The doctoral pharmacy program at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth scored the highest residency match rate in the state, at 95%.
UNT’s rate surpassed the national average of 81% and was a significant jump above the school’s 2023 rate of 79%.
“We were thrilled,” said Annesha White, interim dean of the College of Pharmacy. She said the college tells students to do what they love. “We encourage them to go for a clinical residency if that’s your passion. But if your passion is to work at Walgreens or Walmart or CVS, then we’re going to help you get there, too.”
The doctoral match program is for pharmacy residency programs. Students interview with residency programs and then rank the residency programs they interviewed with in order of preference. Students who are matched are accepted in one of their ranked programs.
White encourages students to only rank programs where they would consider working.
For students who do not match in the first round, there is a second round.
The 95% rate encompasses the number of students who matched after the second round. The percentage only considers students who participated in a resident matching program. Other pharmacy students chose to pursue fellowships or work at retail pharmacies.
“Our faculty and staff team has been exemplary. They’re coming together with so many initiatives that support student success and prepare the students for interviews,” said White.
The pharmacy program at UNT has been around for a little more than a decade.
Certain mentorship programs and time spent working with professional pharmacists have led to student success in matching with residency programs, White said. This year’s pharmacy graduates will go on to work in a range of positions, including in a children’s hospital, health care system for veterans and teaching hospitals.
Lauren Robertson is one of the students who matched. She’ll start at Tarrant County’s public John Peter Smith Hospital in late June. Eventually, she plans to specialize in ambulatory care, working in a clinic and helping with chronic disease management.
“I also want to work with underserved populations,” said Robertson. “I know working in a county hospital is going to be busy. You’re going to see a lot of different things. I want to be exposed to as much as possible.”
JPS Hospital will be the right environment for her, she said, to gain the broad experience she needs in her first years as a pharmacist.
Shomial Ahmad is a higher education reporter for the Fort Worth Report, in partnership with Open Campus. Contact her at shomial.ahmad@fortworthreport.org.
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