Ohio Northern University’s Raabe College of Pharmacy faculty are excited to share impressive statistics regarding residency matching for recent graduates. The two-round process is regarded as one of the most anticipated and nerve-wracking times for students who have spent a rigorous six years earning their PharmD and wish to gain more extensive training through post-graduate residency experience. Competition for residency placement is stiff, and many students begin preparing themselves for residency positions in the early years of the PharmD program.
As the American College of Clinical Pharmacy describes it, a residency “is a postgraduate training program that allows the resident to perform as a licensed practitioner but to train under the supervision of an experienced preceptor. The cornerstones of any pharmacy practice residency include direct patient care and practice management.”
ONU Pharmacy’s latest match placement numbers are as follows:
- For postgraduate Year 1 (PGY1) residencies, the Class of 2023 (116 graduates) had 54 of 59 students placed, or 91.5%.
- For PGY2 residencies, 25 of 26 were placed, or 96.1%. Most “PGY2s” were from the Class of 2022, but one was from the Class of 2021 and one from the Class of 2013. The Class of 2022 had 49 graduates placed into Year 1 residencies, which means 50% of them opted for a second year of residency training.
“Having 50% of the graduating class in the residency mix is among the highest percentages in the academy, and a reflection of our graduates’ focus on leadership and practice excellence,” said Pharmacy Dean Steve Martin, PharmD. “The high placement percentages are a marker of our reputation for outstanding graduates.”
ONU pharmacy graduates enjoy residencies at locations near and far. They range from St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima, Ohio to Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas. Some go to internationally recognized entities such as The Cleveland Clinic. Types of PGY1 residencies include acute care, ambulatory care, community pharmacy, general pharmacy, health system administration and leadership, internal medicine, pediatrics and specialty pharmacy. PGY2 residencies focus on ambulatory care, cardiology, critical care, emergency medicine, health system administration and leadership, infectious diseases, internal medicine, neurology, oncology, palliative care and pain management, pediatrics and psychiatry.