NOTES

Residency interviews

NOTES

Understanding and preparing

for pharmacy practice residency
interviews
CARISSA E. MANCUSO AND FRANK P. PALOUCEK
Am J Health-Syst Pharm. 2004; 61:1686-9

The Notes section welcomes the following types of contributions: (1) practical innovations or
solutions to everyday practice problems, (2) substantial updates or elaborations on work
previously published by the same authors, (3) important confirmations of research findings
previously published by others, and (4) short research reports, including practice surveys, of
modest scope or interest.
Notes should be submitted with AJHPs manuscript checklist. The text should be concise,
and the number of references, tables, and figures should be limited.

he 2003 ASHP Resident Matching Program for pharmacy

practice residency programs set
numerous records,1 proving that the
competition for pharmacy practice
residency positions is becoming
more intense. Compared with the
programs 2002 results, there was a
21% increase in the number of applicants seeking a position through the
program but only a 7% increase in
the number of positions available.
While published literature is available to assist pharmacy students with
the interview process for employment,2-8 this information may or may
not be applicable to residency interviews. An exhaustive MEDLINE
search yielded no published guidelines
regarding interview preparation for
candidates for residencies in pharmacy
practice or any other medical specialty.
ASHP does provide general recommendations to help prepare applicants
for the residency interview.9
Our institution previously conducted a survey of pharmacy practice
residency programs to determine if a

1686

consensus exists among programs in

the selection criteria for future residents.10 The results of that survey,
which have not been published, revealed that the personal interview
with the candidate was the highestranked criterion. Therefore, it is imperative that candidates do well during the interview in order to secure a
residency. This follow-up survey was
conducted to decipher the process
used in evaluating candidates during
the residency interview.
Methods. Common interview
questions were identified via an informal survey of the pharmacy practice
residents at the University of Illinois at
Chicago during the 20022003 academic year. The residents provided a
list of questions that were frequently
CARISSA E. MANCUSO, PHARM.D., and FRANK
P. PALOUCEK, PHARM.D., are Clinical Associates, Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at
Chicago.
Address correspondence to Dr. Mancuso
at the Department of Pharmacy Practice
(MC 886), College of Pharmacy, University

Am J Health-Syst PharmVol 61 Aug 15, 2004

asked and themes that were addressed during the interviews they
participated in as part of the ASHP
Resident Matching Program. From
this list, a 45-item questionnaire was
created. Five members of our institutions pharmacy practice residency
selection committee reviewed the
survey for content and clarity. The
survey consisted of yesno, shortanswer, and fill-in-the-blank questions. Representatives of residency
programs were asked to indicate
which of 16 questions they asked
during interviews and to use a
5-point scale (with 1 being not important and 5 being very important)
to rate the importance of those questions. The questionnaire was divided
into seven sections: (1) the interview
process, (2) the interview committee,
(3) factors that invite a candidate for
an interview, (4) reflective questions,
(5) experiential questions, (6) demographics of the program, and (7) the
structure of the interview. The final
section provided space for additional
comments and questions not represented by the survey.
The survey was e-mailed on
March 25, 2003, to the contact persons of 336 ASHP-accredited pharmacy practice residency programs. A
cover letter accompanied each e-mail
and provided information regarding
the purpose of and instructions for
completing the survey. The programs
were given two weeks to submit the
of Illinois at Chicago, 833 South Wood
Street, Room 164, Chicago, IL 60612-7230
(cmancuso@uic.edu).
Copyright 2004, American Society of
Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved. 1079-2082/04/0802-1686$06.00.

NOTES

questionnaire. In an effort to improve the response rate, a follow-up

e-mail was sent, extending the due
date for completed surveys by an additional week.
Results. Fifteen e-mails (4.5%)
were undeliverable. One hundred
and two surveys were returned,
yielding a 32% response rate.
The majority of pharmacy practice residency programs (n = 72) did
not invite all applicants for an interview. The most common criteria
used to determine which applicants
are offered an interview are listed in
Table 1. The residency program director or coordinator solely determines the candidates receiving an invitation for an interview for 38% of
the programs, and 28 programs reported that a residency committee,
which may or may not include the
program director, determines which
candidates will be interviewed.
Regarding the structure of the interview, less than half of the programs (n = 45) provided the interviewers with mutually exclusive
questions to ask the candidates. The
majority of the programs (n = 100)
had their current residents participate in the interview process. The
current pharmacy practice residents
are involved in the selection of candidates for an interview in 53% of programs, and 85 programs reported
that current residents are involved in
the formal evaluation of the candidate on the interview day.
Table 2 shows the respondents
use of interview questions and how
they were rated in importance. Fiftyfive respondents indicated additional questions asked during the interview at their institution, with the
majority citing more than one question (Table 3).
Respondents were asked to provide information regarding the structure of the interview process at their
institution. Approximately 2 candidates (range, 111) are interviewed
on a given day. Fifty-one percent of
the programs classified their inter-

