I Heard You’re Applying for Residency

Hey 🍂

We just moved the time an hour back, and I can feel the weather changing. I hope you’re excited if you enjoy wearing layers and having a cup of hot chocolate on a chilly morning.

This is also around the time residency applications start. I remember back then everyone was doing one of these things:

• Comparing what programs others were applying to

• Reaching out to upperclassmen about their residency experiences

• Feeling excited yet overwhelmed about the application while still being on rotation

But now that I’ve done the thing—not just one but two residencies—what I wish someone had told me right before applying was:

• What does residency really entail?

• What does residency do or not do for me?

So this week, I want to talk about a few hard truths residency taught me.

1. Being book smart and being clinically smart are different. Residency isn’t an exam with multiple choice options laid out in front of you. I struggled a lot with being clinically smart during residency (and if you have high self-esteem, this can be crushing).

   
   

2. Being clinically smart and being people smart are also different. Bedside manner and the ability to get along with people are things I appreciate more as I practice longer, but residency doesn’t focus on that.

   
   

3. Residency is a year long interview. You’re likely told to compete only with yourself. It sounds nice, but realistically you’re still competing with everyone for the jobs that open when the year ends.

   
   

4. Taking care of your mental health is just as important as putting in the work. Sleeping in on the weekends when you’re not staffing isn’t lazy if it gives you a reset, especially if you’re on the verge of burning out.

   
   

5. Feel no shame taking days off. You earned them. Otherwise, you’ll cash out those unused PTO days with a check so small it feels insulting.

   
   

6. Being open to feedback can be hard because it can feel like people are judging you. It took me months to learn how to act on feedback instead of just reacting to it.

   
   

7. Mentors can give you tools, but you’re the one who has to take ownership of your learning.

   
   

8. The goal of residency isn’t to become the pharmacist who trained you. They’ve been doing this for years and made countless mistakes along the way to become who they are.

   
   

9. It’s okay to feel like you’re failing. You’re just realizing how much you don’t know/ how much it takes to be competent. But try not to spiral.

   
   

10. And this one is the most important. Residency is just one year out of many in your career. If you graduate with flying colors, good for you. If you fail or even quit, you’re still a pharmacist.

PS: I’m starting work on the next video. It’s going to be something opioid conversion related. Stay tuned. ✌🏻

Much love,

SP