Curriculum

The AMC Pharmacy Practice Residency program is designed to accelerate resident growth beyond entry-level professional competence in acute institutional direct patient care and practice management. The Residency provides experiences to meet all Required Outcomes for ASHP accreditation. The program is designed to access the best learning experiences available at AMC, and is based on the systematic ASHP Residency Learning System.

Additionally, the residency experiences are individualized when possible to meet the residents' areas of interest and learning needs. Learning experiences will consist of a combination of rotational, longitudinal, concentrated and extended activities.

Emphasis is placed on progressive development of clinical judgment and professional competence. Learning experiences are scheduled when appropriate, to provide the appropriate background experiences and skills to best learn from subsequent activities.

An important goal is to help the resident prepare for their next professional step after completion of the residency program. The residency schedule is structured so that a variety of core learning experiences occur, including areas of resident interest,   by the winter months when decisions are typically made regarding future professional pursuits.
 

Duration: 12 months

Typical starting date is on or about July 1st of each year and concludes on or about July 1st of the following year.

Modification of the start and end dates of the residency may be approved at the discretion of the Residency Director.

Accreditation Status: Full ASHP Accreditation (effective 7-1-2007) 

Residency Experience Overview 

Pharmacy Residents complete a number of learning and work experiences designed to achieve the outcomes and goals of the residency. Many experiences will reflect the actual work environment and occur concurrently and continuously throughout the residency. Specific rotational experiences will provide opportunity for focused learning. The required focused rotations include adult acute care, acute pediatric care, Infectious Disease, Pharmacy Practice Management. Drug Information, Resident Project/Research and Ambulatory Care experiences may be attained as a focused rotational experience, longitudinally or concurrently with other experiences.

Inherent in all experiences are the expectations that the residents incorporate, integrate and participate in ongoing activities throughout the Center and across patient populations throughout the residency.

Patient care duties will involve, but are not limited to:

• Maintaining organized patient-specific databases
• Assess the pharmacotherapy of individual patients
• Identify and address drug related problems
• Develop, recommend and monitor pharmacotherapy regimens and monitoring plan using sound knowledge of pathophysiology, pharmacotherapy, pharmacokinetics, pharmacotherapeutics, current evidence, patient – specific considerations, and economic considerations
• Participate in interdisciplinary patient care activities
• Educate patients, families and other health care providers
• Review, perform computer entry, prepare, check and dispense medications according to all regulations, standards and policies
• Appropriately oversee activities of technical staff and students
• Work collaboratively with ALL involved in the medication use process
• Actively promote staff compliance with all care standards in all aspects of work

Residency Curriculum

• Hospital / Department Orientation:  July (Modified/waived based on individual resident’s prior experiences and familiarity with AMC)
• Hospital Orientation (one day) - Human Resources
• General Hospital / Center orientation
• HIPAA
• Code of Conduct
• Center informatics
• AMC Pharmacy Department processes and practices
• Drug preparation and dispensing
• Informatics
• AMC Medication Use System
• Active participation in pharmacy services provision
• Residency Program Overview/Residency Learning System

Patient Care Rotational Experiences

Required Focused Patient Care Learning Experiences:

• Adult Acute Care (Surgical / Medical Intensive Care Units)
• Infectious Diseases (Antimicrobial Management)
• Adult Internal Medicine (HIV, Internal Medicine, others TBA)
• Pediatrics / Neonatology
• Drug Information
• Longitudinal - Ambulatory care (e.g nephrology, heart failure, internal medicine)

Patient Care Electives

• Acute Patient Care
• Repeating core rotations
• Renal/Pancreas Transplant
• Anticoagulation
• HIV 
• Ambulatory care:  as available
• Medication safety
• Pharmacy Management
• Emergency Medicine
• Nuclear Medicine

Hospital Pharmacy Practice Experiences

Rotational: Pharmacy Practice- Central Pharmacy, Unit based pharmacy, IV Room, OR, Oncology, TPN, Outpatient Pharmacy, and Investigational Drug Service. Based on the resident’s past experiences, specific rotation in pharmacy staffing may be required (e.g., may be waived for individuals already trained / oriented as Staff Pharmacists at AMC).  The content, focus and duration of the rotation will be based on assessment of individual resident’s experiences and demonstrated knowledge/skills ate the outset of the residency.

Longitudinal: All residents will participate in activities related to delivery and coordination of of pharmaceutical care (issue problem identification/resolution, communications, support of pharmacy staff, staff education, drug information…)

• Ongoing patient care / medication related problem evaluation and solving
• Pharmacotherapy issues
• Medication safety issues
• Patient safety issues
• Care coordination issues

Residents may be called upon in emergency situations to help with staffing, if necessary. Longitudinal staffing in the central pharmacy or OR Satellite Pharmacy to a maximum of 12 hours/week.

• Practice Management Experiences
• Required Pharmacy Practice Management Learning Experiences
• Pharmacy Practice Management rotation (required)

Longitudinal Pharmacy Practice Activities (Medication policy development, administrative meetings, small project assignments, continuous quality improvement activities (clinical interventions program, medication safety, standing orders, etc.).

• Assist with coordination of Departments effort to recognize National Pharmacy Week.
• Assist with coordination and presentation at College of Pharmacy recruitment fairs.
• Identify and implement one medication-use process improvement

Develop one "Quality Management Monitor" related to the medication use system monitor and collect one set of data appropriate for the monitor. This data is presented to the monitor in the appropriate forum.

• Attend appropriate Committee meetings (P&T, Antibiotic Committee, Quality Committees)
• Elective Pharmacy Practice Management Learning Experiences
• Medication Safety Rotation

Research Project

Required Pharmacy Practice Research Project

The resident will conduct one primary research project suitable for presentation at a regional (eg, Eastern States Residency Conference) and a national meeting. The project must be completed (data collection, presentation to Department, written summary in publication format) by the end of the residency year. 

The resident will be provided with suggestions for potential projects as well as encouraged to pursue his/her own ideas. Projects will have useful outcomes and not be conducted solely for the purpose of academic exercise. A project write-up and presentation to the Pharmacy Department and other co-investigators is required. 

Drug Information
The resident is expected to provide concise, applicable, comprehensive and timely responses to requests for drug information from health care providers and patients.  The resident will become proficient in the use of multiple drug information resources.  This will occur throughout the year (longitudinal), during learning experiences, the hospital practice (staffing) experience, and if selected, the elective Drug Information rotation.  In addition, the resident will have the following responsibilities related to drug information skill development:

Education

Required Educational Activities

• The resident will provide educational experiences throughout the residency (longitudinally)
• Two 30-minute Department conferences (one in first 6 months of residency)
• Patient medication discussions/education
• PharmD Student co-preceptorship
• Conduct 2 in-services for physicians and 1 in-service for nursing.  In-services must include a handout and be observed by the rotation preceptor.

 Optional Educational Experiences

• Teaching experience:  Albany College of Pharmacy, Albany Medical College, other educational institutions/organizations (optional)*
• Teaching certificate program in conjunction with the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
• Medical Informatics and technologies

The resident must be oriented to, and routinely utilize medical informatics and automation in their work:

• Basic computer skills (Word, PowerPoint, Xcel, Access, etc)
• Pharmacy Computer- e-MAR, Order Scanning System
• Robotic dispensing technologies / Med Carousel
• Unit Based Cabinets
• Bar code medication administration system
• Medication compounding technologies
• Hospital Information Systems (Siemans, Mysis)
• Online information resources
• Computer Physician Order Entry (CPOE)
• Data mining programs (Thera-Doc)
• Mobile device applications