Program overview
Department of Pharmacy
Geisinger serves more than 1 million residents throughout 45 counties in central, south-central and northeastern Pennsylvania. The enterprise pharmacy department works to ensure our patients receive the best possible pharmaceutical treatment and outcomes. As a Geisinger pharmacist, you won’t just dispense medication — you’ll play an integral role in the pharmaceutical management of patients every day.
Enterprise pharmacy covers Geisinger’s 10 hospital campuses and 130 primary care and specialty care clinics. It includes three standalone oncology pharmacies located in State College, Pottsville and Lewisburg; 15 Geisinger Pharmacy locations; a Geisinger Specialty Pharmacy; two retail pharmacies on the GMC campus; the Geisinger Health Plan pharmacy team; Geisinger Home Infusion Services Pharmacy; Geisinger’s home infusion pharmacy; and the medication therapy disease management (MTDM) team, located in more than 50 Geisinger clinics. We employ more than 545 pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, clerical and administrative staff.
In the acute care setting, enterprise pharmacy operates a decentralized clinical model in which clinical pharmacists provide patient care on the patient units at most of its hospitals, while the medication distribution model varies based on the hospital. The MTDM pharmacists assist with the treatment of patients with diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, heart failure, pain management, anticoagulation management and oral chemotherapy management.
The enterprise pharmacy is also contributing to national program development in areas such as pain medication management and a medication disposal program.
Pharmacy students from the University of Sciences in Philadelphia, Wilkes University, Temple University, Duquesne University and the University of Pittsburgh rotate through our hospital and clinics as part of their core hospital pharmacy, clinical pharmacy and ambulatory care rotations.
Curriculum
Residency requirements
As a PGY2 oncology pharmacy resident, much of your time will be devoted to comprehensive training as a member of the interdisciplinary hematology/oncology team. Direct patient care services allow you to practice providing patient-specific pharmaceutical care in a variety of settings, both acute and ambulatory. Responsibilities include development of individualized care and monitoring plans for hematology, oncology and stem cell transplant patient populations. After coaching, instructing and modeling by a preceptor, you will be constructively critiqued on how to further refine the delivery of evidence-based recommendations.
Core rotations
- Ambulatory oncology infusion clinic
- Advanced hematology and stem cell transplant
- Clinic-based hematology/oncology pharmacy practice
- Hematology and stem cell transplant
- Infectious diseases
- Investigational drug service
- Orientation
- Oral chemotherapy clinic
- Pediatric hematology/oncology
Elective rotations
- Advanced clinic-based hematology/oncology pharmacy practice
- Advanced oncology infusion clinic
- Benign hematology
- Critical care [hematology/oncology focused]
- Hematology/oncology preceptorship
- International medical missions
- Stem cell transplant clinic
- Neuro-oncology clinic
- Oncology pharmacy leadership
- Palliative medicine
Longitudinal learning experiences
- Pharmacy cancer services: medication safety and informatics
- Hematology/oncology pharmacy education
- Hematology/oncology pharmacy staffing
- Investigational drug service
- Pharmacy cancer services: management and operations
- Major research project
Longitudinal learning activities
- Institutional hematology/oncology pharmacy practitioner credentialing
- Participation and leadership in departmental and health system hem/onc committees (e.g., hematology/oncology P&T subcommittee, beacon committee)
- Participation in hematology/oncology pharmacy on-call
- Pharmacokinetic drug monitoring and consultations
- Pharmacy leadership series
- Preceptorship (APPE and PGY1 learners)
Staffing requirements
- Staffing the Henry Hood Cancer Center Infusion Center, in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., every third weekend on Saturday
- Staffing the day ahead chemotherapy Lewisburg/Selinsgrove clinic every third weekend on Sunday
- Staffing two weekdays per month in any area (inpatient or outpatient) the resident has previously completed a rotation and achieved institutional credentialing
Program requirements
- Possess a valid pharmacist license from the Pennsylvania State Board of Pharmacy within 120 days of starting the residency year
- Completion of all R1 goals/objectives with a status of achieved by the end of the residency. Completion of 100% of the remaining goals/objectives for the program with at least 90% of the objectives having a status as achieved. All objectives must have a minimum status of satisfactory progress.
- All evaluations must be completed in accordance with ASHP Accreditation Standard as outlined in the Resident Agreement.
- Completion of pharmacokinetic certification by Oct. 31 of residency year
- Completion of inpatient anticoagulation certification by Oct. 31 of residency year
- Completion of major project, which includes meeting all project deadlines and submission of written manuscript of completed project to the RAC
- Assigned projects (MUE, two drug reviews, class review and management project) completed
- Presentation of at least four major presentations, at the determination of the RPD, with at least one being CE programming
- Completion of minimum staffing requirements