The primary focus of the PGY1 Pharmacy Residency is direct patient care, and for this reason, residents are typically expected to be on the clinical unit a majority of the day.
Activities while on the unit will include, but are not limited to:
- Collaboratively managing drug therapy with other members of the health care team
- Daily rounds with the health care team
- Admission histories (completed for all UW Health patients)
- Discharge teaching (completed for all UW Health patients)
- First-dose teaching
- Patient monitoring and documentation
- Pharmacokinetic calculations and dose adjustments
- Investigation of medication error reports and patient/medication safety follow-up
- Adverse drug event reporting
- Drug information; literature review; reading and contributing to team files
- Attending and participating in code situations
- Quality improvement activities
- Team-related research projects
- Communication and interaction with team preceptor and pharmacists
- Communication and interaction with physicians and nurses
- Working with students (first-, second- and third-year IPPE students; fourth-year APPE students)
- Instructional and patient case presentations
Projects
Each resident completes at least one medication-use evaluation (MUE) or other medication-use process improvement project along with a major research project. Projects are presented at the UHC resident poster session prior to the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and Great Lakes Pharmacy Resident Conference. Residents are strongly encouraged to submit a manuscript for publication. Projects are selected off a vetted list provided by the resident advisory committee, and usually 70 to 80 projects are available to select from. All PGY1 projects include implementing changes that expand or enhance patient care or pharmacist roles at UW Health. Everything our department has accomplished is a result of resident projects.
Current Resident Projects
Past PGY1 Resident Projects (2016-2022):
- Implementation of an Unfractionated Heparin Infusion Dosing Calculator
- Evaluation of VTE Prophylaxis with Subcutaneous Heparin in Kidney Transplant Recipients
- Decreasing Inappropriate Albumin Use
- Decrease Inappropriate Inpatient Hypertension Treatment
- Improving Safety and Efficiency of the Discharge Process with Pharmacist Pended Meds
- Creation and Implementation of IT Support for System-Wide Geriatric Patient Care
- Impact of Ketamine and Lidocaine on Opioid Requirements for Acute Pain
- Management and Optimization of Alk+ Non Small Cell Lung Cancer Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors
- Pharmacist Shared Decision Making Consulting Service
- Hormonal Contraceptive Interactions: Medication Safety Initiative
- Probiotics in General Medicine Patients: Are they useful?
- Pharmacist Role in Assessment for Readmission Root Causes: Inpatient and Ambulatory Pharmacist Mechanisms for Reducing Readmissions
- Evaluation of antibiotic prescribing in pediatric ambulatory setting as impacted by telemedicine and COVID-19
- Evaluation of Antithrombin III (ATIII) use in AFCH (also UH?)
- Development and Implementation of a Pediatric Sepsis Tool
- Outpatient BMT Conditioning RPh CINV Management
- Pharmacist-Led Immunosuppression Dosing Delegation Protocol in Stem Cell Transplant Recipients
- Specialty Pharmacy Space & Workflow Redesign to Improve Operational Efficiency
- Developing the Infrastructure and Processes for a Specialty Pharmacy Outcomes Reporting/Research Program
- Increasing Possession of Naloxone by Cancer Patients on Opioids
- Evaluation and Implementation of a Pain Agitation and Delirium Protocol in Post-Surgical Cardio-thoracic Patients
- Evaluation of antibiotic prescribing in pediatric ambulatory setting as impacted by telemedicine and COVID-19
- Replacement of a centralized robotic dispensing system to improve drug dispensing efficiency
- Pharmacist Role in Assessment for Readmission Root Causes: Inpatient and Ambulatory Pharmacist Mechanisms for Reducing Readmissions
- Review of tobramycin dosing in pediatric patients with cystic fibrosis
- Evaluation and implementation of desensitization protocols for carboplatin
- Optimization of outpatient management of neutropenic fever in patients with solid tumors
- Standardization of practice surrounding infectious disease prophylaxis in UW Health stem cell transplant patients
- Clinical decision support alerts for pediatric antibiotic dosing/prescribing in ED/AFCH
- Development and implementation oncology emergency order sets
- Implementation of a HAP/VAP guideline and standardization of duration of treatment
- Implementation of a pre-operative medication management protocol
- Evaluation of clinical pharmacy ICU services and practice standards development
- Evaluating the impact of discharge medication reconciliation: A UHC multicenter project
