Impact of Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences on Residency Interview Invitations

Objective. To determine how postgraduate year one (PGY1) pharmacy residency program directors perceive factors related to advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) when selecting candidates for residency interviews. Methods. An online cross-sectional nationwide survey of 1,280 PGY1 residency program directors was conducted. Participants were asked to rank the overall influence of five APPE categories, including location, structure, elective type, timing, and preceptor references, as well as the desirability and necessity of APPE-related variables representing the five categories, in their assessment of residency candidates. Results. Program demographics and survey data were collected from 375 participants (29% response rate). The category most influential to program directors' decisions was APPE preceptor reference letters, while the category that was the least influential was APPE timing factors. An APPE's location, structure, and elective type ranked second, third, and fourth, respectively, as the most influential categories. Respondents perceived factors similar to their own residency environment as desirable, supporting the study's conceptual framework of person-environment fit. The variables that the majority of residency directors specifically desired were two reference letters from APPE preceptors and letter grades for each APPE completed. Completion of inpatient elective APPEs was considered more desirable than completion of a balanced mix of elective APPEs. Participants rarely indicated that a specific APPE variable was a necessity for a candidate to be considered. Conclusion. Applicants to pharmacy residency programs should consider the importance of personenvironment fit when selecting APPEs and preparing applications as program directors desire candidates who possess attributes compatible with their organization and complete APPEs in settings similar to that of their organization. Conversely, the absence of desired APPE-related variables does not necessarily exclude an applicant from consideration.