The University of Chicago Medicine is an 811-bed academic medical center located on the South Side of Chicago in Hyde Park. The medical center consists of three hospitals (Center for Care and Discovery, Mitchell Hospital, and Comer Children’s Hospital) and an outpatient facility (Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine). The adult ED receives about 75,000 visits per year and is classified as a level I trauma center, comprehensive stroke center, primary chest pain center, and burn center. The pediatric ED receives about 35,000 visits per year and is classified as a level I pediatric trauma center with specialized services including burn care and a level IV neonatal ICU.

The pharmacy residency program consists of 25 pharmacy residents in the following practice areas: PGY1 Traditional and Nontraditional, PGY1–2 Health System Pharmacy Administration and Leadership, and PGY2 Pediatrics, Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, Cardiology, Internal Medicine, Informatics, Oncology, Solid Organ Transplant, Pharmacogenomics, and Specialty Pharmacy Administration and Leadership.

The PGY2 Emergency Medicine (EM) program is designed to develop residents into confident and independent EM practitioners with a high degree of therapeutic knowledge. The residency year provides exposure to a variety of patient care scenarios, emphasizing the advancement of emergency response skills, clinical experience, didactic teaching, research methods, and leadership. A variety of rotation experiences are offered inside and outside the ED, including prehospital care and various ICUs with advanced subspecialty populations.

Prehospital Experience

Two prehospital ride-along opportunities are available during the residency year. The first is a shift spent with the Chicago Fire Department Emergency Medical Services, during which residents respond to emergency calls with paramedics via ground transport. The second opportunity is a shift spent with the University of Chicago Medicine Aeromedical Network, during which residents participate in emergency helicopter transport of critically ill patients. These experiences are extremely valuable in exposing residents to the prehospital assessment, initial management, and transport for a variety of patients.

C4 Conference

The Critical Care-Cardiology-Emergency Medicine (C4) Conference consists of a core group of PGY2 residents and preceptors in the areas of critical care, cardiology, and EM. Each week, residents alternate between leading a formal topic presentation, with the preceptors in attendance to facilitate discussion and provide expertise. The C4 group also meets consistently throughout the year to track residents’ progress and accomplishments. Ultimately, this group serves as a strong support network for residents.

Flipped Research Model

The flipped research model allows residents to be involved with two research projects while still being exposed to the entire research process from start to finish. When starting the year, residents are matched with a research project that has already undergone the approval process and is ready for data collection followed by statistical analysis. Halfway through the year, residents then begin the research synthesis process for a new project to be continued the following year. This timeline results in successful research presentations with results at a national conference and a completed manuscript submission for publication before the end of the residency year.

Teaching Opportunities

Residents have several precepting and didactic lecturing opportunities during the year. Residents serve as primary preceptors for a PGY1 pharmacy resident during the EM III block and as co-preceptors for PGY1 pharmacy residents and pharmacy students while on rotations outside the ED. Didactic lecturing experiences are available at local colleges of pharmacy in the Chicago metropolitan area with the chance to write exam questions. In addition, residents can serve as a pharmacy faculty member during several Interprofessional Education simulation sessions involving pharmacy, medical, and nursing students.

Staffing Responsibilities

Throughout the year, residents participate in longitudinal staffing experiences. Weekend staffing shifts occur during daytime hours, whereas the Pharmacy Practice Experience occurs on a weeknight during evening hours. Both occur exclusively in the ED. During these shifts, EM pharmacy residents are provided with autonomy as the primary pharmacist responding to emergencies, answering drug information questions, verifying medication orders, and managing the outpatient pharmacy within the ED. In addition, there is a 24-hour in-house on-call program that all pharmacy residents participate in, providing coverage for all three hospitals. During this shift, residents respond to adult and pediatric emergencies, answer drug information questions, and manage clinical pharmacokinetic consults, among other responsibilities. These experiences promote a high degree of professional growth and transform residents into confident practitioners.

For more information about the University of Chicago Medicine residency programs, please visit https://www.uchicagopharmacyresidency.org/. Follow along with us on Twitter @UChicagoMedRx and Instagram @uchicagomed_rx.