Geisinger Clinic West (State College, PA) Pharmacy Residency

As a PGY1 pharmacy resident in an ambulatory setting, you will be responsible for providing safe, efficacious and cost-effective drug therapy for all patients. You’ll work in a multidisciplinary practice and collaborate with all team members using collaborative practice agreements. Once you’re competent in specific disease states, you will provide face-to-face and 1-on-1 phone-based medication management for patients with chronic diseases. You’ll communicate with all healthcare professionals and patients regularly concerning medical care and quality of life, emphasizing the monitoring and documentation of specific pharmacotherapy outcomes. Beyond your patient care activities, you’ll assist healthcare personnel with in-depth drug information.

With an emphasis on primary care, you’re responsible for Medication Therapy Disease Management (MTDM) activities related to things including anticoagulation therapy, diabetes (including insulin pump management), hypertension, dyslipidemia, asthma, heart failure, osteoporosis, COPD and pain management. By communicating with the patient, you’ll identify, resolve and prevent medication-related problems. You’ll assess each patient’s medications for indication, effectiveness, safety and adherence issues and order lab tests in the assessment process. And you will follow up with the patient to titrate/manage/monitor their medication therapy and ensure positive outcomes.

Required focused core learning experiences:  

• Orientation (5 weeks) 
• Anticoagulation (4 weeks)  

Required core longitudinal learning experiences:  

• Family Practice Medication Therapy and Disease Management (~8 month experience – 2 days per week)  
• Geriatric Medication Therapy Disease Management (~4 month experience – 1.5 days per week) 
• Cardiology (~4 month experience – 1.5 days per week)
• Staffing/On Call (10 months – .5 days per week and every other weekend on call)

Required focused learning experiences:  

• Pharmacogenomics (1 week) 
• Internal Medicine with Transition of Care Focus (3 weeks)  

Elective learning experiences: Residents can select 1 elective, which will be about 4 weeks long. Length may be modified based on resident interest and preceptor availability except where noted. Residents will also be offered the opportunity to complete a 2-week career prep elective rotation pending achievement of all R1 objectives in other learning experiences.  

• Advanced MTDM Cardiology  
• Advanced Geriatrics  
• Anemia 
• Career Prep 
• Dermatology  
• Nephrology 
• Outpatient Hematology/Oncology Infusion 
• Outpatient Oral Hematology/Oncology  
• Pain Management  
• Psychology 
• Rheumatology

Additional opportunities are available depending upon the resident's interest and preceptor availability.

Required longitudinal learning experiences:  

• Pharmacy Administration and Medication Safety (10 month experience – 0.5 day every other week)  
• Drug Information and Evidence Based Medicine (11 month experience – 1 hour every other week and as needed) 
• Practice Advancement Project (11.5 month experience as needed) 
• Leadership and Teaching (10 month experience – 1 hour every other week and as needed) 
• Optional Opportunity: Clinical Educator Track for the residents (virtual meetings 1 – 2 times a month in the evening, often after clinic time)

• Completion of all R1 goals/objectives with a status of Achieved for Residency by the end of the residency. Completion of 100% of the remaining goals/objectives for the program with at least 75% of the objectives having a status of Achieved for Residency. All objectives must have a minimum status of satisfactory progress. Individual programs may require a higher minimum expectation but may not require less than identified as part of this policy. Programs with a higher minimum requirement will communicate this to residents during the interview, contracting, and orientation process. 
• All evaluations must be completed in accordance with ASHP Accreditation Standard as outlined in the Resident Agreement 
• Completion of all certifications by the dates defined by the residency program director and/or system policy. 
• Completion of major project, which includes meeting all project deadlines and submission of written manuscript of completed project to the RAC. 
• Assigned projects (e.g., MUE, drug review, class review, management project, order set review) have been completed. 
• Presentation of at least one major CME program. 
• Poster or platform presentation at one or more regional or national professional meetings: 
• Poster presentation at ASHP Midyear Clinical meeting & platform presentation at Eastern States Conference 
• Completion of minimum staffing requirements as described in residency contact/manual. 
• Adherence to the organization’s attendance standards.