(482) Recruitment Efforts for the Future: Strategies for Pharmacy Schools to Address Prospective Student Interest

Objective : The purpose of this review is to discuss the content of pharmacy recruitment materials that can be paired with strategies to increase applicant interest.

Methods: This project is a focused literature review combined with student perspectives on recruitment strategies at their own colleges of pharmacy. The Aspiring Academics Group created a list of ideas from their personal experiences in pharmacy school that could be utilized as potential recruitment content. A literature search for previous studies looking into successful recruitment strategies was performed to provide background to the review. The information was compiled to be presented as a succinct overview of how pharmacy schools can highlight the exciting future of pharmacy to assist in admissions efforts.

Results: Four overarching content themes were identified by the team: increasing access to pharmacy recruitment, highlighting unique program features, emphasizing future roles of pharmacists, and promoting school resources. Schools of pharmacy can utilize social media accounts to increase engagement with prospective students and promote access. Virtual interview days can reach a broader audience of students. Involving current PharmD students that can share personal testimonies about the curriculum or school’s philosophy can elevate important features of the program. Pharmacy career path presentations at local high schools can introduce the pharmacy profession to younger students. Personalized admissions packets and phone calls from current students can help promote program resources.

Conclusions: Recruitment strategies targeting a broad audience with pharmacy-related activities can empower the next generation of pharmacists and assist with pharmacy admissions. Personalized approaches for prospective students that include current students and faculty is another common strategy to address the four themes our team found.