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Though all students graduating from the Southern Illinois University School of Pharmacy obtain a doctorate of pharmacy, some, such as fourth-year student Zak Vinson of Clinton, seek to advance their educations and careers through a residency program. Vinson has been accepted into the residency program at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, while 18 of his classmates have also received assignments. 

“I decided to do a residency, because I see the progress that pharmacy, as a profession, is making towards becoming recognized in providing health care,” Vinson said. “I feel as if I need to be as educated as possible and to be the best pharmacist I can be in order to be part of that evolution in the profession.”

“Residency is an avenue for more training that leads to a different career path,” said Dr. Lisa Lubsch, clinical associate professor of pharmacy practice. “Most pharmacists head into retail. There are a select few, however, who go on to other things. One is to work at the bedside with physicians.” 

And while 65 percent is the national average for being successfully matched as a resident, 72 percent of the School of Pharmacy graduating class obtained a match. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Resident Matching Program (the “Match”) places applicants into pharmacy residency training positions in the U.S. Similar to matching programs used in other health professions, including medicine and dentistry, the Match provides an orderly process to help applicants obtain positions in residency programs of their choice and to help programs obtain applicants of their choice. 

In early December, students wishing to pursue residency begin a highly involved process of identifying and subsequently ranking their programs of choice. Similarly, residency programs compile a list ranking the desirable applicants in order of preference. All rank order lists are submitted to ASHP and run through a matching algorithm. The Match then places students into programs based entirely on the preferences of the rank order lists. This year the Match list was made available March 21, and SOP faculty recognized the outstanding results of this class.

“This particular fourth-year class has drive, and that’s shown easily by the number that went for residencies this year,” Lubsch said. “Twenty-three percent of this class is headed toward this type of training, and that is a large number compared to any other year we have had.”

“On top of that, from the class of 2014 there are nine students currently doing residency,” said Dr. Jingyang Fan, clinical associate professor of pharmacy practice. “Of those, six have decided to pursue postgraduate year two (PGY2) residency, and all six got matched. We’re excited about that.”

Fan and Lubsch concur that while their student population is outstanding, the faculty must also be credited for the support and time it devotes to the students.

“Our faculty is great in working with students. Some students were not planning to do a residency but were inspired by our faculty,” Fan said. “Many of our faculty members are also mentors to the students. They help them refine their curricula vitae, conduct practice interviews and truly prepare for their next steps.” 

“The hours we spend with these students to make them competitive candidates is great, and it obviously works as evidenced by this group of students,” Lubsch said. “The student faculty interaction here is different from anywhere I’ve ever worked. I know these students on a personal level. We work one-on-one together, and I love that they see something in my job setting that they want for themselves.”

The students below were matched to the following programs: