A seven-year reflection on confidence building and the evolving needs of pharmacy residency applicants

Purpose The needs of pharmacy students applying for postgraduate training may be changing over time. Residency preparation has traditionally focused on application logistics, which can overlook the confidence and stress-related struggles that some recent pharmacy students have. Description Over a seven-year period (2019–2026), we implemented a three-part longitudinal residency preparation workshop at a single institution. Pre-survey data from 225 students and post-survey data from 135 students (98 matched pairs) were categorized into an Early Cohort (2019–2022) and a Recent Cohort (2023–2026) to assess perceived barriers and self-reported confidence with the application process. For the Recent Cohort, we added confidence-building exercises to the existing curriculum. Our objective in this reflective piece is to discuss the evolution and impact of our workshop series. Analysis The Recent Cohort entered with lower self-reported confidence than the Early Cohort. Write-in responses suggested these anxieties reflected interview apprehension, shyness, and fear of being less qualified than peers. After the workshops, the Recent Cohort reported confidence gains in all six surveyed areas ( p < 0.001) and the Early Cohort reported gains in two of six areas. Because cohorts were not randomized and concurrent factors cannot be excluded, these comparisons are exploratory. We propose our added confidence-building practice as one contributor and an important coaching philosophy that re-shaped how we mentor. Conclusions Recent pharmacy residency applicants may be competitive but also vulnerable to confidence-related concerns. More “soft skill” development during residency preparation can bridge this gap.