Pediatrics

Kathy H. Chessman, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS, BCNSP Professor, Clinical Pharmacy and Outcome Sciences

Introduction:

The MUSC Medical Center is a 690-bed tertiary care academic medical center providing care for patients of Charleston and 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, a level I trauma center, psychiatry and level III neonatal intensive care. The medical center consists 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 MUSC Children’s Hospital is dedicated to enhancing the health of children throughout South Carolina and to providing an environment that supports excellence in pediatric patient care, teaching, and research. The MUSC Children’s Hospital is South Carolina’s largest and most comprehensive pediatric health care center. It has earned top rankings from U.S. News & World Report, American Health Magazine, and The Best Doctors in America. Child magazine continues to rank MUSC Children’s Hospital as one of the top pediatric facilities in the United States.

The Department of Pharmacy Services provides 24-hour service to its patients through multiple inpatient and ambulatory pharmacies that fulfill the department’s mission of providing optimal pharmaceutical care to all patients. Inpatient pediatric pharmacy services include 24-hour clinical pharmacy services provided by pediatric clinical pharmacy specialists. Clinical pharmacy specialists are assigned to the pediatric, neonatal, and pediatric cardiothoracic intensive care units, general pediatrics, pediatric surgery, and pediatric hematology/oncology continuously. Other services, as well as after-hours and weekends, have access to clinical pharmacy specialists through the Pediatric Clinical Pharmacy On-call Service 7 days per week. Pediatric ambulatory clinics are housed in the Rutledge
Tower Clinics which is served by the Rutledge Tower Pharmacy.

Purpose:

The MUSC PGY2 Pediatrics Residency has been training pediatric clinical pharmacy specialists for more than 25 years. It is designed to develop accountability; practice patterns, habits, and expert knowledge, skills, attitudes, and abilities in the area of pediatric pharmacy practice. The Pediatric Residency program builds upon the broad-based competencies achieved in a PGY1 residency, transitioning the resident from generalist care to providing specialized care to pediatric patients. It will equip the resident to participate as an integral member of an interdisciplinary team caring for children, assuming responsibility for pharmaceutical care of these patients. The Pediatric Residency provides a resident with opportunities to function independently as a practitioner by conceptualizing and integrating accumulated experience and knowledge and transforming both into improved drug therapy outcomes for children. The residency also provides opportunities for teaching, research, and leadership. A resident who completes this residency successfully will possess competencies that enable success as a clinical pharmacist in any chosen area of clinical practice, success as a clinical faculty member with responsibilities for a patient care and precepting pharmacy students and residents, and attainment of board certification in Pharmacotherapy (BCPS).

Outcomes:

The resident is expected to achieve all of the goals specified by the American Society of Health-system Pharmacists Accreditation Standards for PGY2 Pediatric residencies. Resident-specific goals and objectives will be established and modified according to the resident’s interests and previous experiences. The resident will be expected to advance to be able to:

• Serve as an authoritative resource on the optimal use of drugs and nutrition in children;
• Optimize the outcomes of the care of children by providing evidence-based; patient-centered drug therapy as an integral part of an interdisciplinary team;
• Manage and improve the medication-use process in the MUSC Children’s Hospital;
• Demonstrate excellence in the provision of training or educational activities;
• Promote health improvement, wellness, and disease prevention;
• Sustain their own ongoing development of expertise and professionalism; and,
• Conduct and publish pediatric pharmacy-related practice research.

The Residency Experience

The resident will have the opportunity to participate in the care of a range of acute and ambulatory patients through monthly clinical rotations and other activities.

Learning Experiences:

Teaching:

• Residents will:
  • provide at least one lecture to PharmD students, one ACPE-accredited seminar, and one additional teaching session for fellow residents (RITE);
  • participate as small group facilitator for Foundations Lectures for medical students completing pediatric rotations – topic asthma;
  • co-precept PharmD students on pediatric rotations at least one month;
  • lead case and topic discussions and journal club; and
  • provide In-services as needed.

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:
Residency Program Director
Kathy H. Chessman, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS, BCNSP
Professor, CLinical Pharmacy and Outcome Sciences
South Carolina College of Pharmacy
Medical University of South Carolina
43 Sabin St., QE217, MSC 132
Charleston, SC 29425
Office: (843) 792-7524
Fax: (843) 792-3759
Email: chessmak@musc.edu