Rotation	Length	Required?
Department training	5 weeks	Yes
Orientation	5 weeks	Yes
Staffing	47 weeks*	Yes
Specialty Pharmacy Operations	4 weeks	Yes
Specialty Clinic Leadership	4 weeks	Yes
Managed Care	4 weeks	Yes
Specialty Pharmacy Leadership	4 weeks	Yes
Finance and Revenue Cycle	4 weeks	Yes
Supply Chain and 340B	4 weeks	Yes
Electives	4 weeks	No
Advising	52 weeks*	Yes
Duty Hours Documentation	52 weeks*	Yes
Major Residency Project	47 weeks*	Yes
Accreditation	39 weeks*	Yes
Personnel Management	39 weeks*	Yes

Learning Experiences

The residency is structured in rotations across a variety of clinical and administrative areas and is a blended experience between community and specialty pharmacy practice, specialty clinics and pharmacy leadership.

The rotation structure ensures completion of all required PGY2 HSPAL Specialty Pharmacy goals and objectives over a 12-month period. A rotation schedule will be drafted for each resident at the beginning of the residency year and adjusted as needed throughout the residency.

The 12-month experience will be broken down into these domains.

Residents will complete a training rotation in their respective staffing locations. Staffing during the PGY2 year will be completed at the UW Health Outpatient Pharmacy and the UW Health Specialty Pharmacy.

Projects

Each pharmacy resident completes at least one medication use evaluation (MUE) or other medication-use process improvement project along with a PGY2 major project. Projects are presented at the Great Lakes Pharmacy Resident Conference. Residents are strongly encouraged to submit a manuscript for publication following project completion. Projects are selected off a vetted list provided by the resident advisory committee and usually contain 70 to 80 innovative projects. All PGY2 projects include implementation of change that expands or enhances patient care or pharmacist roles at UW Health. Everything our department has accomplished is a result of resident projects.

Teaching Opportunities

Residents receive clinical instructor status at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy. They can take an active role in teaching second-, third- and fourth-year students on clinical rotation at the hospital and in clinics. A teaching certificate program for residents at area hospitals is offered in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy. Additional elective rotations with School of Pharmacy faculty are available.

Travel

Residents receive travel support to attend one specialty pharmacy conference (ASHP, NASP, Asembia, ACCP, APhA), the Great Lakes Pharmacy Resident Conference. Residents will also take trips to other health systems and residency programs in order to observe, learn and share ideas.

PGY2 pharmacy residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) education and PGY1 pharmacy residency programs to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists in specialized areas of practice.

The PGY2 Health-System Pharmacy Administration and Leadership (HSPAL) Specialty Pharmacy residency provide residents with opportunities to function independently as practitioners by conceptualizing and integrating accumulated experience and knowledge and incorporating both into the provision of patient care or other advanced practice settings. Residents who successfully complete an accredited PGY2 pharmacy residency are prepared for advanced patient care, academic or other specialized positions, along with board certification, if available.

Specifically, graduates of the UW Health PGY2 HSPAL Specialty Pharmacy residency will be prepared for success as a specialty pharmacy leader capable of practicing in and overseeing specialty pharmacy services within a healthcare system.

Program strengths

The PGY2 HSPAL Specialty Pharmacy Residency at UW Health offers residents clinical and leadership training through experience in all patient care settings. The resident will have experience and exposure to the following areas of pharmacy practice and leadership:

• Extensive management and clinical experience in all areas of specialty pharmacy practice within an integrated healthcare system
  The UWHC pharmacy department manages the provision of specialty pharmacy services throughout inpatient, clinic and 15 retail pharmacies (including specialty mail services), a contract management and consulting business, full HMO-managed care services and home infusion services.
• Flexibility in tailoring the program to the strengths and interests of the resident
  As a large academic health system, UW Health provides unique opportunities and rotations in many areas of leadership. There are also opportunities to do elective rotations with external marketplace partners, based on resident interest.
• HMO experience and managed care components
  Residents gain experience in evaluating and improving specialty pharmacy services as part of a wholly owned HMO that provides service to more than 100,000 covered lives.
• Experience with professional organization involvement
  In addition to ASHP, the resident gains experience working with the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin (PSW) and Vizient leadership teams.

Residency contacts

Residency Program Director
Connie Vo, PharmD, CSP
Manager, Specialty Pharmacy Services
UW Health Department of Pharmacy
3185 Deming Way
Middleton, WI 53562
Phone: (608) 263-1290
cvo@uwhealth.org

Residency Program Coordinator
Kristina Heimerl, PharmD, BCACP
Clinical Pharmacist, Specialty Pharmacy
UW Health Department of Pharmacy
3185 Deming Way
Middleton, WI 53717
Phone: (608) 263-1290
Fax: (608) 263-9424
kheimerl@uwhealth.org

Current Residents
Megan Buechel – Meet the resident

Program summary

Specialty Pharmacy Program Summary (pdf)