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PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency Program

General Program Information

PGY2 pharmacy residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) education and PGY1 pharmacy residency programs to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists in specialized areas of practice. PGY2 residencies provide residents with opportunities to function independently as practitioners by conceptualizing and integrating accumulated experience and knowledge and incorporating both into the provision of patient care or other advanced practice settings. Residents who successfully complete an accredited PGY2 pharmacy residency are prepared for advanced patient care, academic, or other specialized positions, along with board certification, if available.

The PGY2 Critical Care Residency Program at St. Joseph’s/Candler is designed to develop an advanced practitioner able to provide quality, compassionate, and cost-effective care to the critically ill patient through mutual cooperation with all members of the healthcare team. It is expected that residents will develop skills in advanced clinical pharmacy practice, adaptability, teachability, communication, engagement, timeliness, assertiveness, professionalism, ethics, leadership, teaching, decisiveness, independence, and self-awareness which are suitable to the environment of critical care medicine.

Learning Experiences (Rotations) 

Required Rotations

  • Orientation – 4 weeks
  • Medical/Surgical ICU (Candler) – 8 weeks
  • Neuro-Intensive Care (St. Joseph’s) – 6 weeks
  • Emergency Medicine I (Candler) – 4 weeks
  • Medical/Surgical ICU Advanced (Candler) – 6 weeks
  • Emergency Medicine II (St. Joseph’s) – 4 weeks
  • Neuro-Intensive Care Advanced (St. Joseph’s) – 4 weeks
  • Cardiology – 6 weeks
  • Medical/Surgical ICU Precepting and Practice Management (Candler) – 4 weeks

Elective Rotations (4 weeks total)

  • Academia
  • Neonatal ICU
  • Nephrology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pharmacy Administration and Leadership

Longitudinal Rotations

  • Pharmacy practice research
  • Medication Use Evaluation
  • Committee involvement
  • Personal and professional development

Therapeutic Skills that Will be Obtained

Upon completion of this residency program in Critical Care Pharmacy, the resident shall be able to:

  • Understand and discuss how common ICU / ED devices and monitoring parameters are used.
  • Devise treatment plans for treating ICU patients with parenteral nutrition versus enteral nutrition.
  • Design nutritional regimens including initiation, daily monitoring, and discontinuation/transition in ICU patients.
  • Design regimens for initiating, monitoring, and discontinuing: sedation/analgesia and neuromuscular blockade in ICU patients.
  • Design treatment plans for monitoring ICU / ED patients needing deep venous thrombosis and GI prophylaxis.
  • Design treatment plans for initiating, monitoring/adjusting, and discontinuing antimicrobial agents in ICU / ED patients.
  • Understand fluid electrolyte management in ICU/ED patients and recommend appropriate changes in therapy.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of mechanical ventilation and how it affects therapeutic and nutritional management in ICU patients.
  • Participate in cardiopulmonary arrest situations and assist where necessary.
  • Prioritize pharmaceutical care to multiple patients with limited time.
  • Precept and evaluate college of pharmacy students on critical care, emergency medicine, cardiology and infectious disease clerkships.
  • Precept and mentor PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residents.
  • Participate in the management and follow-up of toxicology emergencies, including contact with the Poison Control Center.
  • Assist with proper medication selection, dosing, and administration during rapid sequence intubation, moderate sedation, and other high risk emergent situations.
  • Design and implement treatment plans for optimal, safe medication use in the ED (i.e. formulary decisions, ED order sets, automated dispensing cabinet stock).
  • Educate physicians and other healthcare professionals on current guidelines as they pertain to the care of Critical Care Patients.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of and apply the pertinent pharmacokinetic parameters of given antimicrobial agent. (i.e. absorption, volume of distribution, route of elimination, clearance, therapeutic and toxic serum levels, and peritoneal/hemodialysis clearance).
  • Describe the major laboratory diagnostic tools used in the identification of bacteria.
  • Describe the proper use and limitations of the available vasopressor agents in the ICU/ED setting.
  • Provide drug information to healthcare professionals in a clear, concise manner.
  • Lead the review of existing, or the development and implementation of new clinical pathways, protocols, or medication guidelines used in the care of patients with or at risk for cardiovascular disease. 

