The University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy has been training pharmacists for over 125 years. Ranked No. 3 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, the university’s College of Pharmacy has been preparing graduates to be leaders in health care and society, focused on pharmaceutical care. With strong leadership from within the university’s health sciences program for interprofessional education, its graduates are also prepared for interprofessional practice as a core value of all the university’s health professional graduates.
In 1999, the pharmacy residency program was started through university partnerships with local health systems to further advance pharmacy practice in ambulatory care settings. Since then, the program has grown to partnerships with over 15 health systems. Over 250 graduates are part of the University of Minnesota pharmacy residency family.
Pharmacy practice in Minnesota is extensive and well supported through advocacy, legislation, and compensation to allow pharmacists to work at the top of their licenses.
PGY1 Pharmacy Residency
The PGY1 pharmacy residency at the University of Minnesota is an accredited, multisite program focused on the practice of pharmaceutical care in ambulatory care settings. The program offers 21 resident positions in various health systems across the state, with one or two positions per site. Residents in the program become skilled comprehensive medication management (CMM) practitioners through core clinical ambulatory care learning experiences. With the wide range of practice settings, residents have the opportunity to match with a site that best matches their individual learning preferences and career goals. Program settings include rural and urban practices, larger and smaller health systems, teaching-focused and non-teaching clinics, community pharmacy and inpatient practice experiences, didactic and experiential teaching, and underserved clinical settings. Detailed site information can be found on the university’s website at pharmacy.umn.edu/residency.
Residents engage in patient care, practice management, staffing, and a longitudinal residency project on-site. Through the multisite model, residents engage in a centrally delivered curriculum through the university, including monthly meetings for didactics, well-being, career development, and research. Residents complete online coursework in evidence-based medicine, CMM, and continuous quality improvement and build an MTM practice (resulting in a completed business plan). Residents create a quarterly newsletter with a wide readership called the Curbside Consult. Residents are also encouraged to complete a teaching and learning course, with precepting and academic tracks, offered by the university’s College of Pharmacy faculty. Upon completing the residency, residents are further prepared to advance ambulatory pharmacy practice and serve the diverse needs of the community around them.