Zahra Kanji , BSc(Pharm), ACPR, PharmD
The national Residency Matching Service was introduced by the Canadian Hospital Pharmacy Residency Board (CHPRB) in 2003 in an effort to provide a single process for assigning residents to residency positions that is efficient, effective, and equitable for all involved. All CHPRB-accredited and accreditation-pending residency programs in pharmacy practice must participate in the CHPRB Residency Matching Service. In addition, 4 nonaccredited programs utilize the Residency Matching Service.
The CHPRB is responsible for establishing the policies of the matching service and for monitoring its implementation and use. This letter serves as an update to data presented in 2007.1
Overall, since 2003, more than 1400 candidates have sought residency positions through the Residency Matching Service. The data indicate increasing numbers of residency positions in Canada and of candidates applying for residencies. However, growth in the number of residency programs and positions has not met the demand for residency positions. In 2003, 70% of applicants (59 of 84) were matched, but this proportion declined to 29% (86 of 296) in 2011 (Table 1).
Table 1.
Residency Matching Service of the Canadian Hospital Pharmacy Residency Board: First 9 Years
A provincial breakdown of 2011 data from the Residency Matching Service suggests that the number of applicants in each province is 2 to 3 times greater than the number of residency positions available (Table 2).
Table 2.
Provincial Breakdown of Matched Candidates
By 2015, the profession of hospital pharmacy aims that all new pharmacists entering practice in hospitals and related health care settings will have completed a residency accredited by the CHPRB.2 Also, with the addition of a new school of pharmacy in Ontario and an increase in class sizes for existing schools of pharmacy, the demand for residency positions is anticipated to increase in the future. Hospitals and related health care settings are encouraged to start residency programs for pharmacists and to expand existing residency programs to keep up with the larger number of pharmacists graduating each year and to meet our professional goals.
1. Kanji Z. Five years of experience with the residency matching service [letter]. Can J Hosp Pharm 2007;60(2):129.
2. CSHP 2015—a practice excellence initiative for pharmacists in hospitals and related healthcare settings. Ottawa (ON): Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists; 2007 [cited 2011 Mar 7]. Available from: www.cshp.ca/programs/cshp2015/index_e.asp
Dr Kanji is also a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist—Critical Care, Pharmacy Department, Lions Gate Hospital, and a Clinical Associate Professor, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia.
Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy , VOLUME 64 , NUMBER 4 , July-August 2011