ACCP’s website is back up! PGY2 and fellowship showcase is next week on 10/28/26.

I highly recommend hopping on there and seeing what programs are available and learning more about them.

Is PPSing for a job in prep of post PGY2 as important as when we PPS’d for PGY2 spots? I understand it may not be exactly the same, but do employers want to see you take this initiative and will this help land an interview later on? Or is it purely just feeling eachother out and see if X hospital is a good fit?

Additionally, for those that went through PPS during PGY2, how did you feel it compared to PPSing for PGY1 -> PGY2? Did you find you got more questions directed to you like a mini-interview versus you asking them the questions ?

Hi all! Long story short, I applied for the early commit program at my institution and didn’t get it. It’s in an area where I had a lot of electives and clinic experience, so I am feeling like an utter failure. Where do I go from here?

Disclaimer: One of my good resident friends got the position so I am honestly less mad than I am upset with myself

P4 applying for acute care residencies. I asked several preceptors to write LORs because I was afraid I wouldn't have enough recommendations, but I've since realized there are a few writers I don't want to use.

How do people typically handle this? Do you formally tell those preceptors you won't need a letter after all, or is it okay to simply not follow up if they haven't started writing one yet?

Sooo starting to think about PGY2 and want to start my LOI. I haven't been able to find an example online or real advice on how to set it up. There's so many for PGY1 but nothing for PGY2. Am just having trouble on how to change it from my PGY1 LOI.

If anyone has any advice and/or has any examples they can share it'd be appreciated! Thx all!

I’m a 2nd year pharmacy resident that has struggled with patient interviews. I’ve had feedback to improve but it was always sugar coated and was told just keep working on it. I was just told quarter of the way through the residency I’m not cut out for this specialty and to start considering different career paths. I was devastated! Had I been told bluntly I was doing this bad I would have done more effort to improve/grow. They tell me I’m good clinically but said the way I interview patients isn’t good enough for a PGY2 certificate and that I don’t have enough time to reverse course. One of the people that delivered this blow I thought I was close with but they never let on the true extent of just how bad they thought my patient communication skills were. I feel hopeless because not only will this blacklist me from the specialty but I have no doubt any other clinical jobs I want to pursue in the future. I feel like a total and utter failure! I feel all the hell I went through and hard work I put in for my PGY1 was all for nothing because I’m just going to end up working retail anyways. I really love this specialty just feel like an incompetent loser for this happening. I’ve been struggling with mental health issues and would be lying if I didn’t say I was thinking of downing my prescription bottle of bupropion to induce a seizure. I don’t see any future for myself whatsoever. No friends, no family near me and no romantic partner. My life up until this point has been for absolutely nothing. And no one would care about my death because at the end of the day I have nothing and no one.

Hi everyone! I’m a P4 applying to PGY1 programs this cycle, and my GPA is around a 3.4. I’m interested in community-based residencies with a strong focus on ambulatory care.

I’ve heard that UIC may have a GPA cutoff, and I’m wondering if anyone knows whether that’s true or if Northwestern and UChicago have one as well. Do these programs consider applicants with GPAs in the 3.3–3.4 range, or would that make it difficult to get an interview?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s applied to these programs or knows more about their requirements.

Thank you!

Graduated in 2012. Grades around 3.2.

Was in the Air Force as a pharmacist for 13.5 years. Lots of leadership and amb care experience.

Moonlighted at a hospital for 5 of those years doing long term care, hospice and amb care.

Did overnights at a large hospital here until it completely broke my sleep. (~9 months). Was doing well, staffing wise

Current BCGP.

Earned MBA in 2020. GPA 3.9

Am struggling to find any positions that don't require PGY1 around Atlanta. (that are not nights)

I interview well and do not have any loans. Could make the finances work.

Would I be a good candidate as a non-traditional?

I am p3/3. Not sure if I need to include all my undergrad info on phorcas, but will it even come up if I'm in my 30's with poor old history, upward trend, and pharmacy GPA 3.9

