PGY1 Pharmacy Residency — Acute Care

UI Health Care offers an ASHP-accredited PGY1 Acute Care Pharmacy Residency and was among the first institutions in the nation to receive accreditation for residency training in the 1960s.

This one-year residency provides individualized training within a large, academic health care system and is designed to prepare pharmacists to become well-rounded, confident practitioners. Residents gain exposure to a wide range of clinical experiences and develop the skills needed to manage complex medication-related problems. For the 2026-2027 residency year, this program will welcome a total of eight PGY1 pharmacy residents.
 

About the Program

The overall purpose of this residency training program is to equip residents with the knowledge, clinical experience, and critical thinking skills necessary to become competent and confident pharmacy practitioners. Through tailored rotations that reflect each resident’s individual interests and goals, the program fosters the development of advanced practice skills essential for pursuing a clinical pharmacist position or a PGY2 residency.

Upon completion of the program, residents will not only achieve the outcomes established by ASHP but will also be prepared to:

• Establish collaborative working relationships within multidisciplinary teams
• Deliver effective, efficient, and evidence-based patient care
• Apply leadership and management skills to improve practice, influence policy, and optimize medication use
• Educate and mentor other health care professionals in clinical or academic settings
• Pursue board certification as a pharmacotherapy specialist

Rotation Experiences

The residency year consists of a variety of both block and longitudinal rotations, providing residents with a diverse and comprehensive training experience. The year begins with a robust orientation period of approximately 8 weeks, during which residents are introduced to clinical pharmacist responsibilities, including the staffing component of the program. This foundational phase equips residents with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in both clinical and operational roles.

Following orientation, residents engage in rotations designed to deepen their expertise in managing drug therapy for acute and ambulatory patients, drug information services, pharmacy management, population-based drug therapy, and drug policy.

During each rotation, residents actively engage in all facets of medication use. They collaborate closely with multidisciplinary teams, providing guidance to practitioners, nurses, and patients to promote optimal medication therapy. Additionally, residents participate in rounds and conferences, and deliver educational lectures on drug therapy to medical, pharmacy, and nursing staff.

Blocked rotations are typically four weeks in duration, though some may extend longer. To ensure breadth of experience, no more than one-third of the residency year may be dedicated to a single specialty area.

Core Experiences

Residents are required to complete core rotations in the following inpatient clinical areas: adult medicine, pediatrics, and adult critical care. Additionally, each resident must complete core rotations in management and ambulatory care.

This core group of rotations is designed to provide a well-rounded learning experience tailored to each resident’s prior experience, interests, and professional goals. Throughout the year, residents also have the opportunity to complete four additional elective rotations, allowing for further specialization and skill development.

Rotation options:

Adult Medicine

• General Cardiology
• Hematology/Oncology
• Internal Medicine

Adult Critical Care

• Cardiovascular Intensive Care (CVICU)
• Medical Intensive Care (MICU)
• Surgical and Neurosciences Intensive Care (SNICU)

Ambulatory Care

• Anticoagulation Case Management Service
• Family Medicine & Geriatrics
• Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)
• Specialty Clinics
  • Abdominal Transplant               
  • Cardiology
  • Clinical Cancer Center
  • Dermatology
  • Digestive Health
  • Heart Transplant
  • Hepatology/Virology
  • In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
  • Lung Transplant
  • Neurology
  • Pediatrics
• Transitional Care

Pediatrics

• General Pediatrics
• Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU)
• Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
• Pediatric Intensive Care (PICU)

Practice Management

• Adult Acute Care Clinical
• Adult Acute Care Operations
• Adult Ambulatory Care Clinical
• Adult Ambulatory Care Operations
• Business Support, Finance, & Informatics
• Medication Safety & Drug Policy
• Residency Leadership – Orientation
• Residency Leadership - Recruitment

Electives

• Burn & Trauma
• Business Intelligence & Analytics
• Cardiomyopathy
• Drug Information
• Drug Policy & Medication Use Evaluation
• Emergency Medicine
• Infectious Disease
• Informatics
• Lung Transplant
• Neurology & Neurosurgery
• Psychiatry
• Solid Organ Transplant
• Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapies

