PGY1 Residency Program

Postgraduate Year One (PGY1)

Nicole A. Pilch, PharmD, MSCR, BCPS Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Solid Organ Transplant Residency Program Director

Introduction

The MUSC Medical Center is a 700-bed tertiary care academic medical center providing care for patients of Charleston and throughout the state of South Carolina. In addition to general medical and surgical services, MUSC offers a variety of specialty services including cardiothoracic, transplant, neurosurgery, level I trauma center, digestive disease, psychiatry, and level III neonatal intensive care. The medical center is comprised of four hospitals, Ashley River Tower, Children's Hospital, Institute of Psychiatry, and University Hospital. Outpatient facilities include the Hollings Cancer Center, Ashley River Tower Clinics, Rutledge Tower Clinics, Family Medicine Center and affiliated faculty practice ambulatory care centers. The Department of Pharmacy Services provides service to patients on a 24-hour basis through multiple inpatient and ambulatory pharmacies to fulfill the department’s mission, vision, and goals of providing optimal pharmaceutical care to all patients.

Purpose

Residents in PGY1 residency programs are provided the opportunity to accelerate their growth beyond entry-level professional competence in patient-centered care and in pharmacy operational services, and to further the development of leadership skills that can be applied in any position and in any practice setting. PGY1 residents 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 instructional emphasis is on the progressive development of clinical judgment, a process begun in the advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPE or clerkships) of the professional school years but requiring further extensive practice, self-reflection, and shaping of decision-making skills fostered by feedback on performance. The residency year provides a fertile environment for accelerating growth beyond entry-level professional competence through supervised practice under the guidance of model practitioners. Specifically, residents will be held responsible and accountable for acquiring these outcome competencies: managing and improving the medication-use process; providing evidence-based, patient-centered medication therapy management with interdisciplinary teams; exercising leadership and practice management; demonstrating project management skills; providing medication and practice-related education/training; and utilizing medical informatics.
Finally, The MUSC PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency is committed to graduating competent general clinicians. Residents who graduate from our program are prepared to enter general clinical practice, a specialty residency (PGY-2), or a fellowship program.

Outcomes:

Specific residency goals and 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:

• Manage and improve the medication-use process.
• Provide evidence-based, patient-centered medication therapy management with interdisciplinary teams.
• Exercise leadership and practice management skills.
• Demonstrate project management skills.
• Provide medication and practice-related education/training.
• Utilize medical informatics. 
• Conduct pharmacy practice research.
• Exercise added leadership and practice management skills.
• Provide drug information to health care professionals and/or the public. 
• Demonstrate additional competencies that contribute to working successfully in the health care environment.

The Residency Experience

Each resident will spend at least one month in each of the required areas. The first month of the residency will be spent orienting and training with the drug distribution service component of the Department of Pharmacy Services. The December rotation is usually combined with either November or January (due to vacations and the Midyear meeting). The remaining 1 or 2 months are electives and may include additional months listed in the required areas or any of the following elective rotation sites (depending on availability).

*The Integrated Practice Rotation is a 2-month experience which will be in one of our three hospitals and based on the residents areas of interest (e.g., pediatrics, adult medicine, critical care, hematology/oncology). The resident will have an understanding of technology, systems and workflow within the pharmacy department of a large academic medical center. Residents are expected to provide patient-care services within the department’s team-based pharmacy practice initiative. The resident will be exposed to and expected to perform a variety of roles and responsibilities of a pharmacist practicing in this model. This may include, but is not limited to: attending and actively participating in patient care rounds with the multi-professional team, performing order review and verification for assigned patients, participating in program-oriented services (such as: anticoagulation, therapeutic drug monitoring, medication reconciliation, nutrition support and discharge counseling), providing drug information and education, participating in patient safety initiatives, or performing any other functions expected of a pharmacist within their assigned teams.

Teaching

• Potential for lecturing to or leading case discussions with PharmD students. 
• Inservices to pharmacy, medical, and nursing staff (inpatient and outpatient). 
• Co-preceptor of Pharm.D. student on simultaneous rotations.
• Participation in the Academician Preparatory Program (APP)

Preceptors

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

Program Advisors

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: