Samford University’s PGY2 Residency in Ambulatory Care is in partnership with Christ Health Center and Cooper Green MercyHealth Services Authority.

About Christ Health Center

Christ Health Center (CHC) is a federally-qualified health center (FQHC) accredited as a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) located in Birmingham, Alabama. Christ Health Center operates two primary care clinics along with Live Oaks clinic, which provides mental health services.

PGY2 Ambulatory Care Residency Description

The PGY2 Ambulatory Care Residency through Samford University McWhorter School of Pharmacy at Christ Health Center offers patient care experiences in a team-based primary care setting at a family medicine practice that is also home to a family medicine medical residency program. PGY2 residents will provide care for patients alongside the medical residents, working in collaboration to promote optimal health outcomes. Residents are involved in a variety of services including Annual Wellness Visits, Transitional Care Management, and Specialty Clinic. Residents also participate in research, education, and committee work within the organization.

Program Strengths

• Longitudinal experiences allow for continuity of care and structure for the duration of the program
• Collaborative learning experiences alongside medical residents
• A variety of elective experiences to tailor based on interest
• Face-to-face interaction builds relationships with patients
• Focus on sustainable clinical services
• Faith-based program

By the end of the residency program, the resident will be able to:

• Establish financially sustainable clinical services in a primary care setting
• Demonstrate an understanding of fee-for-service and value-based care reimbursement models
• Provide evidence-based, patient-centered treatment to a wide variety of patients (pediatric to elderly)
• Serve as a medication expert for an interprofessional team
• Engage effectively in research opportunities, including quality improvement initiatives
• Promote population health within an organization

Residency Program Structure

The residents provide care at Christ Health Center for the entire year of the program, engaging in 3-6 month cycles of longitudinal selective and elective experiences.

Core learning experiences (all longitudinal)

Pharmacotherapy: Focus on cardiometabolic disorders, mental health, pain, women’s health, neurology, Hepatitis C, and pulmonology. Most of resident time is spent in direct patient care as part of an interprofessional care team.

Health education: Residents serve as preceptors and teachers for pharmacy (APPE, PGY1 residents) and medical (PGY1-PGY3 resident) learners through formal and informal educational opportunities.  

Practice management: Residents will engage in development and monitoring of financially sustainable clinical services, including Annual Wellness Visits and Transitional Care Management services, gaining experience in both fee-for-service and value-based care opportunities.

Population health: Residents will participate in population health activities alongside medical residents on their population health rotation, gaining experience in quality, patient safety, key performance indicators (KPI’s), disparities in healthcare, and completing the IHI Basic Certificate in Quality and Safety

Diabetes management: Residents will participate in a longitudinal rotation at Cooper Green Hospital, participating in medication management and patient education services for patients with diabetes.

Additional elective options include: transitions of care, practice demonstration, ambulatory pediatrics, mental health, academia, and industry research

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About Cooper Green MercyHealth Services Authority

Cooper Green MercyHealth Services Authority (CGMHSA), located in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, and is an outpatient, multi-specialty clinic that primarily serves Jefferson County’s most vulnerable citizens who are provided healthcare via the Indigent Care Fund.

PGY2 Ambulatory Care Residency Description

The PGY2 Ambulatory Care Residency through Samford University McWhorter School of Pharmacy at CGMHSA offers patient care experiences in a team-based primary care setting within an adult medicine clinic. The PGY2 resident will provide care for patients alongside physicians and nurse practitioners, working in collaboration to promote optimal health outcomes. The resident will be involved in a variety of services to include shared medical visits within Primary Care and Specialty Clinic (primarily Diabetes Clinic), Annual Wellness Visits, management of the Pharmacist-run Insulin Titration Clinic, and education within the ADA-recognized Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) and Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) service. The resident will also participate in research, education, and committee work within the organization.

Program Strengths

• Longitudinal experiences allow for continuity of care and structure for the duration of the program
• Collaborative learning experiences alongside physicians and mid-level providers
• A variety of elective experiences to tailor based upon interest
• Face-to-face interaction builds relationships with patients
• Focus on sustainable clinical services

By the end of the residency program, the resident will be able to:

• Establish financially sustainable clinical services in a primary care setting
• Demonstrate an understanding of fee-for-service and value-based care reimbursement models
• Provide evidence-based, patient-centered treatment to a wide variety of adult medicine patients
• Serve as a medication expert for an interprofessional team
• Engage effectively in research opportunities, including quality improvement initiatives
• Promote population health within an organization
• Pursue the Board Certification in Advanced Diabetes Management (BC-ADM), as the required 500 clinical hours will be achieved by the completion of the residency program

Residency Program Structure

The resident will provide care at CGMHSA for the entire year of the program, engaging in 3-6 month cycles of longitudinal selective and elective experiences.

Core learning experiences (all longitudinal)

Pharmacotherapy: Focus on cardiometabolic disorders, mental health, pain, and pulmonology. Most of resident time is spent in direct patient care as part of an interprofessional care team.

Health education: Resident will serve as preceptor and teacher for pharmacy (APPE) learners through formal and informal educational opportunities. 

Practice management: Resident will engage in development and monitoring of financially sustainable clinical services, gaining experience in reimbursement.

Population health/Academic detailing: Resident will participate in population health activities gaining experience in quality, patient safety, and disparities in healthcare.

Diabetes management: Resident will provide medication management of insulin therapy and patient education services for patients within the ADA-recognized, Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) and Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) service.

Additional elective optionsinclude: practice demonstration - medication therapy management (MTM), practice demonstration – smoking cessation, practice demonstration - transitions of care, managed care, and academic practice.