PGY1 Pharmacy Training

Overview

University Hospitals St. John Medical Center, a Catholic hospital, is a 204-bed community full-service, nonprofit, acute care hospital providing comprehensive healthcare to residents of western Cuyahoga and eastern Lorain counties. In addition to emergency services, orthopedics and critical care, UH St. John Medical Center also hosts an inpatient UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s unit, UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute and UH MacDonald Women’s unit. As a teaching hospital, UH St. John Medical Center fosters strong graduate medical education with ACGME accredited residency training programs in the following areas: emergency medicine, internal medicine and family medicine. UH St. John Medical Center in the City of Westlake has more than 1,200 employees.

Pharmacy Residency

UH St. John Medical Center offers two 12-month (52-week minimum) PGY1 resident positions. The residency focuses on developing confident, engaged, well-rounded pharmacists. Residents will have the opportunity to precept IPPE and APPE students, conduct pharmacy practice-based research, function as a member of an integrated pharmacy team and further define our practice model. As a department, we are dedicated to serving the needs of our patients through our innovative approach and patient-centered care. The purpose of this PGY1 pharmacy residency program is to build on Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education. The goals of this program are to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists who will be skilled in diverse patient care as an acute care pharmacist, adjunct faculty member and/or be prepared to pursue and complete post-graduate year 2 (PGY2) residency training as well as pharmacotherapy board certification.

The Pharmacy Residency Programs at University Hospitals Health System strive to support residents from all aspects of human differences, social identities, and social groups (diversity) in a fair and just manner (equity) and provide a safe environment where residents feel a sense of belonging (inclusion). University Hospitals Health System Pharmacy Department takes a holistic approach in reviewing each candidate’s experiences, attributes, and competencies. 

General Residency Information

Required Four-Week Learning Experiences

• Orientation/Staffing
• Transitions Of Care
• Internal Medicine
• Adv. Internal Medicine
• Critical Care/ICU
• Adv. Critical Care/ICU
• Infectious Diseases
• Cardiac Care
• Emergency Medicine

Required Longitudinal Learning Experiences (Year-Long)

• Pharmacy Service/Staffing
• Management/Medication Safety
• Teaching
• Research Project
• A Non-Learning Experience block of four weeks is allocated for longitudinal support & projects

Elective Four-Week Learning Experiences

• Ambulatory Care
• Advanced Infectious Diseases
• Advanced Emergency Medicine
• Advanced Critical Care/ICU (3)
• Advanced Internal Medicine (3)
• Advanced Emergency Medicine/Critical Care
• Advanced Internal Medicine/Neurology
• Discuss options based on interests

Staffing Requirements

• Every other weekend
• Select holiday requirements

Accreditation Status

The PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program conducted by UH St. John Medical Center in Westlake, Ohio is accredited by American Society of Health-System Pharmacist (ASHP). The program received full accreditation status beginning in 2012 with commendable remarks.

Teaching Certificate

As a resident at UH St. John Medical Center, you will participate in the University of Findlay teaching certificate program. Through this program, the resident will provide in-class lectures, prepare online lectures and develop test questions. In addition to the teaching certificate, residents will give occasional lectures to the medical residents, pharmacy staff, nursing staff, and community members.

Research Project

To foster the importance of evidence-based practices, each resident will complete a longitudinal research project. The resident will have multiple opportunities to present their project at various organizational meetings. When developing their topic, the resident will be asked to consider the need of the institution and their personal interest. The resident will be responsible for gaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, developing the methods, analyzing the results and presenting the findings.

Match Program

UH St. John Medical Center’s pharmacy residency participates in the Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service (PhORCAS). After potential candidates apply, UH St. John Medical Center will extend interview offers. Recruitment and selection of residents, including ranking, will follow a documented procedure. All rankings are submitted via ASHP’s Match program for the PGY1 positions after review and discussion.

Application Process

Graduates of accredited Colleges of Pharmacy with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and eligible for licensure in the state of Ohio may submit the required materials (letter of intent, curriculum vitae, transcripts and references) via PhORCAS to the program director for consideration for residency program admission.

Contact Information

To learn more about the UH St. John Medical Center PGY1 pharmacy residency, please contact:

Rachana Patel, PharmD, BCPS
PGY1 Residency Program Director
UH St. John Medical Center
29000 Center Ridge Road
Westlake, Ohio 44145
Rachana.Patel@UHhospitals.org
440-827-5048