view as a half-day or as a time period

of five hours or less, and 78 programs
provide the candidates with breakfast
or lunch or both. Hotel or travel accommodations for out-of-state applicants were only provided by 16%
of the programs. Group interviews,
involving one interviewer and more

Residency interviews

than one candidate, were not common (n = 9). Each candidate has an
average of three one-on-one interviews, which last about 38 minutes
(range, 1560 minutes) each. A formal presentation is required by 18
programs, usually lasting 20 minutes
(range, 540 minutes), and is attend-

Table 1.

Common Criteria for Inviting a Residency Candidate for an Interview

(n = 102)
Criterion

No. (%) Responses

Grade point average and grades

Letters of recommendation
Completed application
Curriculum vitae
Letter of intent
Clerkship rotations
References
Personal goals
Interaction and interview at ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting
Leadership roles
School of pharmacy attended
Extracurricular activities
Number of applicants

53 (52)
41 (40)
18 (18)
18 (18)
17 (17)
9 (9)
8 (8)
7 (7)
6 (6)
6 (6)
5 (5)
4 (4)
4 (4)

Table 2.

Questions Asked during Residency Interviewsa

Question
Reflective
Why do you want to do a residency?
Where do you see yourself after a pharmacy
practice residency?
What areas of pharmacy most interest you?
What qualities do you possess that would
make you a good resident?
What are your worst qualities?
Are you considering a specialty residency
or fellowship?
Why did you attend pharmacy school?
What is your definition of pharmaceutical
care?
Experiential
What was your favorite rotation?
Describe the most significant contribution
you made to a patients care this past year.
What was your least favorite rotation?
Describe your most memorable experiences
from clerkship rotations.
If I were to ask preceptor X to describe you,
what words would he or she use?
Describe your favorite or most memorable
patient.
Who was your favorite preceptor?
Describe or discuss the most interesting
medical journal article you have recently
read.

No. (%)
Respondents
Asking Question

Median
Importance

102 (100)

99 (97)
95 (93)

4
4

90 (88)
74 (73)

4
4

60 (59)
57 (56)

3
3

24 (24)

74 (73)

61 (60)
57 (56)

4
3

48 (47)

38 (37)

33 (32)
19 (19)

4
4

13 (13)

aRespondents were presented with a list of 16 questions and identified those that they asked. The importance

of questions was indicated only for questions that were asked (1 = not important, 5 = very important).

Am J Health-Syst PharmVol 61 Aug 15, 2004

1687

NOTES

Residency interviews

ed by the residency committee, faculty, staff, preceptors, current residents, and other candidates.
Discussion. Our survey was designed with four objectives in mind:
(1) gather basic information about
the interview process for pharmacy
practice residents, (2) evaluate the
criteria used by committees that interview pharmacy practice residents,
(3) determine if a consensus exists
among programs when interviewing
prospective residents, and (4) provide prospective pharmacy practice
residents with general information
about the current interview process.
Our summary of what candidates for
pharmacy practice residencies can
expect on the day of their interview is
provided in Table 4.
It is somewhat difficult to assess
the consistency of questions asked
during the interview and the value
placed on these questions. Reflective
questions were asked by the majority
of programs, and the questions
asked by the most programs were
deemed the most important. Although there was less consistency
among the programs in asking the
listed experiential questions, they
were ranked as fairly important. We
believe that consistently higher value
is placed on the reflective questions,
if asked, during a pharmacy practice
residency interview.
The final response rate of 32% was
disappointing and may be explained
by a few limitations. We chose to
e-mail the survey, which may not
have been the most user-friendly
method. In addition, the programs
may not have been willing to disclose
information asked during the interview, believing that it is confidential.
A final limitation was the people we
surveyed. The questionnaire was sent
to contact persons of each pharmacy
practice residency program. The contact person is often the residency program director or coordinator. Our results showed that many faculty or staff
are involved in the interview process.
A more accurate analysis would have

1688

Table 3.

