Effect of a seminar on pharmacy student attitudes toward residency training

Students at a college of pharmacy were surveyed before and after a one-hour seminar on residency training to determine whether the information changed their opinions of pursuing a residency and identify predisposing factors and barriers to pursuit of a residency.

Attendance at the seminar was mandatory for students in professional years 1 through 3 (P1-P3). Before the seminar, students provided information on demographics, grade point average (GPA), involvement in organizations, and previous pharmacy experience, degrees, and careers. They were asked to choose from a list of reasons they were or were not considering residency training and to answer yes or no questions about the residency application process. Students numbered their preseminar form for matching with their postseminar form.

Before and after surveys were obtained for 221 students. Thirty-nine percent of the students before the seminar and 40% afterward were considering residency training, not a significant difference. Students with a GPA greater than 3.5, those in the P1 class, those with a previous career, and those involved in multiple organizations or holding office in an organization were more likely to consider a residency. Students' knowledge about the residency application process was significantly greater after the seminar. The most commonly cited barriers to residency were availability of pharmacy jobs without a residency, "burnout with school," lack of interest, and financial and family obligations.

A mandatory one-hour seminar on residencies did not influence pharmacy students' opinions of and plans for residency training, but it did identify factors affecting their decisions.