The community based residency at Walgreens Pharmacy is an ASHP and APhA accredited post-graduate educational and training experience designed to develop pharmacists with expertise in community pharmacy practice. The program is academically affiliated with and financially supported, in part, by the MCPHS University. This affiliation affords the resident opportunities to develop teaching skills through the provision of experiential education and didactic instruction of pharmacy students. The program will emphasize development of practical skills needed by current and future community pharmacists. As such, the majority of the resident’s time will be spent at Walgreens pharmacy in Chelsea, MA. The remainder of the time will be spent either on specialized rotations in the areas of ambulatory care, Walgreens specialty pharmacy, or teaching at MCPHS University-Boston completing various teaching components.

Program Description

The community pharmacy resident will receive instruction and experience in each of the following components:

• Clinical: The clinical component will be completed in the following mandatory year long rotations: community, ambulatory, Walgreens specialty pharmacy, and teaching. The resident will rotate through these sites on a week to week basis in order to achieve the goals set forth by the accreditation standards.
• Educational: The resident will have various opportunities for teaching. They will be exposed to small group as well as larger didactic lectures, serve as an adjunct preceptor for the community pharmacy practice laboratory, and also be a preceptor for PharmD clerkship students.
• Specialty Pharmacy: The resident will have the opportunity to develop their role as a specialty pharmacist as well. They will spend time with the specialty pharmacy manager, as well as spend time with the Healthcare Specialty Supervisor at Walgreens to understand the details of pharmacy operations.
• Management / Leadership: The resident will have opportunities to become involved with both State and National pharmacy associations. They will have the opportunity to attend Massachusetts Pharmacy Board meetings, attend local and national pharmacy meetings, as well as assist in legislative endeavors to further the practice of pharmacy.

Goals

1. Engage the resident in the clinical, educational, specialty, and administrative aspects of community pharmacy practice
2. Prepare the resident to assume clinical, educational, specialty, and administrative responsibilities within the community practice setting
3. Provide a mechanism whereby the resident contributes to the development of pharmacy services within the community setting
4. Develop the resident’s precepting and teaching abilities
5. Contribute to quality improvement programs as appropriate
6. Successfully develop and implement a longitudinal residency project, as well as submit a manuscript for publication in a reputable pharmacy journal

Having met these requirements, the resident will be awarded a certificate of completion. This certificate will attest that the resident has achieved competencies consistent with and in accordance with accreditation standards as set forth by ASHP/APhA.