It’s that time of year! No, not just the holiday season… the Midyear
Clinical Meeting starts this weekend in Anaheim, California! I have the
privilege of attending for my second time as a non-graduating student
and am looking forward to some great programming and a lot of fun with
pharmacy students from across the country. If you are attending, I
advise you to plan your schedule ahead of time as a lot of sessions
overlap and you don’t want to miss a program at the residency showcase
because you forgot to leave your hotel on time. As you prepare your
schedule for Anaheim, I have some suggestions for non-graduating
students.
- DO attend at least one session of the Residency Showcase. Even if
you are unsure on whether or not to do a residency or what you want to
be when you grow up, the Residency Showcase is a great place to practice
networking skills and really get a taste of the atmosphere. Residency
Showcase continues to be more chaotic and competitive every year. I
found it helpful to visit some programs I was interested in and asked
one question just to introduce myself. Talking to residents was less
intimidating, as they were in my shoes just a year or two ago. Another
tip is to go during the second half of the session… by that time some of
the chaos will have calmed and you may have more time to talk to
programs.
- DO attend the student PPMI session. (See previous blog post for
more information on PPMI). The Pharmacy Student Forum Executive
Committee has worked hard to plan some great sessions for students. This
one is especially important for all students, as PPMI will affect all
future pharmacists in the health-system. Without support from students,
PPMI will lack support from the future of pharmacy. Come see how to get
involved!
- DO attend the Awards Ceremony and Student Society Showcase. This
is a great way to learn what other SSHPs have been up to and get some
new program ideas for your school. It’s also a relaxing way to end the
first day of programming.
- DON’T arrive late to the Opening Session on Monday at 9AM. Just
think about it: 20,000+ Midyear attendees all trying to cram into one
area… it gets pretty packed! Get there early and grab a great seat.
- DON’T forget your business cards. Share them with residency
programs, pharmacists, and other students you meet. You never know when
one of these contacts may become a great friend or mentor.
- DO visit your classmates if they are presenting a poster. Student
poster sessions occur on Monday and Tuesday. Show your support for the
hard work your classmates have done to be selected to present a poster
at Midyear.
- DO check out the Exhibit Hall but DON’T be the student who walks out of the Hall with your arms full of free stuff. It’s tacky.
- DO tweet about your experiences with the hashtag: #ashpmidyear. At
this year’s ASHP Summer Meeting I was awarded a “top tweeter” award and
won a Best Buy gift card and a coffee mug for bragging rights! If you
don’t want to tweet, add the app to your smartphone and follow along.
It’s a great way to find out what other students are up to!
- DON'T stress about this trip to Midyear, but DO be professional.
Remember that this may not be your year to apply for a residency, but
the residency director might still be at the bar and remember you next
year if you did something stupid.
Lastly, DO check out the ASHP Student Guide for more great tips and session dates/times. If you’re going to be at Midyear, make sure to follow me on Twitter and say “hi” if you see me!