Best practices for PGY1 letters of intent: Recommendations from a modified Delphi process

The aim of this study was to provide consensus recommendations from residency program leaders on letters of intent (LOIs) written by postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy residency candidates.

A 3-round modified Delphi process was used to determine consensus among PGY1 residency program leaders across the country. A screening and demographic survey was utilized to ensure representation of panelists. The initial items for round 1 of the study were developed using existing published literature, with pilot testing by 2 residency program directors. For each round, respondents rated items on a 7-point Likert scale, with opportunities to provide qualitative feedback and modifications for lower-rated items. For future rounds, items were adjusted based on respondent feedback. Only items meeting predefined consensus were included in the final recommendations.

A total of 254 pharmacists were invited to participate in the panel, with 41 completing the demographic and study consent survey. There were 35 participants in round 1, 34 of whom remained for rounds 2 and 3. The panel created 18 LOI recommendations for PGY1 residency candidates. Most recommendations were focused on the content of the LOI, while others were related to formatting.

The recommendations from this study can be employed by PGY1 pharmacy residency candidates to enhance their likelihood of success in the residency application process.