Q. What is a Pharmacy Practice Residency?
A. The Pharmacy Practice Residency is designed to train and educate pharmacists in the fundamentals of exemplary contemporary pharmacy practice in organized health-care systems. The residency focuses on total pharmacy practice, including the concepts and philosophies of contemporary pharmaceutical care. The program builds upon practice experience and academic education, and provides the foundation of practice competence. The residency will provide experiences and knowledge that cannot easily be achieved in a staff role, and can give the graduate's career a significant boost. For the more seasoned pharmacist, the residency can accelerate a career move to a higher level of practice.

Q. What is the goal of the residency at Geisinger Medical Center?
A. The overall goal of the residency is to offer an organized and directed environment to gain professional competence, to expand clinical knowledge base, and to develop a philosophy of health system pharmacy practice. Other goals include: to provide a foundation for, and to stimulate an interest in, the achievement of a leadership role in the profession; to support the attainment of professional self-realization; to train competent and innovative practitioners who can provide comprehensive pharmaceutical care services across the continuum of health care, and; to train practitioners who can develop and implement drug policies that ensure rational, cost-effective drug therapy.

Q. How is the residency offered at Geisinger Medical Center?
A. The residency is a full-time, 12-month program that requires a commitment of 40 - 48 hours per week. The residency is conducted through the accomplishment of formal learning objectives. The start date is July 1. Vacation and sick leave are provided.

Q. What are the staffing requirements?
A. Pharmacy residents are required to staff the inpatient pharmacy area every third weekend. The work is structured so that the experiences are discussed and assessed against learning objectives. Assignments are made based on skill and experience needs of the resident. The resident never works undesirable shifts at a rate any worse than our regular staff. We believe that staffing experiences are a very important part of meeting the residency goals and objectives, and that the absence of such experiences diminishes the resident's growth and practice maturity in the program.

Q. What is the stipend, and what benefits are included?
A. The stipend is $35,000 per year. This is paid in two-week intervals and is taxed as salary. Other benefits include an excellent healthcare benefits package and paid time off; and paid administrative leave for educational meetings (ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting in December and Eastern States Residents Conference in April). The resident has dedicated work space with access to a personal computer with all contemporary software. Full internet access is provided, with e-mail services.

Q. What about the Department of Pharmacy?
A. The Department of Pharmacy at Geisinger Medical Center consists of 108 full time employees, of which 43 are pharmacists. All contemporary services are provided. The department practice model involves integration of distribution and clinical activities at the patient care level supported by centralized distribution, support functions, and management systems.

Q. What is desired in an applicant for the Geisinger Medical Center residency?
A. We are looking for mature individuals who have made a career decision to become a leader in health-system or institutional pharmacy. The candidate must be highly self-motivated and possess strong organizational skills, and be interested in developing a high-quality pharmacy practice residency program. The candidate must be prepared to make a serious commitment to satisfactorily complete all requirements of the program, as planned in advance. This commitment includes attendance at required meetings, programs, presentations, and trips, and the availability and willingness to participate in any function of the Department of Pharmacy on a 24-hour basis. The residency is tailored to each individual, and regular evaluations of accomplishments must be satisfactory.

Q. How does one apply?
A. Our application procedures include a hospital application form, professional resume, college transcripts, letters of recommendation, and completion of a professional and career assessment cover letter. Forms and additional details are available from the Residency Program Director. The application deadline is January 15.

Q. What about interviews?
A. An on-site interview is considered very important and is normally required for a complete application. All applications will be screened by our Residency Advisory Council. The on-site interview usually takes approximately 4 hours. A 20-minutes presentation to a group of pharmacists on a pharmacotherapeutic topic of your choice is optional.