Characteristics of schools of pharmacy associated with a successful PGY1 residency match

The literature is limited related to school of pharmacy (SOP) characteristics that may impact a student's residency match success. Given the paucity of information, the aim of our study was to examine the association between multiple school specific characteristics and Post-Graduate Year 1 (PGY1) residency match rate.

PGY1 residency match data and SOP specific characteristics were obtained. The median aggregate match rate was used to categorize programs as high or low match rate. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to assess the impact of SOP characteristics on match rate.

Median match rates were 64% (2013), 63.25% (2014), and 64.25% (2015). Schools with >95% North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination^® (NAPLEX^®) pass rate and >15 funded faculty were more likely to have a high match rate. Private schools were less likely to have a high match rate when compared to public programs.

SOP characteristics associated with a high likelihood of a successful PGY1 residency match were greater than 95% of NAPLEX^® pass rate, more than 15 funded faculty members, and public school status.