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Geisinger Lewistown Hospital Pharmacy Residency

You can change patients’ quality of life. A pharmacy residency with Geisinger will show you how. 

About us

The Geisinger Lewistown Hospital PGY1 Residency is accredited by the American Society of Health System Pharmacy (ASHP). Our program welcomed its first PGY1 residents in the 2020–2021 academic year and we are recruiting new PGY1 residents for the 2025–2026 academic year. 

Geisinger Lewistown Hospital is a 133-bed rural hospital in Mifflin County, serving more than 80,000 patients in central Pennsylvania. Since 2021, it has been consistently named one of the nation’s top 100 rural and community hospitals by the Chartis Group. And in 2021, Geisinger Lewistown Hospital earned a 5-Star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

When you’re a resident, you’re part of the Geisinger family. That means you’ll collaborate with providers on site and throughout the Geisinger system. As a clinical pharmacist, you will practice at the top of your license to contribute in acute care, ambulatory care, specialty pharmacy and research. Your curriculum is customized to help you with personal and professional goals.

Pharmacy students from the following schools complete experiential education rotations at Geisinger hospitals and clinics as part of their core hospital pharmacy, clinical pharmacy and ambulatory care rotations. These PGY1 residents can participate in a layered learning model with these students. 

  • Duquesne University Mylan College of Pharmacy
  • Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Pharmacy
  • Philadelphia College of Pharmacy
  • Temple University
  • Western New England University College of Pharmacy and Health Science
  • Wilkes University Nesbitt School of Pharmacy

Geisinger is committed to a culture of diversity and inclusion. Because our team is our most valuable asset, we promote an environment welcoming of all races, ethnicities, religious beliefs, genders and sexual orientations. We celebrate life experiences, personal differences, knowledge, innovation and talent. In the Department of Graduate Medical Education, the director of diversity, equity and inclusion applies diversity principles in all settings and advances the institution's efforts to create a welcoming and safe environment for all residents and fellows.

Program overview

Curriculum

Required learning experiences (4–6 weeks each)

  • Antimicrobial Stewardship
  • Critical Care
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Internal Medicine
  • Internal Medicine II
  • Institutional Intravenous Hematology/Oncology
  • Orientation
  • Psychiatry
Required longitudinal learning experiences (6–12 months each)

  • Ambulatory MTDM Cardiology 
  • Advancing Pharmacy Practice and Improving Patient Care
  • Inpatient Pharmacy Staffing 
  • Major Project
  • Management and Leadership
  • Self-Assessment and Professional Advancement
Elective learning experiences (customizable based on resident interest)

  • Advanced Ambulatory MTDM Cardiology
  • Antimicrobial Stewardship II
  • Critical Care II
  • Emergency Medicine II
  • Institutional Intravenous Hematology/Oncology II
  • Ambulatory hematology/oncology
  • Inpatient Cardiology
  • Pain Management and Palliative Care
  • Precepting (if learner rotation schedule allows) 
  • Transitions of Care
Residency requirements

  • Adherence to the organization’s attendance standards
  • Anticoagulation certification
  • Completion of all assigned projects (MUE, drug review, class review/antimicrobial dosing guideline and management project)
  • Completion of all R1 goals with a status of Achieved for Residency by the end of the year. Completion of 100% of the remaining goals for the program with at least 75% of the objectives marked as Achieved for Residency. All objectives must have a minimum status of satisfactory progress.
  • Major research project and manuscript completion
  • Pharmacist licensure in Pennsylvania within 120 days of the program start date
  • Pharmacokinetics certification
  • Presentation of at least 1 major educational conference
  • Successful completion of core, longitudinal and elective learning experiences and evaluations
  • Successful completion of staffing components

Residency program design

As a resident, you’ll rotate through the various core and longitudinal learning experiences listed. You’ll also participate in interprofessional learning opportunities with medical residents in the Geisinger Family Medicine residency program throughout the year. You also complete a medication-use evaluation for presentation at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and a research project for presentation at the Eastern States Conference. Elective learning experiences will help you further pursue interests related to your career objectives. We encourage you to explore areas of interest and engage in all pharmacy activities. 

