The New York State Council of Health-system Pharmacists (NYSCHP) held their annual student program, “Staying a Step Ahead of Your Competition,” at the Touro College of Pharmacy on August 26, 2016. This program was created to help pharmacy students stand out from their competition by helping to develop the necessary skills needed to enter the job market. Emphasis was also placed on the process of interviewing for residency and fellowship programs.

Students learned valuable advice on topics such as interviewing technique, CV and letter of intent writing, presentation skills, reasons to do a residency, and strategies on navigating the midyear clinical meeting. Students had opportunities to practice interviewing skills by participating in mock interviews with experienced pharmacists and pharmacy residents in attendance.

Guest Speakers in attendance:
Amy Dzierba, PharmD, BCPS, FCCM, Clinical Pharmacy Manager and Residency Program Director in Critical Care at New York Presbyterian
Mary Choy, PharmD, CGP, FASHP, Associate Professor at Touro College of Pharmacy
Khusbu Patel, PharmD, BCACP, CGP, Assistant Clinical Professor at St. John’s University
Henry Cohen, PharmD, FCCM, BCPP, CGP, Dean of Touro College of Pharmacy
Elaine Wong, PharmD, BCPS, Associate Professor at Long Island University
Nicholas Lange, PharmD, PGY2 Solid Organ Transplant, Resident at New York-Presbyterian Hospital
Julia Zecchini, PharmD, PGY2 Oncology Resident at Mount Sinai Medical Center

Article and Photos by Gretchen Marcelino
Edited and Posted by Johnny Hon