Almost 100 students gathered at Chicago’s Hyatt Regency O’Hare last month to learn how to rise above the competition and become a standout residency candidate. ACCP’s “Emerge from the Crowd” conference provided student participants with 11.0 hours of interactive programming focused on how best to secure a residency position upon graduation. The faculty panel was composed of current pharmacy residents, clinical pharmacy practitioners, educators, scholars, and residency program directors. They shared expert advice on maximizing experiential educational opportunities, engaging in scholarly activity, navigating the residency application process, developing CVs and portfolios, and interviewing successfully.

Student participants greatly appreciated the program, as evidenced by the following comments:

• “I feel more confident in my future as a potential residency candidate with all that I have learned these 2 days.”
• “Overall, this program was extremely helpful. Thank you for all the time spent on this!”
• “This was very, very helpful regarding the entire residency process.”
• “Awesome speakers, very informative!”
• “I liked that we had a lot of opportunities to ask practical questions that never really get answered anywhere else.”

Student participants also received a copy of The ACCP Field Guide to Becoming a Standout Pharmacy Residency Candidate, which offers a multiyear, stepwise approach for students to maximize their curricular and extracurricular experiences, beginning in the first year.

Similar programming will be offered at the ACCP Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas, this fall. Students can access information on upcoming meetings, the On-Demand CV Review Service, and additional career development resources at www.accp.com/stunet.