Stormont Vail Health Residency Program FAQ
General Information
The PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program began in 2013, with its first graduates completing the program in 2014. We had two PGY1 residents in each year, until the 2020-2021 residency year when we expanded to four residents.
The PGY2 Emergency Medicine Pharmacy Residency program began in 2017, with its first graduate in 2018. There is one PGY2 resident each year.
The majority of our residents’ initial post-residency positions are at Stormont Vail Health. Many have ultimately moved on to other health systems to take more advanced clinical or administrative roles. Some of our past residents have gone onto PGY2 programs in Emergency Medicine, Cardiology, Oncology, Infectious Disease, and Pharmacotherapy. Several of our PGY1 graduates are on staff; three are in management positions within our department. We also have some of our PGY2 graduates on staff in our emergency department.
Our institution provides access to EBSCO®, Lexicomp®, UpToDate®, Sanford Guide®, NeoFax® Pediatrics, Hale’s Medications & Mother’s Milk®, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). Our organization resource library provides access to a variety of journals. Some of our preceptors are adjunct faculty with The University of Kansas School of Pharmacy and have access to many health journals through KU Libraries.
We have a meeting at the beginning of the year to discuss research project ideas. Residents can choose from this list of options or create their own project. Residents work with at least one project preceptor in the practice area to finalize their project protocols. This preceptor is a project mentor who helps the resident complete their research poster, presentation, and manuscript.
We have both interns (students that are employed by Stormont Vail Health) and externs (experiential rotation students) at Stormont Vail Hospital. Residents have the opportunity to work with our interns during evenings and weekends while staffing. Some weekend staffing responsibilities include precepting our interns in clinical activities such as therapeutic monitoring and medication adjustments per standing orders and protocols. Residents can also act as primary preceptor for both interns and externs while under the supervision of a pharmacist preceptor. Our residents are encouraged to volunteer as resident mentors to current students at The University of Kansas School of Pharmacy through our state organizations.
Our residents are provided with remote access to our network and electronic medical record. However, all activities and hours required for residency completion must be on site. Residents may work on projects or other unsupervised activities at home using their remote access.
We do not have either an at-home or in-house on-call program at this time.
Residents may choose to pick up additional shifts at Stormont Vail Hospital. Any shifts a resident works as a PRN pharmacist are paid at current PRN pharmacist rates in addition to their normal resident salary. We do not allow residents to moonlight (have paid positions with other organizations) during their residency.
PGY1 Pharmacy
Yes! If you are graduating late because of a master’s program or other graduate education and you match with our program, we will adjust your residency program start date to accommodate your delayed graduation date. As a resident, you will still be required to complete 52 weeks of training; therefore your PGY1 completion will also be delayed.
Residents are free from staffing commitments during their first 10 weeks of residency.
Residents are required to staff one major holiday (eight hours on Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day, or Memorial Day), one evening each week (four hours per shift) beginning in week 11, and an average of every 3rd weekend (eight hours per day; 16 hours per weekend) beginning between weeks 12 and 14. In total, residents staff 36 evenings, 14 weekends, and 1 holiday.
Weekends have variable scheduling that averages to every 3rd weekend from September through June. are 9 central pharmacy operations staffing weekends scheduled every 4th weekend. There are 5 clinical staffing weekends scheduled every 4th weekend through December (total of 3 weekends). Then, residents sign up for their 2 remaining clinical weekends to be scheduled in January through June based on their timing preferences.
Residents are provided with one comp day prior to staffing on weekends. Additionally, there are scheduled staffing breaks throughout the year. Residents do not staff on evenings during the weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, ASHP Midyear, and the week of the spring pharmacy conference. Residents do not staff on weekends before ASHP Midyear, the nearest weekend to Christmas, and two weekends in the spring to allow attendance at professional meetings.
After completing orientation, residents will complete 11 block rotations. Each clinical block rotation is four weeks long. We allow residents to have input on the order of their rotations so they may practice in their areas of interest prior to Midyear and potential interviews.
Additionally, residents complete six longitudinal rotations.
We allow for 3 weeks of independent practice which are usually scheduled right before or right after ASHP Midyear. Residents may choose daily activities based on what they believe will be most valuable to them. This can be time dedicated to certificate completion, research projects, additional experience on rotations prior to interviews, or other activities that help residents to either progress toward PGY1 completion or prepare for post-PGY1 career goals. Schedules are reviewed and approved by their Coordinator and the RPD.
To successfully complete our PGY1 program, residents must:
- Obtain a Kansas pharmacist license
- Complete all orientation and recurring training requirements for Stormont Vail Health employees, pharmacy employees, and pharmacy residents
- Complete all required block and longitudinal rotations, four additional elective rotations, and all staffing requirements
- Achieve competencies required by ASHP for PGY1 Pharmacy residency programs
- Complete a teaching certificate program or other professional certificate program (reimbursed)
- Complete 52 weeks of residency training
A full list of current completion requirements can be requested from the Residency Program Director. Email [email protected].
