Appendix B Factors to Consider When Evaluating Individual Programs

■ Type of training experience (postgraduate year-1 [PGY-1], postgraduate year-2 [PGY-2], fellowship)

■ Institution characteristics

• Geographical location
• Perceived reputation
• Type of institution (teaching, community, etc.)
• Size of institution
• Variety of sites (acute care, ambulatory care, etc.)
• Patient populations/services provided (geriatrics, pediatrics, transplant, etc.)
• Relocation/commute
• Diversity of the patient population
• Wellness or support programs available

■ Stipend/funding

• Cost of living
• Benefits (insurance, retirement savings fund, etc.)
• Public transportation
• Financial/resource support to travel to conferences to present

■ Staffing or service requirement

• Location of staffing
• Type of staffing (order entry, clinical services, on-call, etc.)
• Frequency of staffing
• Coworkers when staffing

■ Number of resident/fellow positions

• PGY-1
• PGY-2 (which specialties)
• Fellows (which specialties)

If the program has a postgraduate year-2 that is of strong interest to you, you may want to ask if they participate in the early commit process.

■ Residency program director (RPD) and preceptors

• Credentials and years of experience
• Qualifications and training of the preceptors
• Additional certifications (BCPS, AAHIVE, etc.)
• Accessibility and mentorship availability for residents
• Diversity of preceptors (age, gender, ethnicity, etc.)

If you can’t tell the difference with pharmacy credentials between CDE and CIA, you probably want to review this resource on the topic: www.pharmacycredentialing.org/Files/CCPWhitePaper2010.pdf.

■ Rotations offered

• Schedule format and flexibility
• Basic/required rotations
• Elective/optional rotations
• Unique possibilities for new rotations
• Offsite or collaborative experiences with other institutions
• Experiences in your particular area(s) of interest
• Flexibility in changing rotations if your area of interest changes
• Opportunities to collaborate with a local pharmacy program (if interested in academia)

If toward the end of your residency you have secured a future position (e.g., clinical job, postgraduate year-2, fellowship), you may want to ask if you can change your rotation to one that will better prepare you for the next phase of your career.

■ Current residents

• Behaviors and attitudes
• Opinions and experiences regarding preceptors, rotations, and program as a whole
• Reported pros and cons
• Suggestions for improvements
• Would they choose this residency if they were given the choice to do it all over again
• Future plans (what do they plan to do after they finish, did their residency experience play a role in that decision)
• Diversity of current or past residents

■ History of the program

• How many years since inception/number of previous graduates
• Where do their residents typically come from (e.g., specific pharmacy program, area of the country)
• Where did previous graduates obtain employment/how many residents have been retained
• Major changes to requirements, directorship, or program’s structure recently implemented or planned

■ Professional opportunities

• Networking
• Collaboration
• Involvement in professional organizations/committees
• Teaching certificate and/or academic experiences
• Publication and other scholarship opportunities
• Community service opportunities