Postgraduate Year One Pharmacy Residency Program

Description

The Pharmacy Residency Program Post-graduate Year 1(PGY-1), at the VA Caribbean Healthcare System, is a collaborative program between the School of Pharmacy University of Puerto Rico and the VA Caribbean Healthcare System. It is accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).

The program consists of a 12-month period of concentrated training in all aspects of pharmacy practice.  It is a structured training program in which service complements the educational and experiential objectives of the residency.  Formal procedures for site, preceptors, and residents evaluations are in place. The learning experiences are provided according to the level and type of experiences specified in the broad outcomes established for the program.  The program is flexible, in that it will adapt to the needs of the individual resident; yet it will provide the basic foundation for quality pharmacy practice.  The ultimate goal of the program is to enhance the resident’s competence and skills in patient care, as a productive member of a health care team and to obtain in depth working knowledge of all other areas of clinical and administrative pharmacy practice.

Purpose

The purpose of this PGY-1 Program is to provide a structured advanced education and training experience to selected, highly motivated and qualified graduates and pharmacists. They will be prepared to pursue a Post-graduate Year-2 (PGY-2)-specialty pharmacy residency or fellowship, assume an advanced pharmacy practice or an academic position.   

The pharmacists completing this program will be competent practitioners that provide evidence-based, patient-centered care medication therapy management with interdisciplinary teams, manage and improve the medications use process, exercise leadership and management skills including project management skills, and effectively utilize medical informatics in their professional practice. They will be proficient in the provision of medication information and will exercise effective teaching skills toward patients, other healthcare professionals and pharmacy students.  They will contribute to pharmacy literature through their involvement in practice research and the dissemination of results.  They will demonstrate a mature professional practice characterized by self-management, reflection and continuous learning.

 Program Outcomes

▪ Manage and improve the medication-use process.

▪ Provide evidence-based, patient-centered medication therapy management with interdisciplinary teams.

▪ Exercise leadership and practice management skills.

▪ Demonstrate project management skills.

▪ Provide medication and practice related education/training to health care professionals and pharmacy students.

▪ Utilize medical informatics.

▪ Conduct pharmacy practice research.

▪ Demonstrate additional competencies that contribute to working successfully in the health care environment.

Learning Experiences

Orientation and institutional training

Direct Patient Care Rotations 

Practice Management

Teaching at the School of Pharmacy -UPR

Service/staffing rotation

Investigational Drug Services

Direct Patient Care Rotations:

          General Medicine

          Critical Care

          Therapeutic Drug Monitoring

          Anticoagulation clinic 

          Primary Care Clinics

          Pain and Palliative Care

          Geriatric Evaluation and Management Primary Care Clinic

          Oncology

          Home Based Primary Care (HBPC)/Blind Rehabilitation Center (BRC)

Residents' Responsibilities

Each resident will be required to:

• ▪ Complete a research project
• ▪ Complete at least one medication use evaluation
• ▪ Present two formal conferences for the Pharmacy Staff
• ▪ Complete one Practice Management project
• ▪ Present his/her research project in a professional meeting
• ▪ Attend the PR Pharmacists Association Annual Meeting
• ▪ Actively participate in residency Conferences and educational activities
• ▪ Prepare a portfolio of his/her practice and development

Benefits

▪ Stipend: $41,098.00 (plus benefits)

▪ 35 accrued leave time: 13 personal days, 13 sick leave & 9 holidays

▪ Administrative leave for educational meetings

▪ Teaching hospital

Certificate

• A certificate of residency accredited by ASHP is awarded to the residents who successfully complete the residency program.

Requirements

Academic:  Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) from an accredited College/School of Pharmacy.
Professional license:  Licensure may be through any U.S. state or Puerto Rico.
Nationality: U.S. citizenship.
Interview: An on-site panel interview.
Letters of recommendation: Three formal letters using established format.
Letter of Intent and Resume
Language: Fluent in English and Spanish

Address all inquiries and application materials by January 15^th of each year to:

For more information, please contact:

Mirza D. Martínez, Pharm.D.
Pharmacy Practice Residency Director
School of Pharmacy
PO Box 365067
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-5067
787-758-2525 x-5316
residencia_farmacia.rcm@upr.edu