Implementation and evaluation of a resident-run residency preparatory program for fourth year pharmacy students at an academic medical center

Service or Program: Residents at our institution planned and implemented a five part presentation series for fourth year students to offer guidance through the residency application process.  Each presentation focused on particular points and was planned so that students received information in a just-in-time manner. A survey was given to students prior to and after the presentation series to gauge the usefulness of the information provided.

Justification/Documentation: With the increased interest in residency programs nationwide, and a large number of candidates going unmatched, the application process has become increasingly complex. Insight from residents has been found to be particularly useful as expressed by students in reports of residency panels at pharmacy schools.  In reviewing the literature there are reports on student organizations and professors inviting residents to speak about the process, but nothing reported to guide and encourage residents themselves to offer guidance on preparation. 

Transferability: The students at our institution expressed a desire to receive further insight into the residency application process, and responses to our survey suggest that they perceived benefit to the preparatory series coordinated by residents who had most recently experienced the process.

Impact: 16 students completed the pre-survey and 6 students completed the post-survey.  On a scale of 1 to 4 (1 being least, 4 being most), students rated their overall understanding of the application process before the series at a mean of 2.68 and 3.92 after the series.  Students rated their overall confidence in the application process at a mean of 2.01 prior to and 3.92 at the completion of the series.  Noted differences were identified in the understanding of various aspects of the application process.Our project identifies an approach to residency application preparation that is novel in the literature and warrants further evaluation of the benefits for both pharmacy students and residents.