Most Common Nonlisted Interview Questions Asked By Respondents

(n = 102)a
Question

No. (%) Respondents

Asking Question

Why are you interested in our program?

How do you handle conflict?
What do you like to do for fun?
Describe a conflict with a preceptor or attending physician.
Describe your time-management skills.
How do you handle stress?
Describe a leadership role that you had.
Given a scenario, how would you handle the situation?
What is your definition of a clinical pharmacist?
Why are you the best candidate for this program?
Do you prefer to work individually or as part of a team?

13 (13)
10 (10)
9 (8)
7 (7)
7 (7)
6 (6)
4 (4)
4 (4)
4 (4)
4 (4)
4 (4)

aQuestions that were not among the 16 listed on the questionnaire but were indicated by respondents as
being commonly asked. Fifty-five respondents (54%) provided nonlisted questions.

Table 4.

What Residency Candidates Should Expect During an Interview

Be prepared to meet with approximately 10 faculty or staff members throughout the
day.
On average, you will have three separate one-on-one interviews, each usually lasting 30
40 minutes.
You will be meeting with current residents, which provides a good opportunity to ask
questions about the programs. Most programs consider the opinions of the current
residents in the formal evaluation of the candidates.
The length of the interview day varies between a half-day and a full day; expect to be
onsite for about five hours.
If you are from out of state, expect to pay your own way; most programs do not
reimburse hotel or travel expenses.
Although the majority of programs do not require a formal presentation, you should be
familiar with a topic that you have presented because you may get asked questions
regarding the topic and conclusion.
If you are required to give a formal presentation, ask for specific guidelines. Most
presentations last about 20 minutes, and the residency committee, faculty, staff, clinical
preceptors, current residents, and fellow candidates may attend.
Review the structure and content of SOAP notes; you may be given a patient case and
requested to write a SOAP note.a
Reflective questions are asked more commonly than experiential questions. The answers
to the experiential questions are highly valued.
aSOAP = subjective, objective, assessment, and plan.

surveyed all members of the interview

committees of each program.
The majority of additional questions were experiential. This survey
was not intended to assess the importance of some subjective factors,
such as the candidates appearance or
attire. None of the respondents mentioned that such factors were important. Although intangible items are
important, we believe that they represent a common message understood by all interviewing applicants.
Conclusion. A survey of residency
programs revealed that many use

Am J Health-Syst PharmVol 61 Aug 15, 2004

similar criteria to select candidates to

interview and that many ask the
same interview questions.
References
1. American Society of Health-System
Pharmacists. The communique. www.
ashp.com/rtp/Communique/May03.pdf
(accessed 2003 May 30).
2. Questions commonly asked by employers
during job applicant interviews. Hosp
Pharm. 1979; 14:86-7.
3. Bell AH. Pharmacy interviewing: how to
hire the best. Consult Pharm. 1989; 4:
299,303.
4. Charupatanapong N, Rascati KL. Comparison of pharmacy recruiters and students views toward job interviews. Am J
Pharm Educ. 1995; 59:358-64.

NOTES

5. Covington TR. Preparing for a job interview. Consult Pharm. 1991; 6:86-8.
6. Dasher H. Interviewing 101: preparation
primer. Hosp Pharm. 1985; 20:489,493.
7. Enright SM, Enright SJ. Tips for making
the job search productive and enjoyable.
Am J Hosp Pharm. 1984; 41:924-7.
8. Hasegawa GR. How to be interviewed for
a job. Am J Hosp Pharm. 1991; 48:1180,
1183.

9. Traynor K. Prepare for residency

interviews. www.ashp.com/news/
showArticle.cfm?cfid=5980761&
CFToken=98976623&id=1895 (accessed 2003 Apr 15).
10. Khorana K, Paloucek FP. Survey of selection criteria for pharmacy practice residents. Paper presented at ASHP Midyear
Clinical Meeting. Atlanta, GA; 2002 Dec
11.

