Post Graduate Year One (PGY1) Pharmacy Residency 
Program Code: 44200
National Matching Service Code: 180213
Start date: Mid-June, exact date to be communicated post match
Number of positions: 7
The following outline represents general program design and requirements for the ASHP-accredited PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. The program includes a variety of direct and non-direct patient care, research, and teaching opportunities and will be tailored to meet the needs of an individual resident based on the resident’s customized development plan.
Program requirements
Entrance into the PGY1 Pharmacy Residency requires the following:
- Doctor of Pharmacy degree from an ACPE – accredited College of Pharmacy
- Pharmacist licensure in the state of Ohio
- Ohio pharmacy intern license for orientation activities, if the resident does not anticipate having an active Ohio Pharmacist License by mid-June
The PGY1 Residency Certificate will be awarded upon successful completion of all established program requirements, including achievement of ASHP Required Competency Areas, Goals, and Objectives for PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency.
Clinical learning experiences
All experiences are one calendar month in duration, unless otherwise noted
Required
- Orientation (6 weeks)
- Critical Care
- Drug Policy Development
- General Surgery
- Internal Medicine
- Pharmacy Practice Management
- Research Project (focused month)
Elective
- Addiction Sciences
- Ambulatory Care
- Cardiology
- Critical Care Anesthesia Team
- Emergency Medicine
- Infectious Disease
- Inpatient BMT/Malignant Heme
- Internal Medicine Subspecialty
- Medical Step Down
- Medication Access Services
- Neonatal ICU
- Neuroscience
- Neuroscience ICU
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Outpatient BMT/Malignant Heme
- Outpatient Solid Tumor Oncology Clinic
- Psychiatry
- Solid Organ Transplant
- Specialty Pharmacy
- Trauma Surgery
Longitudinal
- Ambulatory Care Clinic (one half day per week for 6 months); day of the week and portion of the year varies for each resident
- Committee Participation (1-2 hours/month depending on committee, beginning in August)
- Pharmacy Practice Service (every other weekend beginning in August)
- Research (longitudinal completion of Research Project – dedicated Research Month in December)
Committee involvement
Each PGY1 Pharmacy Practice resident will serve as an active member of a UC Health or University of Cincinnati Medical Center multidisciplinary committee. Examples of committees the resident may serve on include Anti-infective Subcommittee, Medication Safety Committee, Pharmacy Performance Improvement Committee, and the Pharmacy Design Team.
Independent practice
PGY1 pharmacy residents will assist with the provision of pharmacy coverage for rapid responses and Code Blue clinical situations with support from preceptors. Residents are also integrated into the weekly clinical pharmacist call schedule during the second half of the academic year. The PGY1 resident will spend a month longitudinally working with the Pulmonology Consult Team to ensure safe antibiotic use in cystic fibrosis patients.
Research
PGY1 residents will participate in a longitudinal research project of their choosing that originates from either resident interest or research ideas generated by the preceptor group. A research timeline is established to ensure the resident stays on schedule for completion of residency.
| June/July | Research question and research team selected |
| August | Research question and objectives presented to Pharmacy Research Subcommittee |
| September | Submission of protocol to the Investigational Review Board (IRB) |
| November | Development of Vizient abstract and poster (presentation at ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting optional) |
| December | Presentation of research question and methods at Vizient Residency Poster Session held in conjunction with the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting; focused data collection/analysis |
| January/March | Data analysis, Great Lakes Pharmacy Resident Conference (GLPRC) abstract submission |
| March/April | GLPRC presentations |
| April-June | Manuscript preparation and submission |
Teaching Certificate Program/Education opportunities
PGY1 residents have the opportunity to participate in the University of Cincinnati James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy Teaching Certificate Program. The program is available for all residents in the greater Cincinnati area and consists of a two-day seminar along with longitudinal didactic, co-precepting and small group teaching requirements. The program offers both an academia and a preceptor track so each resident may more closely tailor the experience to their future goals.
Education of pharmacists and other healthcare professionals is integrated longitudinally throughout the program including inter-professional grand rounds presentations, resident-led clinical presentations, nursing education, and other opportunities.
Pharmacy Grand Rounds
PGY1 pharmacy residents will develop two 60-minute ACPE accredited presentations for presentations at Pharmacy Grand Rounds. Residents also have the opportunity to obtain ACPE accredited continuing education hours through attendance at Grand Rounds each week.
