COVID-19 has impacted nearly all areas of pharmacy education, forcing academic institutions to use alternative means to continue classes and clinical rotations. These transitions led to technology challenges, learning barriers, and missed opportunities, causing added stress and anxiety. Some APPEs were canceled; others were replaced with a virtual course, and some continued as usual. 

Often, students discover their passion and determine their career path during APPE rotations. A canceled or changed rotation may prevent students from experiencing an area of pharmacy they may be passionate about. Furthermore, cancellation of APPE rotations minimizes the number of student–preceptor relationships. In addition, current residents are facing similar challenges in planning their next steps. 

With the combination of COVID–19, APPE rotations, missed opportunities during rotations and residency training, all affected will need to be strong, resilient, and able to think outside the box. The following commentary highlights the challenges facing the residency candidates of 2021 and provides suggestions to navigate and approach the residency application process.

Community-based pharmacy practitioners always have the eye of the tiger.

Hello, future colleagues! Are you ready for virtual residency showcases? That is the reality this year. While your road to residency will be different from my experience, I can say I am a proud PGY1 community-based residency graduate, and perhaps you will be one day as well. How did I choose my program? Where did it take me? What was the point of it all? I’m here to answer those questions for you. 

Brooke E. Kulusich (left): ‘Now that many are Zoom-friendly, it presents an incredible opportunity to transcend geographic barriers and interact with peers, mentors, and speakers regardless of their locations.’

With regional and national meetings gone remote, highly-anticipated experiential rotations canceled, and long-distance travel limited indefinitely, it seems that COVID–19 has impeded traditional opportunities for face-to-face networking. However, this does not have to be the case. The pandemic will undoubtedly revolutionize the way student pharmacists will have to foster and expand their professional circles, but it might not be for the worse. I have come to appreciate this unique season as an opportunity to rethink geographic boundaries, cultivate my existing relationships remotely, and use social media as a platform to engage with others.

Get the most out of your rotations and don’t stress about the future, advises Susan Dembny.

The question asked most often to students on APPE rotations is, “What are your plans after graduation?” This question is well meaning, as it is asked so a rotation can be tailored to building skills that will prepare the student for their future career. For students like me who do not know what they want to do after graduation, this question can feel incredibly stressful. 

To every APPE student feeling the pressure of uncertainty, I empathize with you. It is stressful. I have had many a sleepless night worrying about the future. There are 100 other things to be stressed about right now, so I am here to offer some advice on how to get the most out of rotations when you don’t know what you want to do after graduation.

Amidst a pandemic, student pharmacists are enduring the challenges of learning and applying clinical knowledge in an environment unlike anything anyone has experienced before. The current situation has presented an uprooting of all previous plans that has resulted in the questioning of how to move forward with intended goals. The ability to grow through this time of uncertainty may be the exact adaptive factor that will mold you into the exceptional clinician you have yearned to become. This is the year to grow your grit. 

In an April 2013 TED talk, author and researcher Angela Duckworth describes grit as: “Passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina … grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” According to a May 2017 American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education (AJPE) article, 
higher scores on the Grit-S scale also coincide with student pharmacists who attain postgraduate training positions. So, what kind of qualities does the gritty pharmacist focus on?