It was another successful Match Day for USC College of Pharmacy students and alumni.
Through the American Society of Health System Pharmacists Resident Matching Program, 34 USC College of Pharmacy students and alumni matched to postgraduate year one residencies, along with 13 postgraduate year two matches in areas of study ranging from community pharmacy and critical care to infectious diseases and geriatric medicine. Additionally, four students accepted executive residencies, industry fellowships and a public health residency with Indian Health Services. More COP students than ever matched into veterans' administration health care settings. And in another unique category, four alumni applied and received residency for as long as three years after graduation, a nontraditional path to residency.
USC COP students and alumni will spend their match year spread across 16 states, from South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida and Alabama and as far away as Alaska, Colorado, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Texas.
Fevil Patel, ’22, was one of four alumni who took the nontraditional route to his PGY1 residency at UNC Health Southeastern in Lumberton, N.C. Patel did not take part in the match process during his fourth year as a student.
“I wasn’t sure about going through the match process as I was graduating,” he recalls. “I didn’t feel at the time that I wanted to go the clinical route, so I worked as a retail pharmacist and then in a hospital setting at Wake Med where I realized I did want to pursue residency.”
Patel applied for this year’s match program during Phase Two and credits his experience gained during the past year for his successful match.
“There are plenty of opportunities in more rural areas,” he says. “Hospital systems are open to training pharmacists who do not yet have experience in a hospital system if you are willing to move and relocate.”
Patel also recommends using sources on LinkedIn to find mentors and career coaches.
Emily Brackett, Class of 2023, will spend her first year of postgraduate training with Prisma Health Richland where she has seen firsthand how preceptors value their students.
“I have worked in the outpatient pharmacy for three years, and this hospital has been more than just a job or rotation,” she says. “They are family. I also am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue giving back to the College of Pharmacy by participating in the clinical teaching certificate program.”
During pharmacy school, I found that I really enjoyed patient care and clinical research, and decided a career in clinical practice would be the best fit for me ...
Ryan McCormick, ‘22, initially earned an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering.
“I decided I wanted to go to pharmacy school and pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry. During pharmacy school, I found that I really enjoyed patient care and clinical research, and decided a career in clinical practice would be the best fit for me,” he says.
McCormick spent his first year of residency at the University of Chicago Illinois. He has now matched for his second year of training in infectious diseases at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist.
“Atrium checked all my boxes - comprehensive clinical training across all areas of ID, opportunities for impactful research, clinical precepting and classroom teaching opportunities, and high-quality mentorship,” he says. “Dr. Williamson and the ID program at Wake Forest Baptist have a history of training great Gamecock pharmacists, and I am so excited to be next on the list!”
Topics: Postgraduate Training, Pharm.D. Program, Match Day