Careers at UW Health

Resident Activities

Resident Activities

Teaching Opportunities

  • Serve as a teaching assistant for University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy 728-570 Drug Literature Evaluation course (Spring Semester)
  • Precepting of IPPE/APPE students, interns and PGY1 residents

Educational Opportunities

  • Audit University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy 728-617 Health System Pharmacy Data Analysis and Informatics (Fall Semester)
  • Participate in seminars, in-services, journal clubs (e.g. clinical, leadership, administrative)
  • Participate in the Pharmacy Department’s BCPS preparatory review sessions

Presentation Opportunities

  • Pharmacy Leadership seminar (weekly)
  • Resident Report (weekly)
  • Journal clubs (monthly)
  • Major projects are presented at the Vizient Meeting, which occurs in conjunction with the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting, Great Lakes Pharmacy Residents Conference and the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin Educational Conference
  • Didactic lectures and discussion sessions at the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy

Leadership Development Opportunities

  • Access to the UW Health Learning Academy courses (e.g. change management, communication strategies, working with teams and many others)
  • Participate in UW Health Improvement Network to develop skills in performance improvement methodologies and tools

Travel Opportunities

  • ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting
  • Great Lakes Pharmacy Residents Conference
  • Site visits to other health systems and residency programs
  • Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin Conferences

Previous Resident

Kaylyn Dougherty

Resident: Kaylyn A. Dougherty, PharmD, MHIIM (2018-2019)

  • PGY1: University of Michigan Managed Care
  • Pharmacy School: University of Tennessee Health Science Center
  • Residency Project: Implementation of Smart Pump Integration at UW Health
  • Career Interests: Medication utilization, formulary management, drug policy, clinical decision support, population health, pharmacy informatics, managed care, outcomes reporting, interoperability, drug shortage strategy
  • Why UW? The Drug Information Program at UW offers residents a unique blend of experiences in drug policy, formulary management, medication safety and pharmacy informatics within a pharmacy department whose culture is noticeably collaborative, innovative and progressive. A UW residency program graduate once told me, “If you train at Wisconsin, you will see pharmacy at its highest potential; possibilities surrounding patient care collaboration and quality improvement are endless.” His words resonated with me and my heart was set on becoming a Badger. Lastly, everyone is really nice and supportive, especially the Drug Policy Team.
  • Current Position: Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Drug Information and Policy, VCU Medical Center, Richmond VA

Medication-Use Safety and Policy

Program Purpose

The UW Health PGY2 Medication-Use Safety and Policy Residency is designed to transition PGY1 residency graduates from generalist practice to specialized roles as an organizational leader in the development of safe and effective medication-use processes and policies. The program is designed to develop residents into experts in analyzing, synthesizing and disseminating medication-related information and stewards of evidence-based medication utilization across a health system. Graduates will possess the advanced facilitation skills to inform the organization’s policy-making bodies, influence their decision making and participate in the management of the decision-making process. The superior communication skills developed in this residency enable a graduate to function as a leader for activities such as conducting mediation safety initiatives and drug information practice-related projects.

Program Goals

Residents will exit the program with knowledge and experience that identifies them as authoritative resources on medication-use safety and formulary management. Residents will gain a fundamental understanding of formulary evaluation processes, clinical decision-support, principles of human error and human factors engineering, medication-use safety nomenclature, and a culture of safety. They can critically interpret and synthesize information from a variety of sources to formulate recommendations for improvement and have a broad perspective of organizational dynamics. They are also trained to be highly effective communicators and project managers. They can employ this background to effectively represent the medication-use safety and policy perspective when the organization considers the design of its formulary processes, medication-use technology and automation systems.

The PGY2 Medication-Use Safety and Policy residency offers advanced training opportunities for residents to develop expertise in:

  1. Assessing Safe and Effective Medication-Use Systems and Policies
  2. Medication-Use Data Collection and Analysis
  3. Designing Safe and Effective Medication-Use Systems/Policies
  4. Drug Shortages and Supply Interruptions
  5. Medication-Use Technology
  6. Medication-Use Research
  7. Leadership and Management
  8. Teaching, Education and Dissemination of Knowledge

Residency Structure

To achieve the goals of the program, the resident will work collaboratively with numerous multidisciplinary committees:

  • Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and associated subcommittees
  • UW Health Center for Clinical Knowledge Management (CCKM)
  • Pharmacy and hospital administration
  • Pharmacy Research Center (Investigational Drug Services)
  • Antimicrobial Stewardship Program
  • Anticoagulation Stewardship Program
  • Pharmacy Informatics (Medication Management Team)
  • Quartz Pharmacy Benefit Management Program
  • University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy
  • Clinical pharmacy teams
  • Interdisciplinary teams (nursing, medicine, nutrition support, allied health)

The program is designed as a 12-month longitudinal experience in four core domains: Medication Use Policy, Safety and Formulary Systems; Leadership and Practice Management; Drug Budgeting, Forecasting and Supply Chain; and Research and Project Management. Residents may select up to three additional focused elective rotations based on practice interests and individual goals.

RotationStatusDescriptionDuration
Medication Use Policy, Safety and Formulary SystemsRequiredResidents will gain experience in the following:
– Assessing Safe and Effective Medication-Use Systems and Policies
– Designing Safe and Effective Medication-Use Systems/Policies
– Medication-Use Technology
– Teaching, Education and Dissemination of Knowledge
Longitudinal
(12 months)
Leadership and Practice ManagementRequiredResidents will gain experience in pharmacy and health-system leadership, clinical and administrative team management, and implementing change within an organizationLongitudinal
(12 months)
Drug Budgeting, Forecasting and Supply ChainRequiredResidents will gain experience in:
– Researching, managing and presenting practice-related projects
– Medication-use data collection and analysis
Longitudinal
(12 months)
Research and Project ManagementRequiredResidents will gain experience in:
– Researching, managing and presenting practice-related projects
– Medication-use data collection and analysis
Longitudinal
(12 months)
Pharmacy InformaticsElectiveResidents will gain practical experience in medication-use technology related to formulary management and the medication-use system4-6 weeks
Managed Care PharmacyElectiveResidents will gain practical experience in:
– Drug budget and drug price forecasting
– Organizational decision-making for pharmaceutical contracts and pharmacy services
– Cost containment and/or revenue capture enhancement activities
4-6 weeks
Investigational DrugsElectiveResidents will gain practical experience in the use of investigational drugs according to established protocols and the organization’s policies and procedures4-6 weeks
Medication Safety IntensiveElectiveResidents will have the opportunity to further concentrate on medication safety principles and practice within the health system4-6 weeks

ASHP Midyear

Interested residents are encouraged to contact program director Philip Trapskin to set up a PPS interview to learn more about the program.

Program Contact

Philip Trapskin, PharmD, BCPS
Director, Medication Use Policy, Safety, Compliance, and Informatics
3185 Deming Way
Middleton, WI 53562
(608) 263-1328