News

NEOMED College of Pharmacy Students Match for Residency

Success rate is 24 percent higher than national average

Thirty-two NEOMED College of Pharmacy Students successfully obtained Post-Graduate Year One (PGY1) residencies upon submitting their rank lists in the recent American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Residency Matching Program.

Although optional, submissions for pharmacy residencies are part of a nationally competitive process. For 2020, the national residency match rate was 63% and the Ohio match rate was 74%. NEOMED students obtained a match rate of 78%, exceeding both the national and Ohio average.

This is the highest number of students in the NEOMED College of Pharmacy history to obtain a PGY1 position in the match with 81% of the students choosing a PGY1 residency program in Northeast Ohio.

“The Class of 2020’s Match Day results are among the highest placement rates in the history of the College,” said Seth P. Brownlee, Pharm.D., BCCCP, senior associate dean of program quality and student success. “It continues to add to the legacy of excellence established by previous graduates and shows how our students continue to excel in a very competitive environment.”

Since the first graduating College of Pharmacy class in 2011, a total of 200 NEOMED students have obtained a PGY1 residency position through match process.  Seventy-seven percent of these students matched with a residency program in Northeast Ohio.

“It is with tremendous pride that the College celebrates the success of our students who are choosing to pursue post-graduate training. The preparation and hard work of this group of student pharmacists is unparalleled,” said Jaclyn Boyle, Pharm.D., BCACP, BCPS, assistant dean of student success.

The pharmacy residency match isn’t a mandatory process – all students graduating in May will receive Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degrees – but many of the new pharmacists consider residencies to be a great way to begin a career in pharmacy.

The 2-phase match process, which is similar to programs of other health care professions, including medicine, is conducted annually.

“It is exciting to see the large percentage of pharmacy students who will continue their training in Northeast Ohio. They will continue to provide high quality patient care and medication therapy management services for the patients in our communities,” added Kristen Longstreth, Pharm.D., BCPS, associate professor of pharmacy practice.

Seven NEOMED College of Pharmacy alumni (from the Classes of 2018 and 2019) pursued specialized Post-Graduate Year Two (PGY2) training programs this year. The pharmacists had a 100% success rate, placing in programs for critical care, emergency medicine, psychiatry and pharmacy informatics.

Residency training can last up to two years after graduation. Postgraduate year one (PGY-1) offers more generalized training, providing residents exposure to a broad range of clinical scenarios. Postgraduate year two (PGY-2) emphasizes a specific area of interest and leads to specialization in that field.

About Northeast Ohio Medical University

For more than 40 years, Northeast Ohio Medical University has worked in collaboration with its educational, clinical and research partners to successfully train health professionals and medical researchers who serve and impact the region and beyond. The University trains students in a team-based, interprofessional environment and offers Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) and Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degrees, as well as master’s and doctoral degrees and research opportunities in other medical areas. In addition to research conducted within its colleges, NEOMED advances innovation and research in health care through six research focus areas. Visit www.neomed.edu.

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