US and Canadian pharmacy residencies and fellowships: 1995

OBJECTIVE: To report statistical information about pharmacy postgraduate experiential training programs in the US and Canada. DATA SOURCE: RESFILE-95 database. MEASUREMENTS: A questionnaire is mailed annually to the contact listed for each residency or fellowship in the RESFILE database. The data for this report were entered into the database between June and December 1994. The information obtained on the survey includes (1) program type and accreditation status, (2) primary focus of the program, (3) number of positions, (4) stipend, (5) availability to BS graduates. RESULTS: Six hundred sixty-eight programs are listed in the RESFILE database, including 540 residences (70% accredited and 30% nonaccredited) and 128 fellowships. Fifty programs are located in Canada. There are a total of 1070 positions available, with a mean of 1.6 positions per program. Pharmacy practice residencies constitute 55% of accredited residencies in the US. General hospital residencies account for 88% of Canadian programs. Primary/ambulatory care residencies are the most common specialty focus. Infectious disease is the most common fellowship focus. The mean stipend for all programs is $24,837. Overall, at least 90% of the responding programs offer specified benefits. Forty-eight percent of the residency programs are available to BS graduates; most fellowships are not. Having completed a previous generalist residency is frequently preferred but often is not required to perform a specialty residency or fellowship. CONCLUSIONS: The statistical data in this report will be useful to those assessing the role of postgraduate experiential training, institutions in the process of developing a residency or fellowship, and those considering application to enter such programs.