Goals

  • To develop competent, resourceful practitioners who provide holistic patient-centered care.
  • To prepare you for PGY2 advanced training, board certification, and a clinical pharmacist career.
  • To provide accelerated growth in leadership development, clinical judgment and self-reflection skills. 
  • To cultivate drug information-analytical skills that promote disseminating information among patients and healthcare workers.   

The Geisinger difference

Our values — kindness, excellence, safety, learning and innovation — are at the heart of everything we do. We provide high-quality, patient-centered, cost-effective care to our patients across northeastern and central Pennsylvania. And our residents learn to do the same.

Frequently asked questions

What is a PGY1 pharmacy residency program?

Geisinger's PGY1 Pharmacy Residency is designed to train and educate pharmacists like you in the fundamentals of exemplary pharmacy practice in organized healthcare systems. Your residency focuses on total pharmacy practice, including the concepts and philosophies of contemporary pharmaceutical care. It builds upon practice experience and academic education and acts as the foundation for practice competence. Your residency will provide experiences and knowledge that can’t easily be achieved in a staff role — which will boost your career when you graduate. If you’re a more seasoned pharmacist, your residency will accelerate a career move to a higher level of practice.
How is the Geisinger Lewistown Hospital PGY1 Pharmacy Residency designed to meet my individual career aspirations?

As a PGY1 pharmacy resident, you’ll complete all core learning experiences. And you select all elective learning experiences to meet your career goals. The sequence facilitates your goal achievement. You’re free to change elective selections throughout the year as you discover new areas of interest, and to design acute care and ambulatory care-focused curricula based on your unique goals and aspirations. You’ll have many opportunities to promote professional development and self-discovery. And throughout it all, your residency director will work closely with you to make sure your year is successful.
How is the residency offered at Geisinger Lewistown Hospital?

The residency is a full-time, approximately 12-month program that is conducted in accordance with American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) duty hour requirements through the accomplishment of formal learning objectives and activities. The start date is Monday, June 16, 2025.
Is participation in the ASHP Matching Program ("the Match") required?

Yes, participation in the Match for the PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program is required. Our program code number for the Resident Matching Program is 23115.
How many resident positions are available and what are the requirements?

There are currently 2 PGY1 pharmacy resident positions at Geisinger Lewistown Hospital. A PharmD degree is required, along with an interview.
What are the staffing requirements?

As a pharmacy resident, you’ll participate in staffing activities every other weekend, alternating morning and evening shifts in addition to a 4-hour shift 1 evening every other week. The residents will also have exposure to the remote order verification process for other hospitals while staffing. Your staffing learning experience fosters the achievement of the residency goals outlined by the ASHP. Staffing promotes your growth and professional practice maturity.
What is the stipend, and what benefits are included?

The stipend is $58,656 per year. This is paid in 2-week intervals and is taxed as salary. Other benefits include an excellent healthcare benefits package, paid time off and paid administrative leave for educational meetings (ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and Eastern States Residents Conference). You’ll have dedicated workspace with access to a computer and wireless rounding computer.
What clinical services does your program provide to your patients?

Currently, we have pharmacists practicing in anticoagulation, cardiology, critical care medicine, emergency medicine, heart failure transitions of care, hematology and oncology, internal medicine, psychiatry and medication therapy disease state management. Our pharmacists are involved in drug therapy management, multidisciplinary patient care, decentralized pharmacy practice, pharmacokinetic consultations, adult code team, stroke response, medication utilization and outcome evaluation. Pharmacists also lead educational programs geared toward nurses, nursing students, providers, medical students, pharmacists and pharmacy students.
What should I expect at the time of the interview?

All interviews for the 2025-2026 residency candidates will be conducted virtually. More information regarding the interview process will be provided prior to the interview. Interviews will take place in January-February 2025.

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