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Residency Showcase and Personnel Placement Service (PPS) can be intimidating and overwhelming if you are not prepared. I would like to share some of the advice I have received regarding these two Midyear events. If you have not had a chance, I would suggest taking time to read my first blog, “It’s Midyear Time,” with tips and advice for Midyear preparation.

Residency Showcase - If you are looking at residency programs, develop a list of your top programs and know what times they will be at the showcase. The residency showcase layout will be on the ASHP website and is very helpful! Before you meet with residency programs you are interested in, make sure to do your homework. You do not want to ask the residents or program directors questions that are already on their website. You may ask more specific questions referring to pharmacists’ scope of practice within a specific institution or options in choosing your own research topic as a resident. Here is some additional advice I have received:

1. Make an excel document with all of the residency programs’ information for you to review quickly before PPS and/or residency showcase.
2. Try not to carry heavy bags or coats with you because you most likely will have to stand up for the entire session.
3. The line outside the residency showcase tends to be very long. You may have to wait your turn to enter the room, but don’t panic. (If you are not a P4 student, make sure to not take time away from P4 students. If at the end of the event no P4 students are talking to the residency program you are interested in, go ahead and talk to them.)
4. Make sure to have your 1-2 minute elevator speech about yourself ready. Be friendly. This is your time to ask residents questions, join group discussions, and talk to other students like you. Who knows, you may meet your co-resident during residency showcase or Midyear in general.
5. Be conscientious. Don’t take up too much of the residency programs’ time because other students may be waiting for their chance to talk to the program.
6. Make sure to be professionally dressed and be professional when talking with programs. Don’t stand out for the wrong reasons.
7. Take notes after meeting with the residency programs but not during your meeting.
8. If you have finished talking to all of the programs on your list, it is ok to walk around and talk to other programs. 

Remember: these three residency showcase sessions (on Monday, Tuesday morning, and Tuesday afternoon) are for YOU! You do not get a repeat opportunity to make a first impression.

Personnel Placement Service (PPS) - It’s different from the Residency Showcase or other networking events because you are provided scheduled, one-on-one time with employers and/or residency directors. PPS may be helpful for graduating students seeking PGY-1, combined PGY-1/PGY-2 residency, fellowship, or job, PGY-1 residents seeking PGY-2 residency, or pharmacists seeking a job. However, not all programs will interview at PPS (many PGY-1 programs will only be available at the residency showcase). If you are interested, you can sign up here. There is an additional fee, which is NOT included in Midyear Registration. You may request interviews through the PPS website, which will most likely be scheduled Sunday through Wednesday. Be careful when scheduling PPS interviews. You may want to leave Monday afternoon, Tuesday morning, and Tuesday afternoon open for the Residency Showcase. If you are looking at programs across the country this is a good way to preview them to see if you want to invest in a future onsite interview with your programs of interest. The most successful candidates have the majority of their appointments scheduled before they even arrive.

Remember: “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I look forward to seeing you all at Midyear soon! If you have additional comments, questions, or advice for students attending Midyear, please add your comments below.