Many of the programs I am applying to this year are doing virtual interviews. A few are having optional site visits in person that I am planning to attend. While I know the dress code for the interview itself is a suit with tie, does anyone have experience with the dress code for these optional visits?

I need to present a case within a 10-15-minute timeframe during my 20-minute session with the preceptor. Should I include essential information about the disease, such as its definition, epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and patient case overview? Or is it acceptable to focus solely on the patient case overview?

I have completed three detailed patient case overviews in the SOAP note format during my school and rotation, focusing primarily on cardiovascular issues. Each overview addresses four specific problems.

If I need to include general information and clinical presentation about the disease, I have a case that presents only one problem with a rare cancer that isn't commonly encountered. (They offer a PGY2 in oncology, but the interviewers for the PGY1 position aren't cancer specialists)

This program is my only interview but the hospital is on the verge of bankruptcy. Should I block out the noise and continue on or should I be more concerned?

Would love to start a thread of questions you weren’t expecting that you got on an interview so we can all help each other out:) I’ll go first : “tell me a time you went out of your way to help someone succeed”

Hello! As interviews are right around the corner is anyone able to give an example of what their patient case workup looked like? How much time did you have, what was the primary disease state, ect. Obviously every program is different but I'm curious overall to hear what other peoples have looked like. Thanks and good luck everyone!!

This might be a silly question. What should I wear to my in-person interviews? I few of them have mentioned touring the hospital and different location sites.

Should I wear a suit and tie? or would that be overkill? Or would it be appropriate to be dressed in business casual?

any advice is appreciated :)

I was thinking of making a presentation going over the new non-opioid drug Suzetrigine for my presentation. I am free to choose any topic of my choice but I felt since this was a new drug it would be interesting to present on. Would appreciate some thoughts on this and opinions on whether it would be a good presentation topic to do.

EDIT: STI guidelines are back up after 24h of downtime. Contraceptive guidelines are still not back up. I am still saving these resources in the event the administration decides to take any guidelines down again and not put it back up for an extended period of time

The current administration has taken down certain CDC guidelines for many things relating to sexual health. If you were like me and didn’t think to download them to your personal computer, I found a few links of people posting their own downloads for community use:

• @ adrianawongmd on Instagram links in her bio a folder of her PDFs of the STI guidelines, contraception guidelines, vaccine schedules (which are still up as of right now, but just in case)

• CDCGUIDELINES.com is independently collecting submissions from anyone who had CDC PDFs downloaded. They have PrEP guidelines, other contraceptive resources, screening tools

• CDC STI TX app is still on the App Store for download, same with vaccine schedules app

My own epilogue: I am a second year resident. I do not work in ID or a specialty field related to sexual health, but I still used to go onto CDC for their STI guidelines for my population. It is extremely worrisome and disheartening that this has been done so swiftly since January 20th. I am worried for current and future pharmacy learners who will not have these resources available to reference and will not be able to recommend the safest and most effective treatment options quickly. Of course it would be convenient to memorize these first and maybe second line options, but our schools and rotations teach us to just “reference the guidelines” in the chance we can’t remember something. I do this everyday. I fear for the takedown of more information or drug guidance that is provided by CDC or other federal agencies. I hope these specific guidelines will be restored soon.

Feel free to add your other resources below.

I received an in-person interview offer for program #1 and accepted. I also received an interview offer for program #2. My top ranked interview date for program #2 was 3/3 but ended up being scheduled a different day. Before I found out when the interview for #2 was, #1 emailed and asked if I preferred a virtual interview on 3/3 instead of in-person (which I do) but declined because was expecting to have #2 on this day. Can I email #1 and say actually I will take the virtual or does it look bad and I should just continue as is? I have not received a schedule yet and current interview is scheduled for the end of Feb.

Do programs begin ranking their applicants as soon as the matching portal opens, even if they still have interviews scheduled? The portal opens on February 18 and closes on March 7. I noticed that we can start ranking as soon as it opens, and I'm feeling a bit concerned since my top program interview is scheduled for the last week of February, which I selected.

I applied to VAs all around the country and got quite a few interviews, some I have already interviewed. However, today the Dean of Extracurricular Affairs in my school mentioned she had to relocate a bunch of PY3 students because they had the VA as their APPE and the hiring freeze included students and residents.