- Development and implementation of an oral alkalinization regimen prior to admission for high dose methotrexate
- Implementation of a decision support program for adults and pediatrics for HIT testing
- Evaluation of drug related causes of AKI in pediatric patients
- Evaluation of the impact of pharmacist oral chemotherapy follow-up calls
- Implementation of a novel thromboelastography based cardiothoracic surgery protocol for the replacement of factor and blood products
- Immune checkpoint inhibitors: Optimization of pharmacy services in toxicity management
- Implementation of caregiver vaccine screening and smoking cessation screening in a pediatric hospital
- Optimization of the pharmacist admissions process
- Implementation and utilization of a pharmacogenomics program for acute leukemias
- Pharmacist driven prediction of community-acquired pneumonia caused by drug-resistant pathogens: guideline, screening tool and order set implementation
- Adult AKI detection and intervention
- Implementation of meds to beds for enhanced recovery programs
- Vaccine compliance rates in post-splenectomy patients at an academic medical center
- Outcomes in transplant recipients of hepatitis C virus positive donor
- Reduction in dexamethasone pre-medications prior to paclitaxel chemotherapy for breast cancer treatment
- Evaluation of efficacy and toxicities of venetoclax based therapies in patients with acute and chronic myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndromes and other myeloid malignancies
- Can heparin be monitored with anti-Xa with recent DOAC use
- Antibiotic selection and dosing in neonatal sepsis
- Long-term treatment outcomes of lupus nephritis therapies in a real-world setting
- Tacrolimus duration effect on graft versus host disease
- Gram Stain-Guided Initial Antibiotic Therapy for VAP
- CRE-Light: Treatment Options and Patient Outcomes Associated with Phenotypically Carbapenem-resistant Bacterial Infections
Presentation Opportunities
Residents have ongoing opportunities to improve their speaking skills by preparing for and participating in “Resident GRILL (Grand Round Interprofessional Lunch and Learn),” which occurs weekly and is an opportunity for residents, preceptors and students to discuss patient cases and how to improve their clinical practice. In addition, residents provide educational presentations and in-services and can present in University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy courses. All residents will present their research, quality improvement and drug usage evaluation projects at local, regional and national meetings.
Teaching Opportunities
Residents receive clinical instructor status at the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy. They have the opportunity to take an active role in teaching second- and third-year students in pharmacotherapy lab and precepting fourth-year students on clinical rotation in the hospital. A teaching certificate program for residents at area hospitals is offered in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy. Additional elective rotations with School of Pharmacy are available.
Pharmacy Leadership Development
Residents have the opportunity to complete a four-week rotation in pharmacy practice management and leadership. Additionally, a variety of topics including medication-use system structure, process and outcomes quality and regulatory standards/metrics, professional development, time management, organizational politics, leadership philosophies and financial management and planning are built into our weekly PGY1 meetings.
Professional Organizational Involvement
Residents are encouraged to participate in a statewide collaborative with the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin as leaders. Additional opportunities to participate in UHC and ASHP committee work are available.
Other Activities
- Weekly resident seminar – local and national speakers discussing clinical and administrative topics
- Participation in clinically focused committees
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) training
- Participation in resident group service projects/volunteering
- Every resident is provided a mentor to meet with monthly for guidance and support
- Interprofessional mock codes in the state-of-the-art simulation center
- Learn with your co-residents (approximately 29 residents per year currently – programs include critical care, infectious disease, oncology, transplant, administration, medication systems and operations, specialty pharmacy, ambulatory care, internal medicine, drug policy, pediatrics and informatics.)
Travel
Residents receive travel support to attend the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting, the Great Lakes Pharmacy Residents Conference, the Midwest Residency Exchange and a spring visit to other health systems and residency programs in order to observe, learn and share ideas.
