Geisinger Wyoming Valley (Wilkes-Barre) Pharmacy Residency
Expand your clinical expertise and improve your communication with patients with Geisinger’s Pharmacy Residency at a busy, diverse hospital in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
About us
A career in pharmacy is about so much more than dispensing drugs. You need a deep and evolving knowledge of a vast array of ever-changing medications and their myriad potential interactions — and the skills to communicate this knowledge to patients who trust you with their health. Beyond that, you may want to acquire the special tools needed to work in emergency and trauma care and other specialized clinical settings.
Geisinger Wyoming Valley PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Purpose: To build on Doctor of Pharmacy Education and outcomes to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists responsible for medication-related care of patients with a wide range of conditions who are eligible for board certification and who are eligible for postgraduate year two (PGY2) pharmacy residency training.
Our goals are:
- To provide residents with the experience and training necessary to become competent and confident health system pharmacy practitioners
- To train practitioners who can research, analyze and effectively communicate drug information
- To cultivate knowledgeable practitioners who provide comprehensive pharmaceutical care across the continuum
The PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., will help you develop every aspect of yourself as a pharmacist — your clinical skills, your professional goals and your personal growth. And from day one, you’ll be treated as a trusted, valued colleague on a pharmacy team that’s committed to delivering the highest possible quality of patient care. You’ll work with department members who have full-time practice and teaching responsibilities and serve as preceptors for the learning experiences.
> Meet the Residents and Alumni
As our pharmacy resident, you’ll be immersed in a rich and varied curriculum that includes:
- Learning experiences designed to develop your skills and competence in providing evidence-based, patient-centered medication therapy management with interdisciplinary teams
- A structure and areas of emphasis tailored to your entering level of knowledge, skills and career aspirations
- Elective learning experiences that allow you to further pursue interests related to your career goals
- Opportunities to be involved in all pharmacy activities, including direct patient care, pharmacy consults, management of medical emergencies, various projects and participation on committees
- Teaching, research and other scholarly endeavors that will enhance your professional development
Geisinger has a strong tradition of research. As our PGY1 pharmacy resident, you’ll also be expected to take an active role in our research culture. We want to help you become a lifelong learner who’s passionate about following the latest research and innovations — and who’s ready to contribute to developments in the field, too.
We hope you’ll apply to join us.
Cencora partnership
Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center is proud to be able to partner with Cencora as a clinical training site for a PGY1/PGY2 Corporate Pharmacy Administration and Leadership (CPAL). As part of the two-year program, Geisinger Wyoming Valley’s PGY1 residency program will host the CPAL resident to provide a strong clinical foundation for the second year in pharmacy supply-chain management. Residents will work side-by-side with the traditional PGY1 residents in a comprehensive clinical and administrative curriculum accredited by the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP).
For more information about the Cencora PGY1/PGY2 Corporate Pharmacy Administration and Leadership residency in pharmacy supply chain management, visit the program website.
About Geisinger
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the non-profit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 134 care sites — including 10 hospital campuses, and Geisinger Health Plan, with 600,000 members in commercial and government plans.
The Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 5,000 medical professionals annually and conducts more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With 26,000 employees, including 1,600 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $14 billion to the state’s economy.
On March 31, 2024, Geisinger became the first member of Risant Health, a new nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country.
Our home: Northeastern Pennsylvania
Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) is a great place to live, with safe neighborhoods, an affordable cost of living and access to recreational activities. NEPA is close to New York City and Philadelphia, giving you access to major cities in just a few hours. Overall, our communities are a good bet for living a stress-free, healthy lifestyle. And more importantly, NEPA is a place where you can make a difference.
Watch videoProgram overview
- Orientation (6 weeks)
- Internal medicine (4 weeks)
- Advanced internal medicine (5 weeks); pre-requisite: internal medicine
- Cardiology (5 weeks)
- Critical care (5 weeks); pre-requisite: advanced internal medicine
- Infectious diseases (4 weeks)
- Drug information and healthcare education (11 months; 2 days per month)
- Major research project (11 months)
- Pharmacy administration and medication safety (11 months; 8 hours per month distributed across 2-3 meeting days)
- Pharmacy staffing (11 months; 2 days every other weekend and two 4-hour evening shifts per month; 1 major departmental holiday)
- Advanced cardiology (pre-requisite: cardiology)
- Advanced emergency medicine (pre-requisite emergency medicine)
- Ambulatory care: oncology
- Ambulatory care: neurology
- Antimicrobial stewardship (pre-requisite: infectious diseases)
- Emergency medicine
- Hematology/oncology (inpatient/outpatient)
- Pediatrics/obstetrics pharmacy practice
- Pediatrics (2 weeks)
- Pharmacy leadership (2- and 4-week rotations offered based on schedule)
- Precepting (pre-requisites: internal medicine, advanced internal medicine)
- Trauma surgery critical care (prerequisite: critical care)
- Supply Chain Management (pre-requisite for PGY2 CPAL)
- Medical missions — timing based on trip schedule and availability (2 weeks; 1 week planning and 1 week travel and mission activities)
- Precepting and learning program, Wilkes University (11 months)
The Geisinger Wyoming Valley Department of Pharmacy has 86 employees, including 43 pharmacists. The pharmacy practice model involves integration of distribution and clinical activities at the patient care level supported by centralized distribution, support functions and management systems.
You’ll work with pharmacists practicing in:
- Internal medicine
- Pediatrics/obstetrics
- Adult hematology/oncology
- Critical care medicine
- Infectious diseases
- Emergency medicine
- Cardiology
- IV nutrition
- Operating room services
Our pharmacists are involved in:
- Drug therapy management
- Multidisciplinary patient care
- Decentralized pharmacy practice
- Pharmacokinetic consultations
- Anticoagulation consultations
- Adult and pediatric code response
- Medication utilization and outcome evaluation
- Medical, nursing and pharmacy staff education programs
Pharmacy students from regional schools of pharmacy rotate through our hospital and clinics as part of their core hospital pharmacy, clinical pharmacy and ambulatory care rotations.
In other words, you’ll be exposed to a tremendous variety of experiences and potential career paths.
Frequently asked questions