Has anyone heard anything about this? The VAs I have interviewed with have told me the freeze does not include them but I am now worried.

Hi everyone,

I had an interview today, and there was a clinical case where I was given 10 mins to work up a somewhat complicated patient - there were resources available. The patient had two main issues to address but 3 minor and I was so nervous that I got almost every thing wrong.

I am not an incompetent person, I was just nervous and working and trying to come up with the best options for the patient.

I explained my rationale but now that I am home, settled, and clear minded I noticed I made a huge mistake.

Does doing bad on the clinical case weigh a lot on the interviews?

Hi everyone!! (first time ever asking anything on Reddit pls bear with me) just wanted to ask what the best way to prep for these interviews are? Clinical wise anyone have any advice on what to brush up on besides guidelines? First couple of interviews start next week and any advice helps Ty!! 😭

EDIT: Thank you so much everyone for your kind and helpful responses 🥹. Nerves are a wreck anxiety is high and let’s be honest the buspar ain’t helping 🤧

PGY1 Candidates and PGY1 residents, what questions have you been/were you asked during your PGY1 interview? Clinical and nonclinical😃

I had my first interview this week and I definitely wasn’t prepared for the quality of my responses to go downhill after each session. I feel like I started off strong, but by the end of it, I felt like a candidate they would DNR because of how lacking my responses were. Do all of the panels hold the same amount of weight?

Hi everyone!

I’m a P3 currently exploring my options for residency (VA is #1 choice, but open for other options) for 2026 and would appreciate any advice or insight you might have on my eligibility and opportunities based on my background. All I have left are APPEs next year. What are my chances? Could you provide me with direct, honest feedback to help me better understand where I stand?

Here's a quick snapshot of my experiences:

GPA: ~3.1 (had trouble due to family reason).

Leadership Roles:

• Secretary and Treasurer in Student Class Government (2 leadership positions)
• School representative for a competition

Work Experience:

2 internship positions: one with 3 years in a medical center other one Less than 1 year

Working as TA for 2 years

Academic & Research:

Presented a poster virtually, and another one is showed at the conference (had to miss it due to personal reasons).

Volunteered as SI leader for a year.

SO, I was super nervous on my interview and answered 2 simple clinical questions incorrectly. How bad does this hurt my chances

Is it weird that at my interview today they asked if I was applying to any other residencies?

I applied to 10 programs overall and so far I’ve gotten one denial and one waitlist. I haven’t heard anything from the other 8. Planning to email them this week to see the status of my application. Wondering if the other 8 ghosted me or if some are just sending late responses. I’m really starting to panic.

I’m not going to pretend I know how resident stipends work, but with the current developing situation is there potential for pharmacy residents (or physician residents) not to get paid? It was my understanding that resident stipends were funded at least partially by the federal government

I've been hearing a lot of people get asked this and some other similar questions during their residency interviews. I personally have no idea what I would say, and I'm curious to know what others would say or have said in their interviews!

Hope everyone is doing good. Need a quick advice on applying for PGY1 after graduating 2 years ago. I have been working in Retail setting since year and half now. I know it is already challenging to compete with new grads but what is some advice you have for people who are thinking to go back to residency after gap years since graduation. Thank you all.

For current residents that matched during phase II, did you have to relocate out of state? If so how far?

Apologies if this has been asked before, I've used the search bar but the key words are so common that it brings up many posts that aren't exactly what I'm asking for.

I interviewed for PGY2s at PPS where I asked a ton of questions. Now that formal interviews are offered and I'm getting residency program manuals, I'm finding it difficult to find more questions to ask the program. If you have any examples of questions to ask or any advice I'd be very appreciative. Thanks!

What are some of the qualities or things that interviewees have done in their PGY1 interview that really made them stand out.

If you have a story about a really good experience with an interviewee can you share this?

Also, do you like when candidates answer certain questions with personal real-life experiences to show more personality or do you prefer they stick to professional experiences?

Thanks in advance!

