Union’s School of Pharmacy has launched a Postgraduate Year One Residency training program that provides pharmacists with hands-on experience in their unique area(s) of clinical practice interest.
The residency is a 12-month program, beginning July 1 through June 30.
The Postgraduate Year One Residency Experience offers the resident clinical practice experience in community, ambulatory care and hospital settings.
The pedagogy component allows the resident to prepare and present classroom lectures and oversee lab exercises.
Elective opportunities include intensive care practice and drug information.
The resident will develop his research and innovative service projects in these practice settings.
“Residents will be closely evaluated by preceptors from the pharmacy practice faculty, who will provide regular feedback to maximize their professional growth and development,” said Kent Stoneking, associate professor and chairman of Pharmacy Practice.
Stoneking also said that each resident will complete a research project, granting him the opportunity to learn firsthand how clinical pharmacy research is conducted and how to write it up for submission to professional journals.
The program accommodates two residents per year and accepted Megan Calk and Kyle O’Brien its first residents July 1.
Any graduate of an accredited doctor of pharmacy academic program is welcome to apply.
Most candidates apply during their fourth year of pharmacy school for acceptance immediately following graduation.
Applicants must apply by Jan. 10 of each year, after which the program administration will interview potential candidates between Dec. 1 and March 1 each year, and those selected will begin their residency year on July 1.
“There has been a good amount of interest in the program,” said Janie Steinbach, Pharmacy Practice faculty coordinator.
“This past year was our first year, so we believe the response will be even better with each passing year.”
Similar programs are offered through the pharmacy schools at the University of Tennessee, Lipscomb University, Belmont University and East Tennessee State University, as well as many hospitals and community pharmacies throughout Tennessee.
Union’s residency program is unique in that, “residents currently have the flexibility to make their program whatever they want it to be, since it is still so new,” said Stoneking.
“With the ongoing maturation of our many pharmacy practice clinic sites, the residents in future years will probably have to pre-select the site that they find most appealing (e.g., hospital, ambulatory care clinic, community pharmacy, etc.), and conduct all their activities at that site. In short, our general pharmacy practice residency will probably become more specialized.”
Resident activities rotate between Jackson-area Kroger Pharmacy locations, Regional Hospital of Jackson, The Jackson Clinic and Union’s School of Pharmacy.
There is no cost for this program; residents are paid a stipend to participate.
Upon completion of the program, residents will earn a Postgraduate Year One Certificate of completion as well as a Teaching and Learning Certificate from the University of Tennessee for completion of various didactic features of the program.
Currently, the residency program is in accreditation candidate status. This means that an application for full accreditation has been submitted.
The program will receive an accreditation site visit by the American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists in July 2014.
“We are thankful to God for providing the resources to make this program possible and to Dean Mitchell for her vision to make it a reality,” Stoneking said.
