Residency Showcase Program Listings

Website link:

MedstarHealth.org/MWHCPharmacyResidency

Hospital & Program Overview:

MedStar Washington Hospital Center is a 912-bed, private, not-for-profit teaching hospital. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks the Hospital Center’s cardiology and heart surgery program as one of the nation’s best.  Respected specialty areas include MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute, Transplantation services, MedSTAR shock/trauma, and The Burn Center.

The Hospital Center is among the 100 largest hospitals in the nation, and is renowned for handling the Washington region’s most complex cases.  As one of the largest teaching hospitals in the Washington area, the Hospital Center trains more than 300 medical residents and fellows in more than 30 specialties annually.  The Hospital Center is a member of MedStar Health, a regional health care delivery system serving the Baltimore-Washington corridor.  

Our PGY-1 pharmacy residency training emphasis is on acute care in a hospital setting.  The program has been accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists since 1994.  There are four PGY-1 pharmacy residents per year. Our preceptors are clinical coordinators and clinical specialists who work in their area of specialty.

Pharmacy residents work with the health care team in an interdisciplinary environment by participating in rounds, monitoring drug therapy, providing drug information and educating patients, health care professionals and students. The program provides opportunities for residents to gain experience in delivering educational programs, participating in performance improvement projects as well as designing and completing a residency project.  Residents have the opportunity to participate in the P&T committee as well as enhance leadership skills via one of the department’s Shared Governance Councils. The pharmacy department offers weekly onsite educational conferences including educational programs that are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) to enhance pharmacists’ knowledge and skills.

Learning Experiences:

There are longitudinal learning experiences in staffing and residency project. In addition, each resident is completes core rotations and 4 elective learning experiences.

Core Rotations:

• Orientation
• Internal Medicine
• Antimicrobial Stewardship
• Cardiology
• Critical Care
• Medication-Use Safety & Policy
• Practice Management
• Advanced Heart Failure & Heart Transplant

Based on the resident’s progress and interests, resident may choose 4 elective learning experiences from the following:

• Medical Intensive Care
• Oncology
• Ambulatory Oncology
• Palliative Care
• Neuroscience Intensive Care
• Burn/Trauma
• Informatics
• Neonatal Intensive Care
• Infectious Disease Consults
• Emergency Medicine
• Compounding Preparations
• Pharmacogenomics
• Health System Administration
• Mental Health/Substance Abuse

Projects:

Residents complete projects throughout the program. These projects are in areas that are relevant to contemporary pharmacy practice and pharmacy management. Each project is an opportunity for residents to develop skills in collecting, analyzing and presenting data.  Completion of a residency project is a requirement of the program. Residents present their residency projects at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) midyear clinical meeting, our pharmacy department’s conference and Eastern States Conference for Pharmacy Residents and Preceptors.

Benefits:

Resident benefits include a generous salary, health/vision/dental insurance, 10 paid vacation/sick days, seven holidays, stipend for attending professional pharmacy meetings, ACLS certification, and free onsite ACPE educational programs.

Application Process:

Individuals interested in applying should apply via the Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application System (PhORCAS) www.ashp.org/phorcas. Qualified applicants will be invited for an interview. Candidates are selected based on professional competence, scholastic achievement, leadership potential, communication skills, interpersonal skills and comprehension of current standards of pharmacy practice. Candidates are matched via the ASHP Resident Matching Program. 

Applicant Requirements:

All candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Possess a PharmD from an ACPE accredited school or college of pharmacy      
• Be eligible to apply for a license to practice pharmacy in the District of Columbia
• Have completed a professional curriculum that includes experiential training in acute care
• Have completed 1,500 hours of professional pharmacy practice as a student or graduate pharmacist
• Have completed an additional 400 hours of pharmacy practice in distribution of medicines and prescriptions. This is work experience that is outside of school and a requirement of the DC Board of Pharmacy.
• Participate in the ASHP Post Graduate Year One Residency Matching Program
• Eligible to work in the United States

About MedStar Washington Hospital Center

PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency

Connections working at MedStar Washington Hospital Center