Resident Employment Offer Dilemna

[projektreverb]

Hey all,

So I’m in a bit of a pickle. Current community resident. I got an offer with happy healthy for 64 hours guaranteed in a market I want(major midwestern city). Offer is 58 hourly. But the caveat is they want me to start ASAP, which would involve quitting my residency/breaking my contract.

The reality is I’m unhappy with my current site for numerous reasons. And I feel like I’d end up with a similar offer in a less desirable area to me if I wait. Thoughts?

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[hamza1892]

I honestly would do what makes you happy.
But working 64 hours would that make you happy? What does it cost to break you contract?

 

[Papichulooo_92]

That's a tough one. More because an uncompleted residency will personally haunt me; no matter how bad it was. My pride would eat me to know that I wasn't able to pull through no matter how difficult/undesirable it was.

But to make sense of this current situation, you leaving residency for a job offer means that a complete residency is not a requirement of this job. And I emphasize, with THIS job. This is ONE offer. The perks of a residency is to complete an accredited program to show that you took a year to achieve certain learning outcomes. My advice, is to think LONGTERM. Residency is only a few more months. There are going to be a ton more offers later on via different companies, locations, capacities/responsibilities. The benefit is that you will be a more marketable candidate after residency. You can do it, keep your head up and just give it your best effort. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[someonesomething]

I think you should finish your residency; you've already gone through a majority of the year, just finish it out! If you quit, you won't have any of the benefits of completing a residency nor will it be easy for you to explain why you quit at future job interviews. Finishing the residency with open more doors for you. Four and a half months left!

 

[student089]

My first thought is why would you do a residency just to end up in retail?

 

[rl123]

Am I missing something? Is it a straight retail job? Or something like a specialty pharmacy?
Is it something you coudl have gotten without residency?

 

[beautifulrobot]

I personally wouldn't do it. You would be burning a bridge with your residency site, and long-term this could really hurt your future job prospects/post-graduate training opportunities. Also, something about the company putting you in this situation to begin with rubs me the wrong way.

 

[Rockinacoustic]

That doesn't sound like an offer worth quitting residency over.

 

[BidingMyTime]

My first thought is why would you do a residency just to end up in retail?

Lots of residency-trained people end up in retail, either because hospital wasn't what they thought it would be, or because they can't get a job in hospital even with a residency.

As to the OP, I agree with the others, if at all possible, finish your residency. If you quit, it's extremely unlikely you would ever get another residency, and hospitals will think twice about hiring you, wondering if you couldn't handle the work and that is why you quit. Have you worked retail before? While this may seem like a dream job for you, think about what would happen if the job isn't what you are promised, or if you can't handle it, or if for whatever reason they let you go before you finish the training period.

But of course, this begs the question, why were you applying for other jobs when you were under contract to the residency? I would explain the situation to the employer making you the offer, and ask them to keep you in mind for future job opportunities. If they ask why you bothered applying when you weren't ready to take the job, tell them that you didn't expect to get a job opportunity so soon, that you thought it might be a few months or something.

I suppose if you are really at the point of losing your sanity and you really can't continue the residency, then go ahead and take the job. But for a few more months, I would do whatever is possible to finish the contract.

 

[Rockinacoustic]

My first thought is why would you do a residency just to end up in retail?

The OP states they are a community pharmacy resident- I would assume their goal was to find employment in a corporate level, health-system, or academic position and not just be a staff pharmacist in the end.

 

[pharmBear]

Hello OP,
A few things to think about.
1. The job offer is a pretty standard offer nowadays. Which most likely will still be there in 4 to 5 months. If not, similar proverbially doors and windows will open that shall leads you back to this geographical desired area.
2. The residency application pool is quite competitive, and luckily you are already in the middle of it. It sucks but finish it out. Giant painful application process.
3. Community residency is not required for community position, and it doesn't translate into hospital jobs. But one day if it is required for retail, then you are already ahead of the game.

I am most likely writing everything you already know. Stick with it. The situation can't get any worse. If so, its not like they can undo the residency and take that certificate from you.

Let the job offer people know that you are a dedicated and committed person by staying with this current residency. And that come july, you will be able to offer the so much more at so many levels including staff or rxm.

If I see you staying with the residency and not seduced by a mediocre job offer, it shows me you are a dedicated employee and not you know...the unappetizing adjectives opposite of trustwothy/dedicated.

Best of luck. Keep your head up. PM me if you need a safe place to vent.

 

[lgrw16]

Of course we have to worry about money and paying off our mountains of student loans! But personally if it were me, I wouldn’t want to be someone seen as taking money over post grad education.

The residency market is increasingly competitive every year because pharmacy schools are hemorrhaging graduates. How would you feel knowing you took a residency spot away from someone else just to quit 75% of the way through? It’s known ~50% of students do a residency as a “CV booster.” It is those kind of people who do residency “just to do one” - not saying you are one - that make it so much more competitive for the students that actually need a residency to get where they want to go, like specializing/PGY-2