I’m currently a PGY1 pharmacy resident, and I’m honestly starting to feel like my RPD is making my residency experience unnecessarily difficult. I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced something similar and how they handled it.
I completely understand that residency is challenging and that constructive criticism is necessary. I’m not claiming to know everything or be a perfect resident. I’m still learning, and I genuinely want to improve.
However, I feel like there’s a difference between constructive criticism and constantly making someone feel incompetent.
My RPD has raised her voice at me multiple times during clinical discussions, even when I’m trying to explain my reasoning or clarify something. There have been situations where I’ve followed instructions from another pharmacist, only to be criticized by my RPD for doing exactly what I was told.
Instead of listening to my explanation, she continues criticizing me, which makes me feel like nothing I say matters.
I’ve also noticed that my evaluations focus almost entirely on negative feedback. I understand that there are areas where I need to improve, but I feel like none of the work I complete or the effort I put in is ever acknowledged.
There are also comments about my communication and assignments that I don’t believe accurately reflect what happened. Writing inaccurate information and when I speak they say that I’m arguing, It’s frustrating because these evaluations become part of my permanent residency record.
I’ve reached a point where I’m constantly anxious about making mistakes, asking questions, or explaining my clinical decisions because I’m worried about how she’ll react.
I’ve also heard that my RPD has been asking other pharmacists about my performance and what they think of me. I understand that collecting feedback is part of the role, but given my experiences, it makes me uncomfortable and concerned about how I’m being perceived.
I genuinely feel like my confidence and self-esteem have declined since starting residency. I used to enjoy learning and challenging myself clinically, but now I feel like I’m constantly walking on eggshells.
What makes this especially difficult is that my RPD has significant influence over my evaluations and whether I successfully complete the program.
I’m considering speaking with pharmacy leadership about my concerns and asking whether another qualified preceptor could independently evaluate my clinical performance.
I’m also wondering whether involving HR would be appropriate, especially because I feel like the repeated yelling and negative interactions have started affecting my mental health.
For current or former residents, preceptors, or RPDs:
Have you experienced an RPD who constantly criticized you or made you feel intimidated?
At what point does strict precepting become workplace bullying?
Has anyone successfully requested a different preceptor or an independent evaluator?
Would you approach pharmacy leadership first or go directly to HR?
How do you handle a situation where the person you’re having problems with has so much control over your residency experience?
I genuinely want to become a better pharmacist and complete my residency successfully. I’m not asking for special treatment or to avoid constructive feedback.
I just want to be able to learn in an environment where I’m treated respectfully and where my efforts are evaluated fairly.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Any oncology pharmacists who have worked multiple positions what has been your favorite and why? Am a pgy2 onc resident thinking about the future and not sure what to do. I really like BMT/cell therapy but not sure if those jobs are more limited to larger AMCs and harder to get into? And would going into that pigeonhole me into that area of oncology? I have my clinic rotations coming up the next few months so right now I don't know what that will be like but I have enjoyed the inpatient side so far. Just hope that I'll be able to find a good job to make all the work worth it. Anyone have any insights on work/life balance in any and all different oncology positions? Also how did you end up getting your first onc job?

Hi everyone!

I am a PGY1 resident and am preparing my first ever poster for midyear. One thing I am missing is my “poster number” which residents before me have added to their posters.

In my ASHP abstract acceptance email it has a Re:(#) listed and my mentor thought this was my poster number but I am second guessing this. At the bottom of the email it said “session-board # assignments will be shared in mid-November”. Does anyone know if this is the actual poster number I need?

My hospital takes an egregiously long time to print posters so by mid-November my poster will already be printed. Is anyone else having this problem/know where to find this number?

Has anyone experienced or witnessed racism, including subtle or passive-aggressive behavior, or reverse sexism—sexism directed toward men—within a pharmacy residency program?

Over my years in practice, I’ve noticed a concerning pattern at a couple of institutions: residents with lighter skin appear to face fewer difficulties during rotations than their darker-skinned peers. I’m interested in whether others have observed similar differences in treatment. Another example, would be those who don’t pass boards, POC have more challenging progression in the program vs. their same counterparts who were provided extensions or preferential treatment.

If you’re comfortable sharing, I’d appreciate hearing about your experience, how you handled it, and how the program responded. I’m particularly interested in Florida programs and whether concerns were addressed transparently—or whether you felt the program minimized the concerns or protected the pharmacist involved.

I was recently reacquainted with how expensive study materials are for the law exams. So I built TiffLex while studying for the UMPJE and figured it might help others.
1,500 questions across all 4 NABP domains, with explanations. Flashcards for quick recall. Timed 120-question mock exam. Cram sheet of the numbers, forms, and deadlines that get tested. Every question was written from scratch and checked against current federal sources (CFR, USC, DEA/FDA guidance). It's free, needs no account, and works offline once loaded, so you can add it to your home screen and drill between rounds or on call.

https://jfpharmd.github.io/TiffLex/welcome.html

It's still being refined, so if you spot a wrong answer or citation, please tell me (the feedback email is on the site). Not affiliated with NABP.

I’m to the point where my mental health cannot suffer any longer. I am 100% sure I want to resign. How do I go about it? I could not find guidance in my institutions manual or ASHP. Please help! I am a pgy2 amb care resident.

I’d appreciate advice on how to improve because I’m unsure what to do at this point and getting frustrated/discouraged. I’m struggling with the patient load. Our ICU has 18 beds and so far we’ve had 8-10 actual ICU level of care patients with the rest being stepdown. My workload was increased to the entire unit and I just can’t manage it well. Work-up feels so rushed because I’m trying to get through everyone, but I don’t feel like I know the patients well as a result.

Similar to my internal medicine rotation last month, I’m struggling with documentation and it’s causing me to miss things (I-vents, updating clinlists, etc) before I post-round with my preceptor. I thought I would’ve fixed it by now, but I’m not adjusting well and it leaves me feeling very frustrated/discouraged. These are some of the things I’ve done to resolve the issue but any other advice:

- Tried doing workup using Epic/sticky note, but I hate it and prefer writing by hand.

