Why Should I Apply for a Residency?

Of course, I am slightly biased because I am a resident. But as clinical pharmacy continues to become more and more popular, I find that students are asking this question more often. ASHP published a really nice brochure that hits on a lot of the major points and questions when it comes to residencies, and it would be a good thing to read over if you’re still on the fence. You can find the brochure here: Why Should I Apply for a Residency?

People also ask me why I personally decided to do a residency, and the answer to that is simple: I love clinical work. You know those patient cases that you got in pathophysiology and Therapeutics? A lot of people hated them, I loved them. I liked sifting through lab values, putting the pieces together, and tweaking a patient’s medications based on what was going on, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to do any of that as a pharmacist without residency training. And voila! That’s how I knew I wanted to do a residency.

If residency is something you’re considering, then watch out for two posts later this week (tentatively Wed and Fri!) that will flesh out how I would suggest a student apply for a residency and what I learned during my own application experience. While the ASHP brochure is a really good overview, I wanted to write something a little more detailed and personal, because with something as big as applying for a residency, I wanted to make sure that no one was left in the dark. 🙂

Happy Monday everyone!