Assessment of Postgraduate Year 1 Residency Program Director Preferences and Priorities in Evaluation of Pharmacy Residency Candidates

Objective

Limited and conflicting evidence exists evaluating how components of pharmacy residency applications are prioritized by residency program directors (RPDs). This study aims to identify what pharmacy residency programs prioritize when selecting candidates to interview given the incorporation of new American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Pharmacy Residency Standards.

Methods

A Qualtrics survey was distributed to postgraduate year 1 RPDs across the United States. Programs were identified using the American College of Clinical Pharmacy and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists residency directory. Data were collected from October 23, 2023 to December 4, 2023, and priorities were captured using percentage weighting and rank order lists.

Results

Of the 1389 survey links disseminated, a total of 254 programs submitted responses for a response rate of 18.2%. According to RPDs, the highest weighted section of a residency application was the curriculum vitae (CV), with an average weight of 51.7%, followed by letters of recommendation, letter of intent, and supplemental application (if applicable) in descending order. Within the CV, programs valued work, leadership, and rotation experiences most. Ability to organize and manage time was reported to be the most important characteristic within letters of recommendation.

Conclusion

Based on the results of this study, when reviewing pharmacy residency applications, postgraduate year 1 RPDs prioritize the CV, followed by letters of recommendation and letter of intent. These findings could be used by RPDs when assessing current scoring rubrics and may help to inform the efforts of students and letter of recommendation writers when preparing individual components of an application.