Atrium Health - Carolinas Medical Center PGY2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy

Purpose

PGY2 pharmacy residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and PGY1 pharmacy residency programs to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists in specialized areas of practice. PGY2 residencies provide residents with opportunities to function independently as practitioners by conceptualizing and integrating accumulated experience and knowledge and incorporating both into the provision of patient care or other advanced practice settings. Residents who successfully complete an accredited PGY2 pharmacy residency are prepared for advanced patient care, academic, or other specialized positions, along with board certification, if available.

Program Overview

The PGY2 ambulatory care pharmacy residency program at Atrium Health offers residents a unique and well-rounded experience with ample opportunities for personal and professional development. Residents who successfully complete the program are prepared for academia, advanced patient care in the outpatient setting, and other specialized positions, along with board certification.

This program is a 12-month intensive learning program focused on training residents to become independent clinicians, leaders in ambulatory care management, and effective teachers in a layered learning environment. Developing well-rounded clinicians rooted in evidence-informed decision making is the foundation and focus of our training. A fundamental feature of the residency program is commitment to regular and extensive interaction between the resident and preceptors.

Rotations are primarily located within Atrium Health’s Carolinas Medical Center (CMC) Community Care Clinic system, centrally located in Charlotte, NC. CMC is the flagship hospital of Atrium Health, and the 3 Community Care Clinics embedded within a safety-net family medicine residency serve as a primary care network for patient care. The clinic locations provide ample patient care opportunities across multiple disease states including, but not limited to endocrine/diabetes, anticoagulation, cardiometabolic syndrome, cardiology, pulmonary, women’s health, oncology, behavioral health, and HIV/AIDS. Atrium Health features a robust network of ambulatory clinical pharmacy services focusing on value-based care, population health, transitions of care, and traditional embedded practice. Some experiences may involve travel to other locations in the Charlotte-Metro area. For example, the managed care and Carolina care rotation are primarily house out of the airport center. The clinical learning experiences will emphasize core disease and practice management concepts in an interdisciplinary environment as identified in the ASHP Accreditation Standard. Elective opportunities exist to customize to each residents’ individual interests and specific career goals. The resident will gain experience dealing with a vast array of ambulatory conditions.

Residents will meet regularly with the residency program director to discuss the resident’s individual goals for success. There is room to tailor the schedule to meet such goals by maximizing opportunities for learning experiences. The resident’s training is intense and rigorous, providing many opportunities for growth of clinical and leadership skills, baseline knowledge, teaching and precepting abilities, and job management skills.

In addition to developing clinical skills, residents gain experience in clinical research by completing a longitudinal research project with the opportunity to submit the project results for publication. Project ideas are decided by marrying the resident’s interest with the overarching goals for the hospital system. Involvement in the Ambulatory Care Clinical Advisory Group (CAG), as well as completion of medication use evaluations and drug monographs, allow for more direct physician interaction and exposure to the medication use process on a system-wide level. Upon completion of the program, trainees are awarded a completion of residency certificate.

Program Structure

There are five core components of the curriculum that occur longitudinally throughout the year plus orientation and electives. The residency year is divided into 4 main blocks, during which the resident will establish and grow their clinical services while honing their clinical and pedagogical skills. The experience is tailored to the resident’s interests, career goals, and prior experience. Emphasis is placed on providing the resident with direct patient care responsibilities in various primary care and specialty clinic settings, with a goal of developing exemplary clinical skills, knowledge, and competencies.

• Chronic Care Clinic
• Pharmacy resident will partake in Chronic Care Clinic at primarily Elizabeth Family Medicine (EFM) while also spending time at Biddle Point (BP) and Myers Park (MP)
• These clinics are high volume and fully established with pharmacist presence and strong interdisciplinary relationships
• Disease states managed include, but are not limited to:
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Hypertension
• Dyslipidemia
• Asthma
• COPD
• HIV
• Venous thromboembolism and systemic embolism
• Residents will also manage visits for medication access, polypharmacy, patient education, and comprehensive medication review

• Managed Care Population Health
• Residents will learn about managed care and population health principles
• Residents will engage in longitudinal management of insured, at-risk populations within the accountable care organization
• Residents will be responsible for tracking and working towards pharmacy quality metric goals through targeted/individual interventions, global strategies, and pilot programs
• Residents will conduct One-on-One Rx MTM appointments for CarolinaCARE members
• Resident will participate in meetings and discussions with PBM(s) and provide clinical oversight with regard to prescription benefit changes  
• Resident will become proficient in pharmacoeconomic principals and different health plan types including high-deductible health plans and traditional copay plans 
• Resident will be responsible for addressing medication access barriers and make recommendations to providers as needed to enhance therapeutic outcomes  

• Resident Service
• Residents will develop clinical pharmacy services within a medical practice with or without existing pharmacy services
• A new clinical service area is identified each year for establishment during the residency year
• Residents will work as Clinical Pharmacist Practitioners (CPPs) with collaborative practice agreements with their physicians
• The goal is for the resident to create a sustainable new service

• Administration
  • Residents will apply leadership theory and skills to their practice and professional life 
  • Residents will participate as leaders and team members in a variety of longitudinal leadership activities to strengthen leadership skills in practice, teaching, and advocacy 
  • Personal leadership development will be facilitated through longitudinal leadership coaching with a leadership coach assigned each year and leadership didactics/cases and reflection 
• Academia 
  • Pharmacy residents will have a strong clinical and teaching presence on the interdisciplinary team during rounding
  • Pharmacy residents will teach and assist medical residents with medication related problems and guideline directed therapy during scheduled clinics
  • Teaching responsibilities include:
    •  ACPE continuing education program
    • Family Nurse Practitioner Pharmacotherapy didactic lectures at UNC-Charlotte
    • Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist Pharmacology didactic lectures at the College of Health Sciences
    • . Didactic lectures for the Department of Family Medicine
    • In-services for physician residents
    • Precepting of P4 pharmacy students and PGY1 pharmacy residents
    • Mentoring opportunities 
    • Residents will attend the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting
    • Residents will obtain the ASHP Teaching Certificate if a teaching certificate has not previously been completed
• Electives
  • Specialty Pharmacy (general and multiple specialties available)
  • Behavioral Health (inpatient & outpatient)
  • Cardiology (inpatient & outpatient)
  • Advanced Diabetes
  • Oncology (inpatient & outpatient)
  • Antimicrobial Stewardship Network
  • Others

Benefits

In addition to the full benefits of an Atrium Health employee, residents will have medical and dental coverage premiums paid by the employer. Ten paid days off are available for vacation or sick time and five additional days for professional interviews if needed. A travel allowance will be provided to attend the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and either a regional residency research symposium or other national conference (ACCP Annual Meeting, APhA Annual Meeting, AMCP Nexus, etc.). The resident is provided with office space containing an individual double monitor desktop computer, phone, storage/filing space, as well as a shared printer. In addition, the resident receives remote access to the hospital network, comprehensive drug information resources, a lab coats, two sets of scrubs, a laptop, a meal allowance, and free parking. The Division of Pharmacy also has an active continuing education program with opportunities offered on a routine basis.

Pharmacy Residency

Estimated start date: Early July
Estimated stipend: $50,000 

Atrium Heath values diversity, equity and inclusion, knowing that we are better together as we advocate for the health and well-being for everyone in our community.                                                                                                                                                            
National Matching Service Program Code: 605565