Pharmacy Residency Program

Accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists since 1982

Residency Goals and Objectives

The goals of the residency program are to train pharmacists to develop the skills necessary to ensure optimal delivery of drug therapy to all patients, analyze and disseminate drug information to health care professionals and patients, investigate therapeutic problems in a scientific manner, and enhance the verbal and written communication skills of the resident. The residents will be expected to provide care to a wide range of patients, become leaders in the medication use process, manage practice, function competently and in partnership with other providers, and teach at an appropriate level when the residency is completed.

Program Description

The residency program is a 12 month period of education and experience designed to provide ongoing clinical pharmacy activities while promoting the resident’s needs. The resident’s experiences throughout the year will include internal medicine, critical care, parenteral nutrition, primary care, therapeutic drug monitoring, drug information, drug policy development, and other specialties. The program provides clinical experience with a broad range of patients and disease states. Residents will work collegially with physicians and nurse practitioners along with having their own continuity clinic. During the year, each resident will give presentations such as patient management conferences, in-services to nurses and physicians, journal club, and a formal staff development seminar. Residents are also provided opportunities to teach pharmacy students from the University of Arizona. A research project is required and each resident will present the results at the Western States Conference for Pharmacy Residents, Fellows, and Preceptors in Pacific Grove, California.

Residency Preceptors

All pharmacists on staff provide direct patient care and assist in the education of the pharmacy residents. Clinical pharmacy specialists practice in the following areas: primary care, internal medicine, surgery, rehabilitation, interim care, geriatrics, cardiology, critical care, oncology, spinal cord injury, gastroenterology, endocrinology, infectious diseases, nephrology, and hospice. Preceptors place a high value on the residents and are always accessible.

Drug Information & Drug Policy Development

Drug information and drug policy development activities occur throughout the residency year. All of these experiences are longitudinal experiences that provide residents experience in managing a practice. Each resident will prepare drug monographs and drug usage evaluations for the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee. Residents participate in adverse drug reaction reporting, and pharmacy quality improvement programs. Each resident will gain experience in writing, editing, and publishing a medical staff and a patient pharmacy newsletter.

Typical Resident Schedule

• July Orientation
• July/August Internal Medicine
• September Geriatrics Clinic
• October Elective
• November Surgery
• December Primary Carean>
• January/ February Internal Medicine
• March Interim Care
• April Surgery
• May Elective
• June Primary Care

Residents also provide weekend inpatient pharmacist coverage. Generally, this is one weekend each month. The clinical and distributive functions of a pharmacist will be performed during this time.