Pharmacy Fellowship Reception at ASHP Midyear
Monday, December 14, 2020
Everything laid out here is based on my personal experience with navigating receptions at ASHP Midyear 2019 - Las Vegas. With the pandemic continuing its fury, ASHP Midyear 2020 has gone virtual. I was unsure whether or not there would be receptions this year but my friends who are going through the process said that these Zoom sessions are a blast! This post will probably be more applicable for those who are applying in person but it may shed some light on what to expect with receptions. I'm sure people have done things differently but I'm here to give you my two cents. I will also lay out things I wish I knew prior to receptions.
Before experiencing receptions firsthand, a majority of the fellow/resident blogs I came across had a general consensus about how you are not supposed to "dress up". How it's a faux pas to wear things besides interview attire. I understand that it is a professional event but the official dress code is: COCKTAIL.
Bottom line: Wear what gives you confidence and makes you feel good about yourself!
I was not going to let someone's opinion dictate what I would wear so for my receptions:
- Day 1: the midnight boat neck dress above (second picture)
- Day 2: Ted Baker Fit and Flare Floral Print Dress (first picture)
Of note, you will be on your feet ALL NIGHT and you'll probably be running to different receptions... so wear comfortable shoes. I opted for heels because they give me a bit more height and more confidence! I quite literally had to run from reception to reception all around different hotels barefoot because Uber took forever. Midyear 2019 was in Vegas while there was a Cowboy Rodeo, Hockey Game and Cannabis Convention all at the same time. Saying it was hectic is an understatement.
DAY 1: December 9, 2019
I received my first reception invitation from Rutgers - Novartis after my second round interview... surprisingly before the third round. Yes, some programs have 3 rounds of interviews! I applied to two different positions in this program: Early vs. Late Stage Clinical Development. This also happened to be my first fellowship reception! I wasn't sure what to expect but it was really low-key. You're welcome to grab a drink or canapés but I decided to forgo both since I had to be smart with my time. I wanted to make my rounds, talk to fellows, fellowship director and preceptors before running off to another reception.
Oh, I'm often asked how to prepare for receptions. Just think of it as speed dating! You attempt to connect with your potential colleagues on a more personal level within a few minutes or hours... depending on how long you stay!
I took pictures of all my reception invites since I had to turn it in upon entry - it was my golden ticket into the door! The ones shown below are from Day 2!
I ended up barefoot after each reception as I dashed to my next commitment. As you can tell, they're jam packed into two nights and you have to be extremely selective. Not only are receptions a testament to your stamina and endurance but it also forces you rank your programs immediately. You're also faced with many questions such as:
1. How much time should I spend at a X reception?
2. Which receptions should I go to?
3. What order should I go to each reception? Should I go to X first, in between or last?
4. What are the chances I'll actually land an onsite and fellowship?
I was unable to attend a reception and I felt extremely guilty. I still do to this day 😖Everyone was just so nice and I regret not being able to go to this particular reception over the one I chose to attend.
After mingling with Novartis peeps, I headed over to Rutgers-Genentech. It was a disaster on my part because I wrote the wrong phone number on my CV and the fellow was unable to reach me #STRESSED. CHECK YOUR CV WORD FOR WORD A GAZILLION TIMES! Fortunately, I spoke to the fellow prior to Midyear and he still had my number on his phone 🙏It was really cramped and loud at the pub but I made my rounds and the fellow introduced me to a lot of the directors!
My last reception of the night was at Rutgers - Merck. The fellowship director came up to me to ask which position I was interested in since I applied to both the Clinical Development and Clinical Pharmacology fellowships. I came to the last leg of the reception but the two fellows took me around to meet everyone in the program. According to e v e r y o n e I've spoken to, if fellows introduce you to other people on their team and beyond, they are truly considering you for the position. 🙌
Day 2: December 10, 2019
This night was a HOT, HOT MESS. I wish I spent more time at certain receptions but I was stretched thin by the end of the night.
I had a really amazing time at UOP- Genentech and it was a VERY, VERY posh reception at The Four Seasons - definitely up to my standards and taste! Right when I got there, the fellow pulled me aside and said that I was one of their top candidates and they wanted to invite me to an onsite. I WAS BEYOND ECSTATIC. LIKE WHAT?! ME!?!! YES YES YES! I applied to both the Clinical Development and Clinical Pharmacology fellowships. I ultimately did an onsite for Clinical Pharmacology and accepted the offer but I'll save that for another post!
I can never express the amount of gratitude I have for the fellowship and program directors. They were with me every single step of the way, did a mock run of my onsite presentation, gave me pointers, the list goes on. I am forever grateful to them. More on this in the future 😊
I already knew ALL of the fellows and both the fellowship and program director since I did an APPE rotation in Clinical Development a few months right before Midyear! For the sake of brevity, I caught up with everyone! Yes, I have bandages ALLLLLL over my feet 😣
MCPHS only has one round of interviews... I think? I was given a reception invitation to MCPHS - Biogen and Novartis after just one round so... 🤷All of the MCPHS programs were packed into one location so I had to divide and conquer. After a while, I started seeing the same candidates everywhere I went!
The big one! How do you know the program really likes you at Rutgers? They invite you to the BIG Rutgers reception. All of Rutgers programs are in attendance with their top candidates 😏😜! My reception was damaged since I stuffed it in my clutch... this was my last reception and I was running on no food or beverage so I went to the bar to get myself a soda! Didn't want to faint on anyone, haha! There's really no way you could ever run out of things to say! I caught up with the same fellows and they introduced me to other fellows who completed the program before them. I stayed until the very end and it was a great way to end the night!
Midyear 2019 was a TOTAL BLAST! I learned so much more about myself through the entire PPS process and I would have to say I'm an interview expert now, JK!
Last minute words of wisdom: Treat receptions as if it's a party where people are taking mental notes about you! Don't drink too much! Breathe. Relax. You made it this far and that's an achievement on it's own.
Let me know what other pharmacy related content you would like to see! Feel free to email me or drop a comment below! Best of luck!
XO,
Adrienne
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