If you’re training to become a pharmacist, you may be at the point in your education where you’re looking for a residency program that fits your career goals. Parkview’s Pharmacy Residency Programs offer unique learning opportunities that prepare you for the next step in your professional journey. Pharmacy team members, Abby Todt, PharmD, BCPS, director, Parkview Pharmacy, and Ashley Parrott, manager, Parkview Pharmacy, answer important questions about the offerings and what sets the Parkview experience apart.
What are pharmacy residency programs?
Pharmacy residency programs are post-graduate training programs that can be completed after graduating with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. There are two types of programs: post-graduate year one (PGY1) programs are typically general programs where residents get exposed to a variety of different pharmacy areas, while post-graduate year two (PGY2) programs are specialized practice areas that align with the resident’s interest, such as ambulatory care, critical care or internal medicine.
What do Parkview’s Pharmacy Residency Programs entail?
PGY1 and PGY2 pharmacy residents at Parkview Health have the opportunity to work within multidisciplinary teams in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. Residents complete different learning experiences throughout their one-year residency with an opportunity to select specific areas of practice they want to see or learn more about.
Pharmacy residents at Parkview also complete quality improvement and research projects throughout their residency year. These projects can be presented both regionally and nationally as a way to share all of the exciting things happening at Parkview.
How is the Parkview program unique?
Team members from the Pharmacy Residency Program work with residents to design their residency year, making sure the learning experiences fit with their career goals. Whether that is pursuing a PGY2 residency program or transitioning into a career after residency, we prepare our residents very well to take on that next step.
The program tailors the schedule to the needs of the resident, making it customizable as they proceed throughout the program. With a large variety of rotations and a flexible rotation schedule, residents can customize the year to meet their needs and goals as their interests change.
How would you describe the Parkview culture?
Our culture at Parkview is something we are really proud of. Within the Pharmacy department, co-workers enjoy working together but also spending time together outside of work. Residents get to experience our culture firsthand, and many have elected to stay on as Parkview co-workers after their residency ends. We think that’s a great testament to the programs, co-workers and culture here at Parkview.
Parkview pharmacy residents have great support to ensure their success during the residency year. Weekly touchbases with the residency program coordinator or residency program director, along with the opportunity to participate in a mentorship program, offer additional layers of support for residents. There are also a multitude of opportunities to work with other pharmacy residents, medical residents and students, as well as hospitalist and specialist teams.
How many residents does the program take each year?
For the 2023–2024 residency year, we have five PGY1 residents and two PGY2 ambulatory care residents. Beginning with the 2024–2025 residency year, we are proudly expanding our programs. In addition to the existing PGY1 and PGY2 ambulatory care programs, we will add one PGY1 community pharmacy resident, one PGY2 critical care resident, one PGY2 internal medicine resident and one PGY1/PGY2 healthcare administration resident.
The class size allows participants to develop meaningful relationships with co-residents, while also providing individualized learning experiences and rotation schedules.
What functions do residents support in the health system?
Residents can work in almost every area of Parkview Health where we have a pharmacy presence. This could be participating in the care of patients admitted to Parkview Regional Medical Center, working within a Parkview Physician Group practice or serving patients at one of our outpatient pharmacy locations.
Residents also have the opportunity to work on various committees throughout the organization, contribute to departmental and interdepartmental projects, as well as contribute to patient care through quality improvement and research projects throughout the residency year.
How does this program benefit patients?
With medications and medication regimens becoming increasingly complex, having a pharmacist as part of a patient’s care team is critical. Having pharmacy residents allows our pharmacists to expand their reach so they have the ability to care for more patients. In addition, because many of our residents decide to stay with Parkview when their residency is over, the pharmacy department can contribute more to patient care within the health system and community, helping support Parkview’s mission to improve health and inspire well-being.
If you are interested in learning more about Parkview’s Pharmacy Residency programs, fill out this contact form. You can also follow @parkviewpharmacyresidency on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
