Factors motivating pharmacy students to pursue residency and fellowship training.

Factors that influence pharmacy students to pursue residency and fellowship training were studied. Directors of 514 residency or fellowship programs were asked to distribute to their residents or fellows a survey concerning factors that influenced their decision to enter a residency or fellowship. Deans of the 75 U.S. pharmacy schools were sent a related survey and asked to forward it to the faculty or staff member who was most involved in promoting residencies and fellowships to students. This survey asked about methods for promoting the programs and the faculty member's opinion on why students chose to become residents and fellows. Residents and fellows cited "to gain knowledge and experience," "recognition of new and challenging roles," and "desire for specialized training" as their leading reasons for entering their programs. The pharmacy school representatives also cited "to gain knowledge and experience" and "desire for specialized training" as leading reasons. The residents and fellows thought instruction on residencies and fellowships should occur earlier in the pharmacy degree programs than it was being provided. The pharmacy school respondents considered the largest barriers to entering such programs "financial" and "a job was available upon graduation from pharmacy school." The pharmacy school survey results were broken into two groups: the 9 schools that produced the most students who went on to residencies and fellowships, and the rest of the schools. The former group was more likely to offer the Pharm.D. degree and to involve preceptors, residents, and fellows in didactic and clerkship teaching. Two factors--"to gain knowledge and experience" and "desire for specialized training"--were cited most frequently by survey respondents as important factors in students' decisions to pursue residencies and fellowships, and schools that produce more residents and fellows tended to involve preceptors, residents, and fellows in didactic and clerkship training.

US and Canadian pharmacy residencies and fellowships: 1995.

OBJECTIVE: To report statistical information about pharmacy postgraduate experiential training programs in the US and Canada. DATA SOURCE: RESFILE-95 database. MEASUREMENTS: A questionnaire is mailed annually to the contact listed for each residency or fellowship in the RESFILE database. The data for this report were entered into the database between June and December 1994. The information obtained on the survey includes (1) program type and accreditation status, (2) primary focus of the program, (3) number of positions, (4) stipend, (5) availability to BS graduates. RESULTS: Six hundred sixty-eight programs are listed in the RESFILE database, including 540 residences (70% accredited and 30% nonaccredited) and 128 fellowships. Fifty programs are located in Canada. There are a total of 1070 positions available, with a mean of 1.6 positions per program. Pharmacy practice residencies constitute 55% of accredited residencies in the US. General hospital residencies account for 88% of Canadian programs. Primary/ambulatory care residencies are the most common specialty focus. Infectious disease is the most common fellowship focus. The mean stipend for all programs is $24,837. Overall, at least 90% of the responding programs offer specified benefits. Forty-eight percent of the residency programs are available to BS graduates; most fellowships are not. Having completed a previous generalist residency is frequently preferred but often is not required to perform a specialty residency or fellowship. CONCLUSIONS: The statistical data in this report will be useful to those assessing the role of postgraduate experiential training, institutions in the process of developing a residency or fellowship, and those considering application to enter such programs.