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Pharmacy Residency Podcast

Pharmacy Residency Podcast

By: Tony Guerra
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 The Pharmacy Residency Podcast, with your host, Tony Guerra, has interviews and information on building your career, health, and wealth before, during, and after residency. Interested in being a guest on a show about pharmacy residency? Email me at tonythepharmacist@gmail.com The Pharmacy Residency Podcast is part of the Pharmacy Podcast Network.Copyright Ankeny Health Communications, LLC Hygiene & Healthy Living Physical Illness & Disease
Episodes
  • Ep 574 Passing the NAPLEX the First Time with Ellie Twedt P4 U Iowa

    Ep 574 Passing the NAPLEX the First Time with Ellie Twedt P4 U Iowa
    Jul 23 2025
    Podcast Episode: Passing the NAPLEX the First Time Welcome to today’s episode with our guest Ellie Twedt, a P4 at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, where we’re diving into a smarter, science-backed way to prepare for the NAPLEX while navigating your APPE rotations. Instead of cramming or waiting until the last minute, we’ll explore how to blend real-world learning with proven study techniques from Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning. This book highlights three powerful methods for long-term mastery—spaced practice, retrieval practice, and interleaving. We’ll focus especially on spaced practice and how it can transform your approach to studying. Imagine using your RxPrep book not as a giant wall of content, but as a map. As you move through each APPE, you’ll connect the rotation experience to the RxPrep chapters that match what you’re seeing in the real world. This method turns APPEs into a natural structure for preparing for the NAPLEX, with built-in review and reinforcement along the way. We’ll talk about how to link chapters to rotations, create a rotation-based study schedule, and build habits that make your knowledge stick. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume of material or wondered how to balance NAPLEX prep with the demands of your APPEs, this episode is for you. By the end, you’ll have a strategy that transforms studying from a last-minute scramble into a continuous, confident process—one that leverages both your rotations and the science of successful learning. You can find the free materials she talks about in the interview under "Free General Resources" here: https://residency.teachable.com/p/extremeloi Auto Generated Transcript Hey, welcome to the Pharmacy Residency Podcast. I haven't podcasted in a while, but we've got 500 episodes that you can use as a reference—they're all still out there. We've had a bit of an issue with the NAPLEX, and I think this year presents a real opportunity. This year and next will be, if not the easiest times to get a residency, certainly times with significantly fewer applicants—around 2,000 fewer graduates in each class. One of the best ways to stand out is to show that you're going to pass the NAPLEX, or at least that you're seriously preparing to give it your best shot. So, I've brought on Ellie Twedt from the University of Iowa. She's a P4 in her second rotation, right? Yep, second rotation. We've asked ourselves: how can we ensure we're putting our best foot forward? We're taking a page out of the book Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning. One lesson in there is that spaced practice—essentially, not cramming at the end—is critical. When the NAPLEX rolls around, you don't want to be eight or nine months removed from studying and suddenly find yourself panicking. Unfortunately, that happens often. We’ve got some solutions, and Ellie is here to walk us through them. Ellie, tell us a little about yourself—how you got into pharmacy school and Iowa specifically. Ellie: Yeah, as Tony mentioned, I’m a P4 at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy. I came to pharmacy through an untraditional path—starting with veterinary medicine. I found I loved both the drug side of things and working with people, so pharmacy felt like the perfect marriage. Being an in-state student, Iowa made sense, and it also gave me the chance to continue my cross country career. It’s been a great fit, and I’ve really enjoyed my time here. Tony: So you started at Iowa and stayed there. I married into Iowa—that’s how I ended up here. Let’s shift to talking about NAPLEX pass rates. They’ve gone down significantly. We’re not here to blame anyone, but rather to ask: what can we do about it? When I was in school, the PharmD was in its first year at Maryland. If I had finished my pre-pharmacy work in two years—some call it “two years of pre-pharmacy”—I could’ve gone straight into three years of pharmacy school. I did mine in three years. So I would’ve done three years at the University of Maryland at Baltimore (now University of Maryland, Baltimore). APPEs were only in the final semester: four or five weeks in retail, four to five in hospital, and one elective. That was it. There wasn’t much of a gap between finishing classes and taking the NAPLEX. I graduated in 1996—nearly 30 years ago. It wasn’t as easy as choosing between aspirin and Tylenol, but it was simpler. Over the years, complexity has increased—residencies, PGY2s, fellowships, infectious disease, oncology, etc. The exam has grown more challenging. And while you’re not allowed to talk about the NAPLEX after taking it, we hear stories: someone gets an all-oncology version, someone else all HIV or cardiology. Today, students might go 15 to 16 months between finishing didactic work and sitting for the NAPLEX. That’s a long gap. You P3s have APPEs that start during your third year, so depending on your ...
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    30 mins
  • Ep 573 - What Do You Do If You Don't Match with a Pharmacy Residency?

