The University of Virginia Health Medical Center is 612 bed academic medical center that provides care to the Virginia community. The PGY1 pharmacy residency at UVA Heath builds on the PharmD education and outcomes to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists responsible for medication-related care of patients with a wide range of conditions, eligible for board certification, and eligible for postgraduate year two (PGY2) pharmacy residency training. PGY1 pharmacy residents gain robust experiences in a wide variety of inpatient and outpatient clinical settings, while honing their research, presentation, and leadership skills through longitudinal projects and assignments. UVA Health offers multiple PGY2 pharmacy residency programs in addition to the PGY1 program. PGY2 residents have opportunities to function as independent practitioners through conceptualizing and integrating accumulated experience and knowledge in the provision of patient care and other advanced practice settings. PGY2 residents have similar opportunities to engage in quality and research projects, teaching opportunities, administrative duties, and longitudinal service. Residents who successfully complete the accredited PGY2 pharmacy residency are prepared for board certification, advanced patient care, academic, and other specialized positions within the pharmacy profession.

PGY1 Pharmacy Learning Experiences

Learning experiences are scheduled as 5-week rotations. Residents have five required rotation categories and four elective opportunities. Residents also participate in mini-rotations, which are abbreviated experiences that provide them with exposure to areas in which they do not have a scheduled rotation. Select mini-rotations are held with services/departments outside the pharmacy (e.g., nutrition services, toxicology).

Required learning experiences include:

1. Acute Care Specialty – Rotation in one Acute Care Specialty area (see choices below)
2. Adult General Medicine – Rotation in one General Medicine practice area (see choices below)
3. Ambulatory Care – Rotation in adult Ambulatory Care clinics
4. Critical Care – Rotation in one of the Critical Care areas (see choices below)
5. Practice Management and Policy/Medication Use Management

Acute Care Specialties

• Emergency Department

• General Pediatrics

• Hematology/Oncology

• Infectious Diseases

• Pediatric Oncology

• Solid Organ Transplantation

• Stem Cell Transplant

• Women’s Health

Critical Care Rotations

• Coronary Care Unit (CCU)

• Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU)

• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

• Nerancy Neuro Intensive Care Unit (NNICU)

• Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)

• Surgical Trauma Intensive Care Unit (STICU)

• Thoracic-Cardiovascular Postoperative Unit (TCVPO)

Adult General Medicine Rotations

• Internal Medicine

• General Medicine – Cardiology

• General Medicine – Neurology

Elective Rotations

• Investigational Drug Services

• Medication Safety

• Pharmacy Informatics

Ambulatory Care Rotations

• Cardiology Clinic

• Family Medicine Clinic

• Infectious Diseases Clinic

• Internal Medicine Clinic

• Transplant Clinic

Longitudinal Requirements

Pharmacy residents at UVA Health complete both a quality improvement project and a major research project, which are presented at national and regional pharmacy conferences. Residents also develop and present one seminar and one technician talk during the residency year. The seminar is ACPE accredited to provide continuing education (CE) to pharmacists, and the tech talk is ACPE accredited for technician CE.

Mentorship, Leadership, and Professional Development

Residents are encouraged to serve on pharmacy or interdisciplinary internal committees. UVA Health enrolls each PGY1 resident in an advisor program, matching each PGY1 mentee with a clinical pharmacist.

Teaching and Precepting

Pharmacy residents have the opportunity to participate in a teaching and learning certificate program offered through the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy. In addition, residents have ample opportunities to serve as a co- or primary preceptor to APPE students on rotation as well as to interact with students in didactic and extracurricular settings.

Honors and Awards

The UVA PGY1 pharmacy residency program received the ASHP Foundation Residency Expansion Grant ($40,000) in 2015 and the ASHP Foundation Residency Excellence Award in 2017.

PGY1 Community-Based Pharmacy Residency

UVA Health also established an ASHP-accredited PGY1 community-based pharmacy residency in 2017. The program admits one resident each year.

PGY2 Residency Programs

The following PGY2 residencies have been established and are ASHP accredited:

• Critical Care (2002)
• Health System Pharmacy Administration (2010)
• Oncology (2011)
• Pharmacy Informatics (2011)
• Solid Organ Transplant (2013)
• Infectious Diseases (2015)
• Pediatrics (2015)
• Cardiology (2017)
• Ambulatory Care (2018)
• Emergency Medicine (2019 – ASHP candidate status)