We provide registration and travel reimbursement to attend the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and a spring meeting to present the results of your research project, usually Midwest Pharmacy Residency Conference in Omaha, NE. Professional leave may be provided if a resident actively participates on a professional organization committee or gives a presentation at a professional meeting. Residents may attend additional professional meetings at their own discretion, as long as attendance does not interfere with their successful completion of the residency program. Total days away from the program from paid time off and professional leave cannot exceed 37 days.
We require three recommendation letters, and we would like for at least one of them to be from a health system preceptor if possible. If you have not had a health system experience, you may choose whichever letter writers you feel will provide the best overall picture of your professional experiences, accomplishments, and progress. When available, we like to see letters that capture your experience from a variety of perspectives. These may be employers, preceptors, school or college of pharmacy faculty, or other professional colleagues.
We allow a virtual interview option for applicants outside the region. We would prefer to meet you in person, but we understand the degree of expense for travel and the application process.
PGY2 Emergency Medicine
Residents are required to staff one major holiday (twelve hours on New Year’s, Thanksgiving or Christmas), one minor holiday (twelve hours on Memorial Day), one evening a week (four hours per week), and every third weekend (12 hours per day, 2 days per weekend). All staffing is completed in the emergency department satellite pharmacy. Residents are provided one comp day during the week after staffing the weekend.
The start date of the PGY2 is slightly flexible depending on the candidate’s date of completion for their PGY1 residency program. The PGY2 resident is expected to be capable of staffing independently by the end of August.
Starting with orientation, each required rotation is four weeks in length. The resident has ten required rotations and three elective rotations. EMD Advanced Independent Practice is always the last rotation.
| Required Rotations | Elective Rotations |
|---|---|
| Orientation | Inpatient Psychiatry |
| Emergency Medicine I | Infectious Diseases |
| Emergency Medicine II | Preceptorship |
| Emergency Medicine III | Medical Intensive Care II |
| Cardiology | Surgical Intensive Care II |
| Medical ICU | |
| Surgical ICU | |
| Pediatric ICU/Pediatrics | |
| Transitions EMED to Critical Care |
* Precepting Objectives are objectives related to precepting which will be added to a different required or elective rotation when the PGY2 resident overlaps with a learner (a P4 pharmacy student or PGY1 pharmacy resident).
Required longitudinal rotations are built in throughout the entire residency year.
| Required Longitudinal |
|---|
| Leadership and Safe Medication Practice |
| Research Project |
| Staffing |
In addition to required rotations and longitudinal rotations, weekly Thursday afternoon meetings are held in conjunction with the PGY1 residents to present journal clubs, case presentations, or a pharmacy grand rounds. All residents present on a rotating basis.
Example calendar
| Start Date | End Date | Rotation Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Week 5 | Orientation |
| Week 6 | Week 7 | EMD 1 |
| Week 8 | Week 11 | PICU/Pediatrics |
| Week 12 | Week 15 | Medical ICU |
| Week 16 | Week 19 | Elective |
| Week 20 | Week 23 | Surgical ICU |
| Week 24 | Week 24 | Midyear |
| Week 25 | Week 28 | Transitions of Care |
| Week 29 | Week 32 | EMD II |
| Week 33 | Week 36 | Elective |
| Week 37 | Week 40 | EMD III |
| Week 41 | Week 44 | Cardiology |
| Week 45 | Week 48 | Elective |
| Week 49 | Week 52 | Advanced Independent Practice |
An effort is made for the PGY2 resident to precept an APPE student during their Advanced Independent Practice rotation each June.
The transitions of care rotation follows the care of patients from the emergency department to the inpatient critical care units. A typical day would have the resident rounding on ICU patients in the morning and working in the emergency department in the afternoon monitoring for new ICU admissions. The resident is not required to follow all ICU patients, but only those admitted through the emergency department the previous day. The goal of this rotation is for the resident to see how the care provided in the emergency department effects patients the following days while in the ICU.
The Advanced Independent Practice rotation is the last rotation a resident will complete prior to completing their residency year. Think of this rotation as a test drive of holding a full time emergency medicine pharmacist position. Preceptors are always available and topic discussions will be scheduled, however the resident takes the driver’s seat and preceptors are there to help. An effort is made for an APPE student to be on rotation in the emergency department at the same time for the PGY2 resident to practice the precepting skills they have developed.
To successfully complete the PGY2 emergency medicine program, residents must:
- Obtain/maintain Kansas licensure
- Complete all required, elective and longitudinal rotations
- Completed all training requirements for Stormont Vail Health employees, pharmacy employees and pharmacy residents
- Achieve all competencies are required by ASHP for PGY2 emergency medicine residency programs
- Assigned committee and meeting attendance
- Participate in residency recruiting events
- Complete 52 weeks of residency training
A comprehensive residency completion checklist can be provided at your request.
Stormont will provide registration and travel reimbursement to attend the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and a spring meeting to present the results of your research project – either Midwest Pharmacy Residency Conference or Kansas Pharmacy Residency Conference. The PGY2 resident may attend one additional professional meetings of their choice if education funds are available.
Virtual interviews will be offered for applicants outside the region. We would prefer to meet you in person, but we understand the financial burden for application process and travel expenses.