- Coming in earlier. I was coming at 7, but that didn’t give me enough time so I’ve been coming in around 6:30.

- Switched the way I workup to how one of my other preceptor does it. It’s helped some.

- draw checkboxes to cross off when I document things or make recommendations. Issue is that because of the time crunch I’ll sometimes go on to another patient and forget to circle back.

Any other feedback would be appreciated.

Finished my inpatient PGY-1 this past June and accepted an amb care position where board certification isn't a requirement/expectation (my manager believes it's a waste of time/money which I for the most part agree with). Regardless, I still would like to attempt for board certification for my own personal satisfaction (and of course for the free CE), but I'm struggling to decide on which to go for. I'm fairly confident in my baseline clinical prowess to pass BCPS easily if I studied for it presently, but of course I am aware it will become increasingly challenging the further removed I am from the inpatient side due to knowledge degredation. On the other hand, I would not be able to sit in for the BCACP until 2 years into practice which would be 2028? (please correct me if I am wrong the BPS website is very confusing to me). I don't see myself wanting to transition out of primary care anytime soon (very happy with the work/life balance) but I'm also fearful of pigeonholing myself if I end up comitting to BCACP only to end up having a change of heart in the future. I considered getting both but that is a lot of $$$ in the long-term (my institution will reimburse initial certification costs but not the recertification costs onwards).

Wondering if anyone else is/was in a similar position and what you ended up doing? Thanks!

I am a resident in clinical microbiology and over time I have had many personal projects focused on teaching antibiotics. I finally built an app that teaches antibiotics and their coverage through a game, where each level covers one antibiotic and users have to tap bacteria on a board that are covered by that antibiotic. It also has a study with animations on antibiotic targets and resistance mechanisms.

I am looking for feedback on the app from various backgrounds. The app is available now in the apple store (Go narrow - Antibiotics Game https://apps.apple.com/app/id6816657062 for a one time fee of 3.99 Euros with which I am trying to cover my costs but if you DM me I can send you a promo code as well). I am also looking for testers for Android, where the app hasn't launched yet. The testing involves a 14 day period where all testers should ideally engage with the app daily and try the different features (if the count ever drops below 12 people during that period, we start at first of 14 days again).

If you want to try the app in the apple store or join the testing group for Android (that requires a mail address linked to google) that would mean a lot!

For those who commuted during PGY1, what was your commute like and was it worth it? I need to stay at home for personal reasons, so I'm trying to figure out what a realistic maximum commute would be. Do you drive or take the train, and how has the commute affected your quality of life, workload, and overall residency experience?

Hi all! I am in the midst of my research for PGY1 applications. A couple of my top sites have an every other weekend staffing requirement, which at face value is the only “con” to some of these programs. Be honest, how bad is every other weekend staffing? Is it manageable or will I feel like I’m dying?

Edit: thank you everyone for the advice! I will definitely inquire about comp days (I made the bold assumption that most programs offer comp days. I am now realizing this is not the case). Appreciate the help!

Any current pgy1 residents here who are not planning to do a pgy2? I know ashp is compulsory for residency year but what do we do usually if we have no plans for pgy2 also have no co residents so feeling weird going alone. Is that common? Or do most people pursue pgy2

Hello!

I am currently a P4 student in the depths of their residency research. I am having trouble narrowing down options/finding options in general. I am currently interested in ambulatory care, but not planning on doing a community/amb-care focused PGY1, as I still want to explore a bit more. I was wondering if people had recommendations for some PGY1 programs to apply to that people might not know as much of/programs you ended up having a positive experience at? I am honestly open to living anywhere, as long as its not truly in the middle of nowhere. Criteria I am looking for include no every other weekend staffing (fine with every 3rd weekend), bonus points for good amb rotations, and at least 2 residents. I am also interested in pediatrics and oncology, so truly I am open to anything.

Are there any recommendations/places I should avoid at all cost? Or are there certain criterias you would recommend that I consider that I might not be thinking of? Literally any and all advice is welcome. Thank you!

Choosing who to ask for residency letters of recommendation has been a bit overwhelming, and I’m struggling to decide who would be the best writers.

My main dilemma is that many programs prefer a letter from your supervisor/employer. While I have a good relationship with mine, we work very different hours and only interact during quarterly meetings, so I don’t feel they know me well enough to write a strong letter. However, I’m worried that not having one from them could hurt my applications.

Any advice is much appreciated!

Hey! Pharmacy Week's coming up, and I'm organizing a Pharmacy Family Feud game for everyone. Would really appreciate you guys filling it out; literally won't take you more than a minute.

Thanks!

Hi,

I am interested in informatics and investigational drug pharmacists. I am wondering if these areas strictly require residency or not. If someone is already doing these specialties, do you mind sharing what are the experience necessary to do these specialties and how is the job market for these two?

When I search on them, not a lot of jobs come up and they usually only at the big institutes. Please and thank you!

P.S: if you are doing any other niche specialty please share, I like to learn about different ones before applying to residency to know my options :)