Pharmacotherapy

Wendy Bullington, PharmD, BCPS Residency Program Director

Introduction

The Medical University of South Carolina Medical Center is a tertiary teaching hospital that serves the colleges of medicine, dentistry, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy. Included in the patient population served at MUSC are patients of Charleston, the surrounding lowcountry of South Carolina, and out of state referrals. In addition to general medical and surgery services, MUSC also offers a variety of specialty services including cardiothoracic and transplant, and neurosurgery, the Institute of Psychiatry, and neonatal intensive care unit and a level 1 trauma center. In 2007 the medical center completed a 156-bed, 641,000 square foot expansion to better serve its patients and community.

Pharmacy services for inpatients at MUSC include a 24-hours/day centralized pharmacy, a 10-hour day decentralized satellite pharmacist, and 24-hours/day comprehensive clinical pharmacy services provided by full-time clinical specialists.

Purpose

The Postgraduate Year One (PGY1)/ Postgraduate Year Two (PGY2) Pharmacotherapy Residency Program is designed to develop accountability; practice patterns; habits; and expert knowledge, skills, attitudes, and abilities in the respective advanced area of pharmacy practice. The PGY 1 Pharmacotherapy Residents will acquire substantial knowledge required for skillful problem solving, refine their problem-solving strategies, strengthen their professional values and attitudes, and advance the growth of their clinical judgment. The PGY 2 Pharmacotherapy Residents build upon the broad-based competencies achieved in the PGY1 Pharmacotherapy residency, deepening the resident’s ability to provide care in the most complex of cases or in the support of care through practice leadership. Therefore, the Pharmacotherapy Residency Program provides residents with opportunities to function independently as practitioners by conceptualizing and integrating accumulated experience and knowledge and transforming both into improved medication therapy for patients. A resident who completes successfully an accredited PGY1/PGY2 Pharmacotherapy Residency Program should possess competencies that enable attainment of board certification in the practice area (i.e. BCPS).

Outcomes

Specific residency objectives will be established in the beginning of the residency modified according to the resident’s interests and previous experiences and advisor input. To meet the purpose of the residency, the resident will advance to achieve the following outcomes:

• Demonstrate leadership and practice management skills
• Optimize the outcomes of diverse populations of inpatients and outpatients with varied and complex health care problems through the expert provision of evidence-based, patient-centered medication therapy as an integral part of an interdisciplinary team 
• Serve as an authoritative resource on the optimal use of medications
• Demonstrate excellence in the provision of training and educational activities for health care professionals, health care professionals in training, and the public
• Contribute to the body of pharmacotherapy knowledge 
• Demonstrate skills required to function in an academic setting
• Manage and improve the medication use process 
•  Demonstrate project management skills 
• Utilize medical informatics 

The Residency Experience

The Residency in Pharmacotherapy at the Medical University of South Carolina is a post-PharmD program which provides twenty-four months of training in contemporary pharmacy practice. The experience is intended to build knowledge and clinical skills across all areas of pharmacotherapy and provide both institutionally-based and outpatient (ambulatory or primary care) practice experience.  In addition, the pharmacotherapy residents will have the opportunity to work with pediatric, adult, and geriatric patient populations.  The resident will have various levels of involvement clinical research, department of pharmacy services projects, and teaching of doctor of pharmacy students.

 Learning Experiences (example):

Teaching Requirements

• Required:
  • Minimum of one didactic lecture per year
  • Inservices to pharmacy, medical and nursing staff during rotations
• Optional:
  • Participation in teaching certificate program
  • Co-preceptor of PharmD students on rotation

Preceptors

A detailed list of active preceptors may be found at http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/pharmacy_services/residency/preceptors/index.htm

On-site Interviews Will Be Required

Starting in 2012 the MUSC Pharmacy Program will be using the PhORCAS Application System through ASHP.  Please submit all application materials through the applicant portal on ASHP's website.  The deadline for receipt of a complete application packet is December 31^st.  Applicants can begin submitting materials through PhORCAS on November 19.  Complete applications include the following:

• Letter of intent (uploaded with application)
• Curriculum vitae (uploaded with application)
• Three letters of reference completed by health professionals who can attest to the applicant’s practice abilities and aptitudes (uploaded directly from the authors beginning on November 19)
• At least one letter must be from an immediate supervisor (if applicable - for PGY1 only)
• At least one letter must be from a clinical preceptor
• Official transcripts of all professional pharmacy education
• Class rank (in a sealed envelope from Dean's Office)
• List of Rotations completed.

The application, letter of intent and curriculum vitae should be submitted via the PhORCAS applicant portal.  Letters of reference should also be submitted via PhORCAS Reference Portal using the ASHP Reference Template no later than December 31 directly from the authors.  For further information, please contact Ms. Vanessa McNamara at the address below.

Vanessa McNamara
Administrative Assistant for Residency Programs
SCCP - MUSC Campus
150 Ashley Avenue, Room 614, MSC 584
Charleston, South Carolina 29425
Phone: (843) 792-7626
Fax: (843) 792-1549
E-mail: mcnamarv@musc.edu

For further information contact:
Residency Program Director
Wendy M. Bullington, PharmD, BCPS
Medical University of South Carolina
Department of Pharmacy Services
Rutledge Tower Annex, Room 504
150 Ashley Avenue, PO Box 250584
Charleston, SC 29425
Office:  (843) 792-7351
Fax: (843) 792-0566
Email:  bullingw@musc.edu