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It's the most wonderful time of the year - the holidays are almost here, and the Midyear Clinical Meeting is just around the corner!

As a new practitioner, you've probably figured out how to navigate Midyear, and you may even have some PPS sessions under your belt. Your New Practitioner Forum committees have been hard at work to help you get the most out of your Midyear experience.  The Professional Practice Advisory Group (PPAG) wants to make sure you get the best possible experience - whether your goals are to leave with PGY2 options, job possibilities, new contacts, the latest knowledge, or just great memories with your colleagues.  Here are some tips from our collective Midyear experience to help you maximize your meeting!

General Tips:

• Network all you can while you're there- don't just go to PPS and call it a day. You may just be introduced to your potential boss at a networking session – you just never know!

• Consider yourself always on the job hunt, both inside the conference center and out at night.

• Consider touching base with your pharmacy school or seeing if they have a reception you can attend. Always great to see familiar faces, and if you’re a resident, remind them that you'll be looking for a job in a year!

Personnel Placement Service (PPS):

• If you've never been to PPS before, it's very different than the showcase.  It's calm and there are places to sit!

• Schedule interviews 30 minutes apart so that you have time to regroup and figure out where you need to be next. This also gives you extra time in case an interview starts late and/or ends late.

• Only schedule 3-4 interviews/day because it is really easy to burn out if you are hopping from interview to interview for 8 hours.  Overloading your schedule will wear you out, and you may lose enthusiasm for some of the interviews you are most interested in.

• Don't limit yourself geographically during PPS.  You may have to do that for the interview process but you may uncover a great opportunity by speaking to distant programs during PPS.

• Remember that many programs will early commit their PGY2 positions.  Some will still interview candidates during PPS and complete the early commitment process following Midyear.  It's ok to ask if there are internal candidates that will be applying to the position, however it's usually better to ask the RPD.  You will usually get a direct and honest answer.  You can ask a resident the same question but it may be uncomfortable for the resident because they may be more invested in the outcome, particularly if it is a PGY1 resident.

• Same goes for post-residency positions – it’s okay to ask if they have an internal candidate for the position.  This interview is for you to get the information you need to narrow down your job search also.

• PPS is not only about the program meeting you.  It's also about you deciding if you will be applying to the program.  Make sure you ask questions that help you make this determination based on the factors that are most important to you.

• Interview styles may vary, and you should be prepared for any situation:

  • Some interviews are very relaxed, and you will be expected to lead the conversation with your questions. Come prepared with plenty of questions for PPS. While some may be more formal interviews, a lot of the times it's an opportunity for you to learn as much as you can about a specific position or institution. Don't be surprised if many places only have a few questions for you and then open the floor to you for the rest of the interview time.

  • Other interviews will be more intense and the interviewer will be closely evaluating you.

• Be respectful of people's time with PPS. It's usually a rapid fire turn around for many booths and you don't want to be the delaying factor.

• Bring thank you cards with you so that you can write them between interviews. This will get the work out of the way, plus you'll remember your conversation right after the interview so you will be able to touch on that in the card.

• Not getting an interview in PPS doesn't mean you won't be offered an onsite interview.  Interviewing with a program at PPS is not a guarantee you'll be offered an onsite interview.

• Use PPS and your interviews as an opportunity for networking for a potential future job as well.  If you realize you aren’t interested in the position while the interview is underway, use the time to get to know your interviewers, and use the opportunity to find out more about their institution. You never know what may come up!

• If you’re currently a resident, don’t be devastated if you don’t find a job you love with PPS. Employers with non-residency positions at PPS may be looking for pharmacists who can start working before your residency year is over. Job opportunities will continue to come up as your residency year comes to a close.

Sessions

• Don't miss the clinical pearls sessions - you can learn a lot of useful information in a short amount of time.

  • The Clinical Pearls Session is Tuesday, December 8^th from 2 PM – 4 PM.  There are also Clinical Pearls Sessions for Management, Safety and Quality, Emergency Medicine, and Informatics.

• The publishing presentation with AJHP editorial board members and editorial staff will be very beneficial for residents seeking to be published. It is extremely eye opening about the inter-workings of a journal

  • This session takes place Sunday, December 6^th from 2:30 PM to 4 PM

• Look at the schedule ahead of time and plan for what sessions you really want to attend. With so many options for activities and sessions throughout the day, it can be easy to lose track of time and miss that session you had your eye on.

  • Check out the Resident and New Practitioners Track to identify some sessions that are especially beneficial to New Practitioners

• Attending the Great Expectations programming is a perfect way to network with other new practitioners. Maybe you'll find a new friend to attend other programming with!

• If you don't mind waking up early, there are usually CE sessions offered over breakfast at one or more of the nearby hotels. This can be a great way to start the day!

• Visit the student poster session if you have a chance. It's nice to be able to support and encourage our students - remember it wasn't long ago that you were one!

  • The Student Poster Sessions are on Monday, December 7th, and Tuesday, December 8^th at a variety of times

The PPAG Clinical Pearls Task Force has put together a clinical pearls session for Pharmacy Students.  The Clinical Pearls team has developed some excellent presentations for this session based on clinical issues they have faced as new practitioners. The clinical pearls topics are as follows:

• "HIT me with your best shot: Practical pearls for managing heparin-induced thrombocytopenia"

• "Chemo man: recognition and management of chemotherapy toxicities"

• "ABCs of CKD: Managing the Hemodialysis Patient"

• "Dosing aminoglycosides: Selecting the best patients for the Hartford nomogram"

• "No Fibbing: Strategies for Pharmacists in the management of Atrial Fibrillation"

The Clinical Pearls Session for students will be on Tuesday, December 8^th at 4:30 PM. The Clinical Pearls team is working on how to make these presentations widely available after Midyear.

See you in New Orleans!!