Among those in attendance included representatives from fellowship programs such as MCPHS Biopharmaceutical Industry and St. John’s University (Allergan, American Regent, and Daiichi Sankyo); residency programs such as Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center; Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center; Brooklyn Hospital Center; Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center; Mount Sinai Beth Israel; Mount Sinai Hospital; Mt. Sinai St. Luke’s & Mt. Sinai Roosevelt; North Shore LIJ-Health System; and Winthrop-University Medical Center; and retail chains such as CVS, Rite-Aid, Duane Reade, Walgreens, Lenox Terrace Pharmacy, Sunrise Pharmacy, and VLS Pharmacy. 

During an afternoon panel presentation, pharmacy executives from Novo Nordisk, Genzyme, Beth Israel, Bronx-Lebanon, Mount Sinai, NYU Langone, CVS, Rite-Aid, and Sunrise Pharmacy fielded a Q & A session from TCOP students on the topic of landing the residency, fellowship, and/or career of their dreams.

Missed the event? Catch up with some memorable quotes from the panel.

On becoming an attractive candidate during school:

• “I look for leadership… I want to see whether there are 2-3 organizations that you took an active role in.” –Dr. Rebecca Pleat, PharmD Fellow at Genzyme
• “Join pharmacy fraternities.” –Elizabeth Cobb, PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency Program Director at Mt. Sinai Beth Israel

On applying for residencies/fellowships:

• “Invest in your future—one year of having a post-grad residency will take a year out of your life, but it's an investment for the future. Five years down the line, you don't want to regret not having done one. I hear it from colleagues all the time who regret it. Personal obligations ended up getting in the way, and they chose not to continue.” –Dr. Niki Patel, Medical Liaison II at Novo Nordisk Inc.

On writing your resume:

• “I get 70 resumes for four positions—I won't interview you if your CV isn't up to speed.” –Dr. Shariq Ali, Genzyme
• “Make sure you don't just list the rotations you already covered, but also the ones you expect to complete in the future. It keeps me in the loop and lets me know your schedule. Sometimes only the bland rotations are jotted down, when more interesting ones didn't happen yet!” –Elizabeth Cobb, PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency Program Director at Mt. Sinai Beth Israel
• “When you first get a job, a lot of student activities get dropped off your resume—but you need to keep these on for residencies—I want to see those.” –Elizabeth Cobb, PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency Program Director at Mt. Sinai Beth Israel

On becoming a successful pharmacist:

• "You're not just there to give patients Robitussin-DM. Ask them about their lifestyles, health habits, etc." –Dr. Pravin Patel, Supervising Pharmacist at Sunrise Pharmacy and Sunshine Pharmacy