For the second year in a row, Concordia University Wisconsin’s School of Pharmacy bested the national average of students who have attempted and successfully matched to an accredited residency program, with 74.5 percent of the participating CUW Class of 2019 students having received placements this year.
According to results released late last week by the American Society of Health-system Pharmacist (ASHP), Concordia’s match rate beats out the national average by more than 11 percent. The ASHP’s National Resident Matching Program provides an unbiased mechanism for matching applicants’ preferences with those of residency program directors across the country.
Concordia’s curriculum, students’ efforts, and faculty’s teaching abilities, in tandem with the experiences students have on campus and in the practice settings of qualified pharmacy preceptors worldwide, are to credit for the success, says Andrew Traynor, PharmD, BCPS, chair and associate professor of pharmacy practice. CUW places a high emphasis on exposing students to the many types of pharmacy careers available to them, including residencies as a next step as well as the development needed to successfully pursue a career path that aligns with each student’s talents.
“Our program is fortunate to be afforded the chance to deliberately and holistically develop students’ knowledge, skills, and professionalism,” says Traynor. “It takes considerable time and effort to ensure students find success in their next steps, but we believe this fulfills our ultimate goal of helping our students best serve patients and communities.”
Pharmacy residencies are optional educational experiences for licensed pharmacists that focus on the resident providing patient care and furthering their project, leadership, and teaching skills under the preceptorship of experienced pharmacists. Residencies take place in hospitals, ambulatory care settings, community pharmacies, and managed care organizations, and are fast becoming a requisite for obtaining a position in many settings where pharmacists are involved in direct patient care.
Residencies typically last one year and begin in late June or early July. CUW students in residency will primarily serve Wisconsin citizens, with 31 of the 37 students matched within the state.
Learn more about Concordia’s School of Pharmacy here.
— This story is written by Kali Thiel, director of university communications for Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor. She may be reached at kali.thiel@cuw.edu or 262-243-2149.
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