We are joined by Dr. Rachel Legg, fellow at the University of South Alabama Family Medicine Clinic.
What is a Showcase?
A Showcase is like a convention, where you have a lot of similar things get together in one space so you can maximize your time and exposure to an experience.
For Post-Graduate Training, a showcase is a session where residency programs buy or use space (booths) and fill those booths with Program Directors, Preceptors, and Current Residents. Candidates are given a map of the showcase layout and they then go to their desirable booths for to talk to the programs and ask questions.
Where do showcases take place?
There are regional and national showcases. There are even virtual showcases in some cases.
Regional showcases are for candidates in a state to see programs in their area and sometimes surrounding states. These are typically free for candidates or take place during regional organizational meetings like the state level APhA and ASHP annual meetings and cost the fee to attend the conference. As a student, the fee to attend a local conference is usually very cheap and travel costs are low. The purpose of these programs is to save students money who are planning on staying close to home.
The National Showcase is usually the one put on by ASHP at their Midyear Clinical Meeting which rotates between several locations like Las Vega, New Orleans, California. Not all programs attend this meeting, but the majority of them do. Because of the size and number of participating programs, there are 3 separate showcases that are each several hours long. You'll have to do a lot of planning in order to determine which showcases you want to attend. Unless it is a smaller program, most programs will have several candidates talking to a single resident or program director.
The environment for showcases in general is hectic and can be stressful for candidates. Just breath and be yourself. The showcases are there for YOUR benefit.
What is Personal Placement Services (PPS) and how is this different than showcases?
PPS takes place at ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and is similar to the showcase. Instead of segmented time, PPS usually runs all-day throughout the conference. Businesses, health systems, manufacturers, and Post-Graduate Year 2 residency programs participate in PPS. It serves essentially as a career fair. PGY1 programs do not generally participate in PPS unless they are more specialized like administration. Industry fellowships usually participate in PPS. These companies and programs pay money to have a booth at PPS for a specified amount of time. You have to pay additional funds to sign-up to participate in PPS, but once you pay the flat fee, you are allowed to research programs, upload application materials, and request interviews. Candidates will build their schedule with 30-60 minute interviews. We do not recommend doing PPS if you are just looking for a general PGY1 experience.
Do I have to attend a showcase? What is the benefit for me?
You do not need to attend a showcase. Programs are there to answer your questions and sell their program. They do not generally give bonus points in their application process for attending and talking to them (although there are rumors that some programs may do this, but it's most likely the more prestigious ones). If you know where you want to apply to, and you feel confident in your choices, then save your money and don't attend. If you have a regional showcase close by, and you are free, and there is not additional cost or little cost to attend then it may be beneficial to check it out and practice your communication skills.
Showcases are 100% there to benefit you as the candidate. It is extremely difficult to take a list of 25 programs that you are very interested in and begin to weed out programs. On paper, a lot of programs look the same. In order to get that fuzzy warm feeling when talking to a program, you have to talk to the residents or program director. Do the residents seem burnt out? Do they seem enthusiastic? There are a lot of non-verbal and verbal red flags that come up when having a conversation about a residency program.
What is it like to talk to a program at a showcase?
Talking to programs is less formal than you may think. When you walk up to a program, if there is a free representative, make eye contact and introduce yourself to them. Before you ask any questions, make sure you understand who you are talking to (resident vs preceptor). This also prevents mix-ups where you end up talking to another candidate because it's just a mass of people around a booth. If there are no free people to talk to, it is very acceptable to walk up and ask if you can join the conversation. This is not a formal 1 on 1 interview, you do not need to wait your turn. Residents will be thankful you did (and if you don't they often pull you into the conversation) because then they spend less time answering the same questions over and over. It also gives you a chance to hear what type of questions someone else is asking.
Depending on how much the resident/rpd talks, 3-5 questions is a good number to ask. Avoid asking 10 or more question or have a massive list of questions and expect each program to answer every one. If you cannot determine your interest in 5 questions, you need to rethink the type of questions you are asking. You'll have time on the onsite interview to ask more questions.
General tips for being successful during showcases:
- Be yourself, be comfortable
- Consider talking to a smaller program or even a program not even on your list to get the initial jitters and anxiety out. Choosing your favorite program as the first one to talk to can turn out problematic if you mess it up.
- DON'T ASK QUESTIONS YOU CAN FIND ON THEIR WEBSITE! Ask more about feel or culture or information you couldn't find on their website.
- Anticipate group interview situations
- Business cards are great and can be a good way to get someone's contact information. You can also jot down some notes on the back of their business card after you talk to them so you can add this to your letter of intent or thank you email or letter that you can send.
- Thank you cards are optional, but may help you standout. Check out our Thank You note episode on The Post-Graduate Pharmacist.