Reconciliation of discrepancies
in medication histories and admission
orders of newly hospitalized patients
KRISTINE M. GLEASON, JENNIFER M. GROSZEK, CAROL SULLIVAN,
DENISE ROONEY, CYNTHIA BARNARD, AND GARY A. NOSKIN
Am J Health-Syst Pharm. 2004; 61:1689-95

1999 Institute of Medicine report received national attention by highlighting system

vulnerabilities within health care and
indicating that medication errors are
a leading cause of morbidity and
mortality.1 One area of concern was
the increased number of errors occurring in the prescribing phase of
the medication-use process2-9 due to
prescribers lack of essential drug
knowledge and patient information
at the time of ordering.2,4,9 Pharmacists participation in medical rounds
has demonstrated a reduction in
medication errors in the ordering
stage.10-12 However, at most hospitals,
pharmacists are not directly involved
in obtaining medication histories,13
despite the findings of one study
showing that over 70% of drug-related
problems were recognized only
through a patient interview14 and another study reporting a 51% reduction in medication errors when pharmacists were involved in obtaining
medication histories.13
Medication errors and patient
harm can result from inaccurate or
incomplete histories that are subsequently used to generate medication

regimens for hospitalized patients.

To ensure that medications are prescribed safely on hospital admission,
it is necessary to have an accurate
and complete medication history15
and for health care professionals to
validate this information.16 As the
health care delivery system becomes
more complex and specialized, this
issue becomes even more important,
KRISTINE M. GLEASON, B.S.PHARM., is Research Pharmacist Coordinator; JENNIFER M.
GROSZEK, R.N., B.S.N., M.J., and C AROL
SULLIVAN , R.N., M.B.A., are Research Nurse
Coordinators, Patient Safety Team; DENISE
ROONEY, R.N., B.S.N., O.C.N., is Manager,
Patient Safety Team; and CYNTHIA BARNARD,
M.B.A., M.S.J.S., C.P.H.Q., is Director, Quality Strategies and Patient Safety Team, Division of Quality and Operations, Northwestern
Memorial Hospital (NMH), Chicago, IL.
GARY A. NOSKIN, M.D., is Associate Professor
of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Feinberg School of
Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago,
and Medical Director, Healthcare Epidemiology and Quality, NMH.
Address correspondence to Ms. Gleason at
the Division of Quality and Operations,
Northwestern Memorial Hospital, 676 North
St. Clair Street, Suite 700, Chicago, IL 60611
(kmgleaso@nmh.org).
The Patient Safety Team and Failure Mode
and Effects Analysis team members at Northwestern Memorial Hospital are acknowledged
for their active participation and support.

Residency interviews

as hospitalized patients may receive

medications that interact with those
taken as outpatients. Furthermore, as
patients severity of illness increases,
there is a greater likelihood that patients will be taking an increased
number of medications. Prior investigations have demonstrated that patients taking numerous medications
are at a higher risk for adverse drug
events (ADEs).17
Discrepancies may exist among
what is documented in the patients
medical record, outpatient clinic or
office records, prescription bottles,
and outpatient pharmacy records
and what medications the patient
is actually taking. In 1981, Leister
and colleagues18 reported a lack of
concordance among physiciangenerated drug lists, patients pharmacy medication profiles, and patients current drug lists obtained
during home interviews. Since that
time, researchers working in a variety
of clinical settings have reported similar findings of discrepancies between hospital and clinic records and
the medication lists obtained from
patients.15,19-22 Discrepancies most often involved patients taking medications for which there was no documentation,15,20-22 patients not taking
xx
Karen Nordstrom, B.S.Pharm., Michael Fotis,
B.S.Pharm., and Desi Kotis, Pharm.D., provided invaluable assistance and insight into
this project. The dedicated clinical staff pharmacists are acknowledged for enhancing
patient safety by obtaining medication and allergy histories, reconciling discrepancies in
medication histories and orders, and collecting data.
Supported in part by an Excellence in Academic Medicine Grant from the State of Illinois Department of Public Aid and U.S. Public Health Service grant UR8/515081.
Presented at the ASHP Midyear Clinical
Meeting, Atlanta, GA, December 11, 2002; the
5th Annual National Patient Safety Foundation Patient Safety Congress, Washington,
DC, March 1214, 2003; and the Institute for
Healthcare Improvement 15th Annual National Forum on Quality Improvement in
Health Care, New Orleans, LA, December 4,
2003.
Copyright 2004, American Society of
Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved. 1079-2082/04/0802-1689$06.00.

Am J Health-Syst PharmVol 61 Aug 15, 2004

1689