Compete or commit: Preferences for early commitment process or ASHP Match among pharmacy residency program directors and residents.

Purpose: To assess the recruitment preferences of directors of postgraduate year 2 (PGY2) pharmacy residency programs and postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy residents seeking PGY2 residency positions, as well as key drivers of preference.

Methods: Two Web-based questionnaires were administered to residency program directors (RPDs) of PGY2 programs and PGY1 residents, respectively. Participants were recruited via email, and responses were collected from November 27 through December 14, 2018. RPDs and PGY1 residents were surveyed about their preferences regarding participation in the ASHP Resident Matching Program (ASHP Match) and participation in the early commitment process (ECP). Respondents were also asked to rank the importance of prespecified factors in decisions about whether to participate in either the Match or the ECP.

Results: The RPD questionnaire was completed by 295 participants in 43 states. The majority of RPDs (70.2%) stated that their PGY2 program generally preferred the ECP to the ASHP Match. Regardless of program preference, the most important driver of preference was the current PGY1 resident's personality and fit. There were 243 completed resident questionnaires from 41 states. The majority of respondents (83.5%) indicated a preference to participate in the ECP vs the ASHP Match. Of those preferring the ECP, the highest-ranked consideration was the opportunity for further development at their PGY1 site.

Conclusion: Overall, the survey results indicated that both PGY2 programs and PGY1 residents interested in PGY2 training generally prefer the ECP to the ASHP Match. The survey results should be considered by stakeholders (students, residents, and RPDs) in deciding whether to participate in the Match or the ECP process.