PGY2: Solid Organ Transplant (UC Medical Center)
Program Code: 44949
National Matching Service Code: 706176
Start date: First week of July (final date specific to residency year)
Number of positions: 1
Program Purpose Statement
The purpose of the UC Health – University of Cincinnati Medical Center Post Graduate Year Two (PGY2) Solid Organ Transplant Pharmacy Residency Program centers on the development of knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to become a sound and successful interventional transplant clinical pharmacist. This ASHP-accredited program offers residents the opportunity to provide specialized pharmaceutical services and direct patient care to transplant donors and recipients throughout the various phases of transplantation, as well as build experience- and evidence-based foundations for practice, teaching, and research as a solid organ transplant clinical pharmacy practitioner/specialist.
This program strives to provide the knowledge and experience that transplant clinical pharmacy practitioners need to face challenges in today’s complex healthcare systems, while also providing essential skills to meet the practice demands of the future. The individual’s program may vary in structure and area of emphasis based on the resident’s entering level of knowledge, skills, and interests, and will evolve as the residency year progresses, but will be comprehensive enough to prepare the resident for BCTXP examination and clinical practice in a variety of transplant fields. Rotations toward the end of the residency may be tailored based on accepted positions to facilitate the transition to clinical practice.
The following outline represents the general program design and requirements for the ASHP-accredited PGY2 Solid Organ Transplant Pharmacy Residency at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. The program includes a variety of direct and non-direct patient care, research, and teaching opportunities and will be individualized to meet the needs of the resident based on the resident development plan.
Program Requirements
- Doctor of Pharmacy degree from an ACPE-accredited College of Pharmacy
- Completion of an ASHP-accredited PGY1 Pharmacy Residency
- Pharmacist licensure in the state of Ohio
- The UC Health Department of Pharmacy is able to support some, but not all visa types. For questions about a specific visa type, contact Nicole Harger Dykes, PharmD, BCCCP (Manager, Pharmacy Residency Programs and Professional Development) at nicole.harger@uchealth.com.
The PGY2 Solid Organ Transplant Residency Certificate will be awarded with the completion of all established program requirements, including achievement of Required Competency Areas, Goals, and Objectives for PGY2 Solid Organ Transplant Pharmacy Residency.
Clinical Learning Experiences
Required Clinical Learning Experiences
- Orientation (4 weeks)
- Inpatient Kidney/Pancreas 1 (4 weeks)
- Inpatient Kidney/Pancreas 2 (4 weeks)
- Inpatient Liver 1 (4 weeks)
- Inpatient Liver 2 (4 weeks)
- Inpatient Advanced Heart Failure/Mechanical Circulatory Support/Heart Transplant (4 weeks)
- Outpatient Kidney/Liver/Heart Transplant clinics (4 weeks)
- Transplant Nephrology consult (4 weeks)
- Transplant ID consult (4 weeks; elective if comparable ID rotation completed during PGY1)
Required Longitudinal Learning Experiences
- Clinical Research Project (four 1-week blocks)
- Pediatrics/Lung transplant
- Quality Assurance & Performance Improvement (QAPI) Committee with project (one required; may do more)
- Pharmacy Grand Rounds (total of two)
- Pharmacy Morbidity, Mortality, and Process Improvement (MMI) (total of one)
Elective Learning Experiences (to complete a full 52-week experience)
- Outpatient Kidney/Liver/Heart Transplant clinics 2 (4-week block or longitudinal in second half of year)
- Transplant Hepatology consult (4 weeks)
- Advanced critical care (Surgical ICU, Medical ICU, or Cardiovascular ICU; 4 weeks)
- General Nephrology consult (4 weeks)
- Inpatient Hematology and BMT/HSCT (4 weeks)
- Transplant Specialty Pharmacy (2 or 4 weeks)
- Transplant ID consult (as above; 4 weeks)
- General ID consult (4 weeks)
- Antimicrobial Stewardship (2 weeks)
- Metabolic Nutrition Support (2–4 weeks)
- Investigational Drug Services (2 weeks)
- Pharmacy Leadership (longitudinal)
Salary and Benefits
- Estimated salary of $70,000–$72,000
- 28 days paid time off (includes holidays not worked, external interviews, and some professional conference travel)
