by Karina Brady, Public Relations Writer
Cedarville University’s School of Pharmacy graduates have met their “Match” and are rising above it.
Cedarville Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) alumni in their first postgraduate year are landing residencies and fellowships at a rate of nearly 69 percent, above the national average of 65 percent, while graduates in their second year after graduation are finding posts at a remarkable rate of 100 percent, far beyond the national average of 76 percent. This according to data from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists National Matching Services Inc. “Match” program.
Cedarville University’s Pharm.D. graduates wishing to specialize in a particular area, such as cardiology, are required to complete postgraduate training to further their clinical practice skills during either a residency or fellowship training.
During residency or fellowship training, Pharm.D. grads spend one or two years practicing in a specialty area as a licensed pharmacist, under the supervision of one or more preceptors, experienced pharmacy practitioners.
“The Match is a highly competitive process,” said Zach Jenkins, assistant professor of pharmacy practice at Cedarville. “At a national level, one-third of candidates are unable to obtain a position following the Match each year. Despite being a fairly new pharmacy program — Cedarville University’s professional pharmacy program began 10 years ago — our students have consistently placed above national averages during the Match.”
Just over half of the 2018 professional pharmacy graduates are completing postgraduate training in Ohio. Students from the Pharm.D. class of 2018 secured the following PGY1 residencies or fellowship training opportunities:
● Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton, OH
● Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Dayton, OH
● Grandview Medical Center, Dayton, OH
● Caresource, Dayton, OH
● Wake Forest University/Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC
● ProMedica Toledo Hospital, Toledo, OH
● Lima Memorial Health System, Lima, OH
● Forbes Hospital and Western Pennsylvania Hospital, Monroeville, PA
● Clement J Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI
● Spectrum Health Hospitals, Grand Rapids, MI
● Rocking Horse Community Health Center, Springfield, OH
● Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA
● University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
Students from the Pharm.D. class of 2017 are completing PGY2 postgraduate training in the following programs:
● Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center, Toledo, OH
● Eskenazi Health, Indianapolis, IN
● Western Missouri Psychiatric Pharmacy Residency/UMKC, Kansas City, MO
● Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield, WI
“Our students have been able to market themselves well on a national level, with roughly half of them securing opportunities with highly regarded institutions outside the state of Ohio,” said Jenkins. “This is significant, as it's often challenging for new schools of pharmacy to have this high level of impact so early.” I believe that the two biggest reasons for our students’ success are the high level of faculty investment in each student and the high level of quality and professionalism displayed by our students.”
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,963 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.