PGY2 Pharmacy Residency — Ambulatory Care

University of Iowa Health Care offers an accredited PGY2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Residency with two residency positions. Patient-focused care is emphasized in this comprehensive training program conducted in a large academic health care system. It is designed to help residents build upon the knowledge and skills they developed as a PGY1 pharmacy resident. They will continue to develop the skills required to solve complex medication-related problems presented in health care today. Working in pharmacist-managed clinics and with members of multidisciplinary health care teams, residents will participate in the selection, assessment, and monitoring of patients’ drug therapy. Using the skills obtained through residency training, residents will be able to:

• Establish a collaborative working relationship within a multidisciplinary practice setting
• Provide effective, efficient, and evidence-based patient care
• Use leadership and management skills to modify practice, develop policy, and optimize medication use
• Provide education and teaching to other health care professionals in a practice site or in training 
• Pursue board certification within ambulatory care

Residents will acquire new and more specialized knowledge and skills in ambulatory care practice, which will allow them to become proficient as an independent practitioner in this area. All graduates will be competent clinicians in providing comprehensive medication management services to ambulatory care patients. They also will have experience in a number of specialized ambulatory care environments. Upon completion of this PGY2 program, residents will have the skills necessary to qualify for an ambulatory care clinical specialist position and at least a non-tenure clinical track faculty appointment associated with a health science college. They will also be able to pursue board certification within ambulatory care.

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Rotation Experiences

This residency program provides residents with experience and training in delivering advanced services to patients within ambulatory care clinics.

Residents have the opportunity to gain expertise in a variety of ambulatory care experiences. All residents will complete the following rotations: orientation, academic preceptorship, ambulatory pharmacy management, primary care and a longitudinal rotation in the anticoagulation case management service. Residents will spend at least 4 months in specialty clinics if they early committed from a UI Health Care PGY1 program, and 6 months if they completed an external PGY1. Residents will individualize their training by selecting from more than 25 ambulatory care pharmacy experiences. Longitudinal experience may be offered in many of the ambulatory experiences based on resident interest.

Learning experiences are selected based on the interest of the resident, availability, and interest of the ambulatory care clinic or service. The resident’s experience is further enhanced through the completion of a major research project, service commitment, and teaching opportunities.

Core Rotation Experiences

• Academic preceptorship (5 weeks)
• Ambulatory Pharmacy Management (4 weeks)
• Anticoagulation Case Management Service (longitudinal - 6 months)
• Orientation (2-4 weeks)
• Primary care (6 weeks)
• Service commitment (longitudinal – 12 months)

Selective Required Specialty Pharmacy Experiences

Residents will spend a total of 4 to 6 months in selective required specialty pharmacy experiences, with at least 4 weeks each in a selected experience (time varies based on resident interest):

• Advanced Heart Failure
• Allergy/Immunology and Pulmonary
• Clinical Cancer Center
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Dermatology
• Hepatology/Virology (HIV)
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Neurology
• Pediatric Dermatology
• Pediatric Endocrinology
• Pediatric GI/Rheumatology
• Pediatric Hematology/Oncology - BMT
• Pediatric Neurology
• Rheumatology
• Transplant – Abdominal
• Transplant – Lung

Elective Learning Experiences

Residents may choose to select additional elective experience an any of the areas listed above (with the exception of orientation) or from the list below. The amount of time spent in these areas will be tailored to the resident’s interest with at least 4 weeks in a selected experience.

• Academia – College of Pharmacy
• Drug Allergy
• Family Medicine
• General Cardiology/Lipid
• Geriatrics
• Internal Medicine
• Medications for Addiction Treatment
• Pain Management
• Palliative Care
• Renal/Dialysis
• Transitional Care
• Women’s Health/IVF
• Others as available

Teaching

This residency program places an emphasis on developing the resident as a clinical educator with advanced training available in academia; therefore, residents will have many opportunities to develop their teaching and presentation skills. Residents are appointed to an adjunct instructor with the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, with access to informational, clinical, professional, and educational resources provided to all preceptors. All residents are required to do an academic learning experience which focuses on clinical precepting. Residents are required 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.

Resident Teaching Opportunities Include:

• Co-precept pharmacy students on ambulatory care introductory and advanced pharmacy practice experiences
• Facilitate discussions for students on their ambulatory care rotations
• Present didactic lecture(s) and facilitate laboratory sessions within various courses at the UI College of Pharmacy 
• Deliver didactic lectures/discussions for medical and/or nursing students
• Precept pharmacy students through pharmacy student organizations
• Present a continuing education presentation

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

Research

Each resident is required to complete a yearlong research project during the residency year. The PGY2 research project will be more elaborate. Through this experience, residents gain experience in conducting research as well as presenting the project in a poster and podium format. The Residency Research Committee will be available to guide in the process.  

Selection of a project is based upon 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 and as a platform presentation in the spring. Residents may also present their research at additional venues based on their interest and availability. 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 the service commitment (staffing) designed to ensure that residents gain experience and can function as competent clinical practitioners. Residents have the opportunity to work in the ambulatory care pharmacies and they will also work as part of the Specialty Pharmacy team in completing telephonic follow-up to patients. This practice component represents a longitudinal learning opportunity within the framework of the residency program.  Service commitment is crucial to the development of professional practice skills. The resident will gain proficiency in medication distribution and clinical skills, personnel management, and leadership skills. 

Staffing requirements are as follows:

• A total of 14 weekends in the Discharge Pharmacy, generally every other weekend in July and then every 4th weekend per year.
• 1 major holiday (2 shifts) on Thanksgiving or Christmas/Winter University recognized holiday days in the pharmacy. One of the 14 weekends above will be scheduled to be associated with the major holiday staffed.
• 2 minor holidays (1 shift each) on a minor University recognized holiday in the pharmacy.
• Residents will get 4 days off to compensate for the minor/major holiday staffing coverage.
• Four hours per week from 3-7 pm doing follow-up calls for Specialty Pharmacy patients or other departmental follow-up calls as needed for a total of 48 weeks.
• Each resident will also be scheduled to staff 8 days (8 hours per shift) of additional staffing through the year, with at least 3 of these days during the week of spring break.
• Residents will serve as the ambulatory care clinical specialist on call for at least two weeks per year upon completion of orientation.
• 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). This PGY2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Residency is offered as an option for early committal from the UI Health Care PGY1 Pharmacy Residency programs. Therefore, availability of positions will be based upon early commitment from current PGY1 residents at UI Health Care.

Materials Required:

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

Application materials must be received by January 2. An on-site 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.

• PGY2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Residency NMS code: 525865

Candidate Qualifications

• Graduate of an ACPE-accredited Doctor of Pharmacy degree program or have equivalent educational qualification as determined by the residency program director.
• Licensed or eligible for licensure in Iowa by the residency start date. Please see the Iowa Board of Pharmacy website for complete qualifications.
• Completion of the ASHP-accredited PGY1 pharmacy residency.
• 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

Deanna McDanel, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP
Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Ambulatory Care
Clinical Associate Professor, University of Iowa College of Pharmacy
PGY2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Residency Program Director
[email protected]

Jacqueline Cicchese, PharmD, MBA, BCACP
Ambulatory Clinical Pharmacy Manager
PGY2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Residency Program Coordinator
[email protected]