreciated.

I am a current P4 on rotations and I am researching programs to apply to this cycle. I was wondering what helped you narrow down your list of programs and what’s the average number of programs to apply to?

I’m a PharmD with over 15 years of experience. I found my upward mobility has stalled. I work at a large academic center. I’ve considered going to community hospitals but all those around me are financially strapped, and could close in the very near future.

So another option I’m looking at is biting the bullet and doing a residency. I plan to sit for the BCPS next year. I got my MBA four years ago. I have seen some projects through the completion, but also find I am often not selected which I attribute partly to my lack of a residency.

I had about a 2.8 GPA Pharmacy school. I was going through a divorce at the time. I’m not even sure how relevant that will be at this stage.

If a candidate like me shows up in your pile of applications, what would you like to see to let you know that I’m serious about this and that I can handle the rigors.

I’ll just state that I haven’t decided to do this yet. It’s just an option. I’m not actually interested in hearing if I should or should not take this path. That’s a different discussion for a different day. This is hypothetically saying I take the plunge. How could I best sell myself to you?

Hi all! I wanted to through out a couple of questions about PGY2 recruiting. I am a current PGY1 and am starting the PGY2 hunt. It seems crazy to be subjugating myself to this again. But never less I have some questions for folks that have come before me.

It seems like the recruiting almost more intense and personal. But any advice or comments about how PGY1 vs PGY2 process went. How important are attending virtual open houses, showcases, “Meet the RPD”seasons or PPS?

At this point of the year I feel like my schedule is absolutely packed. And I don’t know how much time I really have to give to these events.

Any advice is appreciated! Thank you!!