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T 28: Maximizing Awareness of Post-PharmD Opportunities in Industry Through Targeted National and Regional Recruitment Initiatives

Poster Presenter

Lucie Vu

Cytokinetics
United States

Objectives

The MCPHS University Biopharmaceutical Industry Fellowship Program attended recruitment events in 2014 & 2015 to increase knowledge & awareness of postgraduate training opportunities among PharmD students. The objective is to assess the reach of these events to enhance future recruitment strategies.

Method

Recruitment events included career fairs, regional/national conferences, pharmacy school visits, and virtual sessions. Surveys were collected from student attendees to gather metrics on academic affiliation, anticipated year of graduation, and how they learned about the program.

Results

In 2014, the fellowship program attended 36 recruitment events (in-person: 27 | virtual: 9) across 20 different states. In 2015, the fellowship program attended 43 recruitment events (in-person: 39 | virtual: 4) across 25 different states. In 2014 a total of 414 fellowship interest surveys were collected from pharmacy students or recent PharmD graduates, and 529 fellowship interest surveys were collected in 2015. A 19% increase in the number of recruitment events corresponded to a 28% increase in student engagement in 2015. In 2014 the students represented a total of 81 pharmacy schools throughout the country, and in 2015 they represented 92 pharmacy schools. In both years, the largest portion of students was completing their final professional year (31% and 37%, respectively). In 2014 survey results indicated that for 220 (53%) students, a recruitment event was the first time they had spoken with someone from the MCPHS fellowship program. In 2014 the top three venues through which students learned about the MCPHS Fellowship Program were conferences, career fairs and speaking with current fellows. In 2015 the top three venues were fellowship/residency showcases, the MCPHS website, and conferences. Both years, fewer students were introduced to the program through faculty, alumni, or webinars.

Conclusion

Since 2005, the number of pharmacy schools has increased from 87 schools to now 132 ACPE-accredited schools. As a result, the last decade has seen an unprecedented growth in the number of PharmD graduates compared to previous years. One of the goals of the Committee is to continue to increase awareness of fellowships as a postgraduate alternative to residencies and other traditional pharmacy roles in the increasingly competitive job market. Recruitment events attended by the MCPHS University Biopharmaceutical Industry Fellowship Program’s Marketing & Recruitment Committee in 2014 and 2015 were successful in reaching a large number of students across the country and increased awareness of postgraduate training opportunities in industry. Based on the high level of awareness generated from the Fellowship Program’s presence at conferences and career fairs, the Committee will target available resources toward these types of events.