Sample resident schedule

Teaching

All residents are appointed to adjunct instructor at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, with access to informational, clinical, professional, and educational resources provided to UI College of Pharmacy preceptors. Throughout the course of the year, residents are provided with multiple opportunities to teach and develop presentation skills. Residents will have the opportunity to participate in the Pharmacy Educator Preparation Program for Residents and Fellows (PEPPR) in conjunction with the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy. At the end of the year, residents who satisfy program requirements will receive a certificate of participation and will have a completed teaching portfolio of activities from the year.

Learn more about the Pharmacy Educators Preparation Program for Residents and Fellows (PEPPR)

Research

PGY1 residents are required to complete a yearlong research project, as well as a medication use evaluation. Residents will gain experience conducting research and presenting project findings in poster format. The Residency Research Committee will be available to guide in the process.

Selection of a project is based on the resident’s interests and presentation of project ideas by residency preceptors. Residents will present their research project, or other applicable project, at the Vizient® meeting during the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting, the University of Iowa Research week, and as a platform presentation in the spring. Residents may also be expected to present their research at UI Health Care to members of the health care team who are vested in the project findings. The resident will provide a final manuscript write up prior to residency graduation. Publication in the medical literature is strongly encouraged.

Staffing

Residents are required to fulfill a structured service commitment (staffing) designed to ensure they gain the experience necessary to function as competent and confident clinical practitioners.

The majority of this commitment is met by staffing as decentralized clinical pharmacists in designated patient care areas. In addition, residents gain valuable operational pharmacy experience through select shifts in the Adult Satellite Pharmacy. This hands-on experience is essential for developing well-rounded professional skills, including clinical decision-making, interdisciplinary communication, leadership, and understanding of the medication distribution system.

Residents have the opportunity to staff in one of the following patient care areas:

• Critical Care
• Cardiology
• Internal Medicine
• Hematology/Oncology
• Solid Organ Transplant & GI Surgery

Staffing requirements are as follows:

• Following completion of orientation, residents are expected to staff approximately 500 hours over the course of the residency year. This requirement is fulfilled through two dedicated week-long staffing blocks and every other weekend staffing.
• Residents are required to work one major holiday, either Thanksgiving or Winter Holiday, and may be scheduled to staff additional days surrounding these holidays. In addition, residents will work two minor holidays, selected from New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Labor Day, or Memorial Day.
• Staffing requirements are subject to change. 

How to Apply

Candidates will need to complete an application through the Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service (PhORCAS).

Materials required:

• PhORCAS application form
• Letter of intent
• Three reference submissions within PhORCAS
  • A minimum of one letter of recommendation must be from a clinical preceptor
• Official college of pharmacy transcripts
• Curriculum vitae

Application materials must be received by January 2. An interview is required and will be granted based on the review of application materials. Applicants must register for the ASHP matching program handled by the National Matching Services, Inc. Rankings must be submitted by the deadline.

• Acute Care Setting NMS code: 180413

Candidate Qualifications

• Graduate of an ACPE-accredited Doctor of Pharmacy degree program or have equivalent educational qualification as determined by the residency program director with a minimum 3.0 GPA.
• Licensed or eligible for licensure in Iowa by the residency start date. Please see the Iowa Board of Pharmacy website for complete qualifications.
• Adhere to the rules of the resident matching program process.
• Candidates who require a Visa will not be considered. Pharmacy Residency positions are not eligible for University sponsorship for employment authorization.

Contact Us

Kate Smith, PharmD, MPH, BCCCP, BCCP
Adult Clinical Pharmacy Manager
PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program Director – Acute Care
[email protected]

Christian Kroll, PharmD, BCPS
Clinical Pharmacist, ICU/ED
PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program Coordinator
[email protected]

Emma Winstead, PharmD, BCCP
Clinical Pharmacist, ICU/Cardiology
PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program Coordinator
[email protected]