Postgraduate Year One (PGY1) Pharmacy Residency Program

Introduction

The MUSC Medical Center is a 690-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 and 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

The residency in critical care is an ASHP-accredited specialized residency consisting of 12 months of training and experience. The program allows sufficient flexibility to adapt to the interests and needs of the individual resident, yet provides the basic foundation for quality clinical practice in critical care. Upon completion of this comprehensive program, the resident will be prepared to enter a clinical practice position or a fellowship program.

Purpose

The Postgraduate Year Two (PGY2) Critical Care Pharmacy 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 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency Program builds upon the broad-based competencies achieved in a PGY1 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 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency Program provides residents with the opportunity to function independently as practitioners by conceptualizing and integrating accumulated experience and knowledge and transforming both into improved medication therapy for patients. A pharmacy resident who successfully completes the PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency Program should be prepared to enter into a clinical practice position in hospital-based environment, academia via more enhanced fellowship training, or a combination of academia and practice affiliated with a College of Pharmacy.” They should also possess the competencies that enable attainment of board certification in the practice area (i.e., BCPS).

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:

• Demonstrate leadership and practice management skills.
• Optimize the outcomes of critically ill patients by providing evidence-based medication therapy as an integral part of an interdisciplinary team.
• Demonstrate excellence in the provision of training, including preceptorship, or educational activities for health care professionals and health care professionals in training.
• Demonstrate the skills necessary to conduct a critical care pharmacy research project.
• Participate in the management of medical emergencies.
• Perform quality improvement activities aimed at enhancing the safety and effectiveness of medication-use processes in the critical care area.
• Provide formalized critical care medication-related information.
• Contribute the critical care pharmacy perspective to planning for and/or management of mass casualty events.
• Demonstrate skills required to function in an academic setting.

The Residency Experience

The residency is designed to provide a diverse experience, while focusing on the needs of the individual resident. Residents may tailor elective rotations to meet their particular goals and career needs. Residents are provided with formal written evaluations following each monthly rotation in order to provide for an optimal experience. Residents are assigned to an advisor from among the critical care preceptors. The advisor is responsible for evaluating, guiding and working with the resident in order to provide the most optimal residency experience.

Required core rotations for 1 to 2 months are completed in the following areas: Trauma/General Surgery, Transplant, Medical Intensive Care, Cardiothoracic Surgery, and Neurosurgery/Neurosciences.

Elective rotations are available in infectious diseases antimicrobial stewardship, digestive diseases ICU, pediatric ICU, cardiology ICU, emergency medicine, and hematology/oncology.

Preceptors

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:

For further information contact: