Established in 2014, the Norton Healthcare infectious diseases pharmacy residency provides broad experience in antimicrobial stewardship and infectious diseases. PGY-2 residency programs build upon Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD.) education and PGY-1 pharmacy residency training to develop pharmacist practitioners with knowledge, skills, and abilities as defined in the educational competency areas, goals, and objectives for advanced practice areas. Residents who successfully complete PGY-2 residency programs are prepared for advanced patient care, other specialized positions, and board certification in the advanced practice area, if available. Norton Healthcare employs eight (seven for adult patients, one for pediatric patients) full time infectious diseases pharmacists. The system has an established, multidisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship program with a mission to optimize clinical outcomes while minimizing adverse consequences of antimicrobial use — including toxicity, the selection of pathogenic organisms, and the emergence of resistance — and to reduce health care costs without adversely impacting quality of care. The antimicrobial stewardship program and its members have been recognized nationally, including the 2018 Outstanding Clinical Practice in Infectious Diseases Pharmacotherapy Award and 2023 Gita Patel Best Practice Award from the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP) and a 2019 Best Practices Award from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). Norton Healthcare has the largest clinical microbiology laboratory in Kentucky, processing specimens from inpatients and outpatients. It is supported with numerous rapid diagnostic technologies, trained technical staff and a microbiologist with a doctoral degree. Norton Healthcare is a training site for surrounding pharmacy schools, and residents will gain teaching experience by serving as co-preceptors for pharmacy students and PGY-1 residents. The Norton Infectious Diseases Institute is home to KASIC: Kentucky Antimicrobial Stewardship Innovation Consortium a statewide antimicrobial stewardship initiative aimed at addressing inequalities in access to antimicrobial stewardship resources. Within the institute, residents have the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with advanced infectious diseases research specialists with expertise in the field of clinical epidemiology.
About Norton Hospitals Pharmacy Residency Programs
For more than 130 years, Norton Healthcare’s faith heritage has guided its mission to provide quality health care to all those it serves. Today, Norton Healthcare is a leader in serving adult and pediatric patients from throughout Greater Louisville, Southern Indiana, the commonwealth of Kentucky and beyond. The hospital and health care system is Louisville’s third largest employer, providing care at more than 300 locations throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana. The Louisville-based not-for-profit system includes five Louisville hospitals with 1,907 licensed beds; seven outpatient centers; 14 Norton Immediate Care Centers; more than 17,000 employees; over 1,500 employed medical providers; and approximately 2,000 total physicians on its medical staff. Hospitals provide inpatient and outpatient general care as well as specialty care including heart, neuroscience, cancer, orthopedic, women’s and pediatric services. A strong research program provides access to clinical trials in a multitude of areas. In 2019 Norton Healthcare was named by Healthiest Employers as the fifth healthiest place to work in the country. More information about Norton Healthcare is available at NortonHealthcare.com.
