Q&A

ASHP Resident Matching Program: How does it work?

unmatched candidates, 59% had obtained a residency position by the time of this survey, 16% of the candidates were pursuing residency positions, and 18% had decided to pursue jobs rather than residency trainings. Of the candidates who obtained a residency after the Match, 71% obtained a position by using the postmatch list available from NMS. Forty-six percent of the candidates noted that they were contacted by programs with vacant positions, and 10% made contacts with sites through recommendations made by their college faculty. 3. No rank-order returned survey. The third survey was sent to applicants who enrolled in the Match but did not return a rank-order list to NMS. Of the 1275 applicants who originally signed up to participate in the Match, only 974 actually submitted a rank-order list. This survey was sent to 293 available contacts. Of the 121 respondents, 69% had obtained a residency position outside of the matching process. Approximately two thirds (68%) of the residencies found outside the matching process were specialized program residencies. (Specialized programs do not currently participate in the matching program.) Thirty-seven percent of the residencies were new programs, and 38% were not ASHP accredited. Very few of the respondents who decided not to pursue a residency cited dissatisfaction with the residency options (7%) and found other opportunities more attractive or pursued other options for financial, personal, or family reasons. Lisa S. Lifshin, B.S. Manager, Program Services Coordinator, Technician Program Development Accreditation Services Division Janet L. Teeters, M.S. Director, Accreditation Services Division Colleen G. Bush, B.S. Manager, Market Research Marketing and Sales Office

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: I am a residency program director for a newly emerging pharmacy practice program. Can you provide me with some information on how ASHPs Resident Matching Program works? For example, how many applicants and residency programs participate in the match? What is the success rate of the program? What happens to the unmatched positions and applicants?
After the results of the match program are announced, a list of unmatched positions and residents is made available. Residency program directors can then offer their unmatched positions to those candidates who have not matched with any programs. In May 2003, ASHP conducted three surveys to determine (1) if sites were able to recruit for all their positions after the Match, (2) what happened to unmatched candidates, and (3) why applicants dropped out of the Match.
1. Unmatched positions survey. This survey was sent to 124 sites with unmatched positions. It assessed the ability of sites to fill vacant positions after the Match. A total of 105 (85%) responses were received. Approximately 61% of the respondents had filled their vacant positions. A majority (71%) of the programs that still had unfilled positions indicated a desire to fill and maintain all of their positions. Seventy-three percent of the sites contacted potential candidates after the Match via the unmatched candidate list provided by NMS. 2. Unmatched candidates survey. A total of 239 unmatched candidates were surveyed and 73 (31%) responded. Of these

: The ASHP Resident Matching Program (the Match) is a service provided by the National Matching Service (NMS). It is used by individuals interested in ASHP-accredited pharmacy practice residency programs and pharmacy practice programs that have applied for ASHP accreditation or are ASHP accredited. The Match facilitates the matching of residency applicants and positions. It levels the playing field for all potential residents and programs by allowing both applicants and sites to rank their preferences at the same time, allowing sufficient time to complete onsite interviews. The Match links the applicants highest preference with the sites highest preference. For a match to occur, both parties must have listed each other. For a more detailed description of how the match program works, go to www.natmatch.com. Last year, approximately 3 of every 4 applicants were matched with their desired positions. For the residency year beginning July 2003, 953 positions (representing 338 programs) were offered in the Match, and 974 residents completed a Match listing. The Match resulted in 732 applicants placed in positions (representing 205 programs).

The Q & A column features ASHP staff responses to inquiries from pharmacists in health systems. Through this column, more practitioners can benefit from the answers prepared by the staff. The column may also include answers solicited from others, including government agencies such as OSHA, FDA, and DEA. Pharmacists with questions for ASHP should write directly to the appropriate staff member, not AJHP. Frequently called extensions are listed in every issue of AJHP on the page after the Table of Contents.

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Am J Health-Syst PharmVol 61 Mar 1, 2004