- Medical, dental, and vision plans
- Individual workspace including a desktop computer and laser printer
- Electronic access to the University of Cincinnati Health Sciences Library
- Weekly ACPE CE provided through Pharmacy Grand Rounds
- Financial reimbursement for select professional conferences
- Free covered parking adjacent to the hospital
Research
| Month(s) | Milestone |
|---|---|
| June/July | Research question and research team selected |
| August | Research question and objectives presented to Pharmacy Research Subcommittee |
| September | Submission of protocol to the Investigational Review Board (IRB) |
| November/December | Data collection following IRB approval; development and submission of American Transplant Congress (ATC) abstract |
| December/January | Focused data collection/analysis |
| February | Great Lakes Pharmacy Resident Conference (GLPRC) abstract submission |
| March/April | Great Lakes Pharmacy Residency Conference presentation |
| April–June | Manuscript preparation and submission; presentation at ATC (pending abstract acceptance); presentation at UC Health Research Showcase |
Educational Opportunities
PGY2 residents may participate in the University of Cincinnati James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy Teaching Certificate Program. The program is available for all residents in the Greater Cincinnati area and consists of a two-day seminar along with longitudinal didactic and small-group teaching requirements.
The Solid Organ Transplant pharmacy resident will assist in developing/updating and lead at least one case-based classroom session within the University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy Clinical Applications 2 course. Precepting opportunities for Advanced Practice Learning Experience (APPE) students are available throughout the year.
Pharmacy Grand Rounds
PGY2 Solid Organ Transplant pharmacy residents will develop one 30-minute ACPE CE presentation focused on the background of their research project, and present an additional 30 minutes of ACPE CE in the spring on a topic of their choice.
Pharmacy Morbidity, Mortality, and Improvement
Each PGY2 SOT resident will present one pharmacy-specific process improvement opportunity at the monthly Pharmacy MMI case conference. Working with a primary preceptor, a Drug Policy Development contact, and a process improvement coach, the resident will identify a workflow issue and apply improvement methodology to propose solutions. Deliverables include a 20-minute presentation and a written summary offering Medication Safety ACPE continuing education for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.
Committee Involvement
Each PGY2 SOT resident will serve as an active member of the Solid Organ Transplant QAPI Committee, participate in monthly planning meetings, and lead at least one meeting in the second half of the year. Residents will be assigned projects to lead and present within the committee and are expected to present at least one QAPI initiative to one or more organ selection meetings.
Independent Practice
Each PGY2 Solid Organ Transplant resident will provide weekend clinical coverage to the oncology and solid organ transplant service lines approximately every 3 weeks. Each resident is required to cover a major holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s Day) and a minor holiday.
Professional Conferences
All Solid Organ Transplant residents are required to attend the AST Fellows Symposium (September/October; pending funding approval), the Great Lakes Pharmacy Resident Conference (April/May), and the American Transplant Congress (June), unless otherwise determined by the program director. Alternative experiences will be arranged if extenuating circumstances preclude attendance. Attendance at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting (December) is required for chief residents and optional for others. If attending Midyear, presentation at the Vizient® meeting is optional.
Application Process
The following items must be received by January 2 via PhORCAS:
- A letter of intent describing your reasons for applying to the program and interests within the pharmacy profession
- A current Curriculum Vitae
- Three letters of recommendation (utilizing PhORCAS format)
Program Contact
Nick Parrish, PharmD, BCTXP
Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Solid Organ Transplant
Program Director, PGY2 Solid Organ Transplant Pharmacy Residency
Nicholas.Parrish@uchealth.com