I’m more than half way done with my acute care PGY1 at a medium sized hospital (300ish beds) and I’m still considering retail after I finish. Hear me out…

I have been moonlighting at a retail chain during my residency and I feel like my work life balance there is so much better than at the hospital. Though I do like the learning aspect of the hospital I’m constantly stressed about the “power” I have over these sick patients I don’t feel like what I do actually helps them. I go to bedside and counsel and interact with them as much a humanly possibly but still I feel like there’s so little I can do. The problems I solve for patients in retail albeit are much simpler, they actually benefit and they are more in a place where I feel like they can hear me. Maybe it’s because they are coming to me rather than me intruding on them at bedside?

I feel so conflicted, I don’t want to seem like an idiot for doing all this and then forgetting everything I learned to go to retail but they need good pharmacists too.

Has anyone done the same or have any advice?

Side note: I know the perils of retail, I’ve done it for 10+ years at a very high volume store so I’m familiar with the hell that is retail and would STILL consider it.

Yall…. Does anyone else feel like their work/ effort is so much worse compared to when they were a student or even pgy1? For example things like topic discussions as a student/early pgy1 I would have very detailed and organized charts and notes almost like study guides but as I’ve gone on my preparation for each topic discussion has just gotten worse and worse and I feel guilty for feeling so lazy

I know this is really my year to be learning things so I feel like I should really be hitting it hard but I also feel like I have nothing left to give. Mind you I am not doing bad in residency; I’m achieving on rotations and have never missed any deadlines, but I just wish my own personal motivation was as good as it was as when I was a student because I feel like I would be learning way more (or at least having better resources for myself) if I was :(

I guess this is more of an ode to the end than anything else

Is presenting on a benign hematology topic on an interesting, rare disorder appropriate since it’s onc-adjacent?

I don’t have a 25 minute oncology presentation that I have previously presented in PGY1, so I would have to make a whole new presentation, get preceptor feedback and practice presenting.

I’m in the process of creating an oncology one but it is a lot of work in a short timespan.

What advice do you have?

Hi all, I could use your thoughts.

I had initially failed my MPJE, and that delayed my staffing, but I’m fully licensed and have been for months.

I’ve failed 3 rotations in my PGY1. This all stems from a failure on my part to properly handle the expectations of the rotation. I’m a very detail-oriented person, very meticulous, and combine that with poor clinical confidence on my part— I struggle to pick up speed in my duties, and I get a little overwhelmed when things get busy. Worse yet, when I try and pick up speed I make errors with orders. It’s truly frustrating and I feel like I’m running up against a problem that I’m not sure how to address, especially since it’s this late in the year and I’m expected to be much farther than I am now.

One thing that frustrates me is that my preceptors have really hesitated on using the word “fail”. So for the first two rotations I really had no idea I would need to repeat the rotation. I would get feedback like I’m “not meeting expectations,” or “you’re behind where I would normally expect residents to be,” but never “you are in danger of failing this rotation and needing to repeat it.” I never seem to get that explicitly told to me until after RAC meetings, and by then it’s already too late. Even for this most recent rotation, I had explicitly sought feedback almost every day, and the consensus was I was behind, but my preceptor hesitated to say I would fail.

I had a meeting with my current preceptor, RPD, and pharmacy manager this past week. The consensus between them was I’ll need to repeat this rotation now, and while I “did not fail, the rotation was not successful.” Another meeting will be held tomorrow and I was told to come in with a plan and goals on what I what to accomplish for the residency. I’m already on an improvement plan for the error I had made prior when trying to improve efficiency.

I have some thoughts on how to improve, for instance I’m a tactile learner so maybe writing a log of everything I do in a day and reviewing it will help me? I’m just really concerned I won’t be able to pull this through, and my mental health is declining— I try not to internalize a lot of this, but it really is getting to me.

I don’t want to leave my PGY1, but I’m having a hard time figuring out how I can improve so quickly in such a short time. I’ve tried double checking everything, which has helped to minimize errors, but I struggle with “analysis paralysis” and I’m struggling to come up with a solution. I’m probably too hard on myself frankly.

I appreciate your thoughts on this, I’m really feeling down and I’m not sure where to go from here. I want to turn this around, and my program does not want me to leave, but I’m struggling to be my best advocate and find a way to fix this so quickly.