Training Site

St. Joseph’s/Candler is a 714-bed community-based regional referral health system comprised of two hospitals with an annual combined emergency department censes of over 100,000 patients. Rotations will take place at both emergency departments and in the medical/surgical, cardiac, and neurological intensive care units. will vary by resident preference.

Residency Benefits

Residents are paid a competitive stipend for the 52-week residency year. Participation in health, dental and vision insurance benefits is an option available to the resident. Residents must complete physical and health screening examinations and a background check prior to starting the residency. Residents are provided a travel allowance to attend  the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting, the Southeastern Residency Conference (SERC), and the spring GSHP statewide meeting. Membership in GSHP is paid by the health system; membership in ASHP or other organizations is maintained by the resident.  

Preceptors

The primary preceptor for this program will be John Carr, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP, who is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Critical Care. Other preceptors include:

  • Wes Arrison, PharmD, BCPS, BCEMP, Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Emergency Medicine
  • Devon Burhoe, PharmD, BCPS, Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Emergency Medicine
  • Hal E. Richards, PharmD, BCNSP, Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Critical Care and Nutrition Support
  • Erica Merritt, PharmD, BCPS, BCEMP, Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Emergency Medicine
  • Sabrina Croft, PharmD, BCPS, Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Critical Care and Neurology
  • Sara Anne Meyer, PharmD, BCPS, Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Cardiology

To learn more about our preceptors, go here.

Number of Positions

One

ASHP Resident National Match Program

The St. Joseph’s/Candler pharmacy residency programs participate in the ASHP Resident National Match Program. All applicants must be registered for and participate in the Match. The resident candidate should complete the Resident Matching Program “Applicant Agreement”. This residency site agrees that no person at this site will solicit, accept or use any ranking-related information from any residency applicant. Further information, rules and regulations, and the Applicant Agreement, can be found on the ASHP website at www.ashp.org.

Applicant Qualifications

Applicants for the PGY2 residency in critical care should have graduated from an accredited Doctor of Pharmacy program and completed a clinically oriented, ASHP accredited PGY1 residency. Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications must be current prior to beginning the residency year and maintained throughout the year.

Pharmacist Licensure

The process to become licensed in the state of Georgia begins by requesting the appropriate information from the Georgia State Board of Pharmacy. It takes time to receive the information and application. Deadlines vary depending on whether an applicant is reciprocating a current license or obtaining a new license through score transfer of NAPLEX results. Both reciprocating and new licensees are required to take the Georgia version of the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam (MPJE). Prior to licensure, the resident will need to obtain a Georgia Intern License before day 1 of the residency to comply with Georgia Law. Our expectation is that a resident will obtain Georgia licensure as a pharmacist no later than September 30th of the residency year. The Georgia State Board of Pharmacy can be contacted by phone at 404.651.8000 or by visiting the website gbp.georgia.gov.

Interviews

Interviews are an integral part of our evaluation of potential residents. We expect that serious applicants will want to evaluate us and our clinical site as well. Therefore, an on-site interview in Savannah will be required for candidates selected to move forward in the application process. Deadline for receipt of completed application materials is Jan. 4th. All application materials must be completed and received by the deadline in order to be considered for an interview. 

We are very excited about our residency program and all that it offers. If you require further information or have questions please email us at carrjo@sjchs.or for the PGY2 program.

We encourage you to visit the St. Joseph's/Candler website at www.sjchs.org which will provide other interesting and important information about our organization and medical, research and educational programs.

How to apply

Application submission is required via PhORCAS by the deadline of January 4th to be considered for an onsite interview. Mailed or emailed applications are not accepted and will not be reviewed for consideration. 

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