School of Pharmacy has successful residency match year

Exterior photo of the School of Pharmacy building

The University of New England’s School of Pharmacy scored the second-highest placement rate in New England for residency placements in combined Phase I and Phase II of the highly competitive American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) PGY1 Resident Matching Program.

Residency training is divided into two postgraduate years. Postgraduate year one (PGY1) offers more generalized training, providing residents exposure to a broad range of clinical scenarios. Postgraduate year two (PGY2) emphasizes a specific area of interest and helps lead to specialization in that field.

While many graduates begin working in community pharmacies, hospital pharmacies, and other settings after completing their pharmacy degree, others pursue further training either through residency programs or fellowship programs.

UNE’s School of Pharmacy placed 14 PGY1 students for a placement rate of 78%, well above the 65% national average for all schools.

“We are very proud overall of our Class of 2021 and believe this successful match rate is a testament to the quality of our students and our pharmacy program with its emphasis on interprofessional education and practice,” noted Robert McCarthy, dean of the School of Pharmacy.

Two UNE grads who completed PGY1 residencies have been successfully matched with sites to complete a PGY2 residency.

Nationally, about 38% of PGY1 and PGY2 residents are hired by their sites to permanent positions.