    Ep 573 - What Do You Do If You Don't Match with a Pharmacy Residency?
    Mar 18 2025

    TLDR: Skip the grief process for now, take on Phase II, and email me if you want some quick advice tonythepharmacist@gmail.com

    Here’s a list of the top reasons students get turned down for pharmacy residency programs, not necessarily ordered by most common to least common based on why you in particular did not match:

    1. Weak or Unfocused Letters of Intent
      A poorly written or generic letter of intent is one of the most common reasons candidates are overlooked. Programs want to see clear, specific reasons for your interest in their residency and how your experiences align.

    2. Poor Interview Performance
      Even strong candidates can falter in interviews if they fail to communicate their skills, goals, and personality effectively.

    3. Inadequate Clinical Experience
      Limited exposure to diverse rotations or insufficient patient care experience can make you seem unprepared for the demands of a residency.

    4. Weak CV or Resume
      Even with solid experience, a poorly formatted CV or lack of emphasis on accomplishments can weaken your application.

    5. Lack of Strong References or a Poor Recommendation
      Residency directors heavily rely on references. If your letters are vague or uninspiring, it can raise concerns about your performance or professionalism.

    6. Poor Professionalism or Attitude
      Residency directors look for candidates who are adaptable, humble, and collaborative. Arrogance, lack of teamwork, or failing to follow up can severely hurt your chances.

    7. Low or Unbalanced GPA
      While GPA isn’t always a dealbreaker, a poor academic record may suggest you’ll struggle with the demands of residency.

    8. Limited Leadership and Involvement
      Programs often seek candidates who demonstrate initiative, collaboration, and leadership through involvement in student organizations or volunteer work.

    9. Weak Research or Project Involvement
      While research experience isn't always mandatory, a lack of engagement in presentations, posters, or projects can make your application less competitive.

    10. Not Ranking Programs Strategically
      This mistake is common but avoidable. Candidates may undermine themselves by ranking too few programs or focusing only on highly competitive sites without backup options.

    Key Takeaway: Focus most on crafting a compelling letter of intent, preparing thoroughly for interviews, and maximizing clinical experience. Strengthen your CV, build strong mentor relationships for references, and demonstrate professionalism throughout the process, but get back on the horse and start emailing programs . . . now.

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    14 mins
  • Ep 572 Residency Interview Offers are Out - What are your next steps?

    Ep 572 Residency Interview Offers are Out - What are your next steps?
    Jan 9 2025

    Here's the website for the Interview Materials https://residency.teachable.com/p/interview

    What to Do Once You Get a Pharmacy Residency Interview
    1. Research the Program

      Dive deep into the residency program's structure, goals, and key rotations. Understand their mission statement and identify what makes them unique. This will help you tailor your responses and show genuine interest. Use the Excel file to match your APPEs to other residency rotations and offerings. Make sure you talk about PGY-2 if it's available.

    2. Review Your Application

      Familiarize yourself with your CV and personal statement. Be prepared to discuss any experiences or projects you mentioned in detail. Highlight your achievements and how they align with the program’s strengths. Again, it's the match, don't highlight your achievements as look at what I did, but look at how we are similar.

    3. Practice Behavioral Questions

      Expect questions like, “Tell me about a time you overcame a challenge.” Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers clearly and concisely. There is much more detail in the course about the ROCK STAR and RACE START questions and answers, you can also use those techniques on the supplemental questions.

    4. Prepare Questions for Them

      Thoughtful questions show interest and engagement. Ask about mentorship opportunities, unique rotations, or the program’s approach to professional development. Avoid questions you could easily find online. The best questions keep the conversation going.

    5. Brush Up on Clinical Knowledge

      Be ready to answer clinical scenarios or demonstrate your thought process in solving problems. Review key disease states, drug interactions, and treatment guidelines relevant to the program's focus. You can find the list of links to TLDR clinical reviews here: https://residency.teachable.com/p/interview
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    20 mins
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