Rose Pavlakos
Why I did I choose to complete a residency?
About a week before Midyear in my 4th year of pharmacy school, I was introduced to the idea of completing a residency. Before then, I was unfamiliar with the fact that residency programs were offered outside of the hospital setting and my heart was already set on working in either community or ambulatory pharmacy. I was encouraged by a new preceptor of mine to go to the Midyear meeting to see what other types of programs were offered. When I got to Midyear, I was surprised by the variety of community/ambulatory care based residency programs available throughout the nation. After talking with current residents, I began to recognize the advantage to completing a residency program and realized how beneficial it would be toward my future career. The stories and experiences shared with me by my preceptors and other pharmacist who had completed a residency program inspired me to apply for a residency.
Why Ohio State?
As I approached the OSU College of Pharmacy booth during the 2014 Midyear meeting it stood out to me that the residents at this program were happy, friendly and caring for one another and the field of pharmacy as a whole. They shared stories of the various relationships they had built with their co-workers and preceptors during their first year of residency along with the variety of unique opportunities they had been provided. As I began to discuss my goals with them, it was evident that this program would be a good fit for me. They provided a great opportunity for teaching and had a variety of electives to choose from. The preceptors and RPD’s of the program were extremely welcoming from my first interaction with them all the way through the interview process. Coming from a big family in New Mexico, I was nervous about leaving my hometown but after having met the OSU family it seemed to be the perfect place for me to explore my future career. I am grateful to have spent my first year with them and am looking forward to another great year as I complete a PGY-2 within the same practice site.