Pharmacy Morbidity, Mortality, and Improvement
PGY1 pharmacy residents will present one pharmacy-specific process improvement opportunity at the Monthly Pharmacy Morbidity, Mortality, and Improvement (MMI) case conference. A written summary will be prepared for inclusion in the quarterly MMI continuing education publication. This provides the resident with a unique opportunity to participate in a process improvement initiative.
Committee involvement
Each PGY1 Pharmacy Practice resident will serve as an active member of a UC Health or University of Cincinnati Medical Center multidisciplinary committee. Examples of committees the resident may serve on include Drug Policy Development Committee, Anti-infective Subcommittee, Medication Safety Committee, and the Pharmacy Design Team.
Independent practice
PGY1 pharmacy residents will assist with the provision of pharmacy coverage for rapid responses and Code Blue clinical situations with support from preceptors. Residents are also integrated into the weekly clinical pharmacist call schedule during the second half of the academic year. The PGY1 resident will spend a month longitudinally working with the Pulmonology Consult Team to ensure safe antibiotic use in cystic fibrosis patients.
Professional conferences
PGY1 and PGY2 residents are afforded the opportunity to attend the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting/Vizient Meeting (December) and the Great Lakes Pharmacy Resident Conference (April/May). Additionally, the PGY1 resident will be expected to attend a Residency Recruitment Showcase to assist with recruitment for the PGY1 Residency Program. A travel stipend is provided for these conferences.
Salary and benefits
Final information regarding salary, benefits, and pre-employment requirements will be provided to matched applicants for the PGY1 programs during residency interviews.
- Estimated salary of $65,125
- 28 days paid time off (includes holidays not worked and professional conference travel)
- Medical, dental, vision plans
- Individual workspace including a computer
- Physical and electronic access to the University of Cincinnati Health Sciences Library (adjacent to hospital)
- Weekly ACPE CE provided through Pharmacy Grand Rounds
- Financial reimbursement for select professional conferences
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support certification
- Free covered parking adjacent to hospital
Application process
The following items must be received by January 2 for application to the program. Please submit the following items via PhORCAS:
- A letter of intent describing your reasons for applying to the program and interests within the pharmacy profession
- A single page narrative description of a time when you independently identified a problem during your professional pharmacy experience:
- What was the issue?
- How did you develop and present a possible solution?
- What was the outcome?
- A current Curriculum Vitae
- College transcripts
- Three letters of recommendation (utilizing PhORCAS format). Letter of recommendation writers should be asked to comment on these five domains, at a minimum:
- Clinical problem solving skills
- Independence/resourcefulness
- Dependability
- Ability to work with peers
- Ability to time manage
Program Contact
Nicole Harger Dykes, PharmD, BCCCP
Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Emergency Medicine
PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program Director
nicole.harger@uchealth.com
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: How competitive is the residency application process?
A: We typically receive between 100-125 applications for seven residency positions.
Q: How do you decide which applicants receive an interview invitation?
A: Members of the Residency Advisory Committee review all applicants’ PhORCAS submissions using an objective screening tool. All scores are calculated, and applicants with the highest scores are offered on-site interviews.
Q: Does your PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program participate in Personal Placement Service (PPS) at the Midyear Clinical Meeting?
A: The PGY1 program does not participate in PPS, but PGY2 programs with open positions do participate.
Q: Does your program offer a Teaching Certificate Program?
A: Yes, a Teaching Certificate Program is offered through the University of Cincinnati James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy. Please see the “Teaching Certificate Program/Education Opportunities” section above for more details.
Q: What does a typical interview day look like for your program/what can I expect during my interview with your program?
A: The interview day consists of a full day with interview sessions with preceptors, pharmacy administrators, and current residents as well as the presentation of a patient case (no preparation required). The residency candidate will also be given a tour of our facility and have the opportunity to sit in on a resident educational presentation to get a feel for the people and culture of our organization.
Q: What are the staffing requirements for a PGY1 resident at your organization?
A: PGY1 residents work every other weekend beginning in August. A majority of the weekends are spent in our Central Pharmacy learning about operations, but every 3-4 weekends, the resident will assist our weekend clinical pharmacy team with clinical coverage.
Q: How flexible is your program with schedule changes throughout the course of the residency year?
A: We pride ourselves on being extremely flexible. We understand that PGY1 residents’ interests and desires change with time and exposure to new experiences and work to ensure that each resident is afforded all opportunities they desire.
Q: What do residents typically do after they complete a PGY1 at your hospital?
A: A majority of our residency graduates go on to complete a PGY2 residency or fellowship. Some of our residency graduates have also gone on to accept clinical pharmacy specialist or clinical staff pharmacist positions post-residency.