All residents will participate in orientation during the initial month of the program. In addition to general hospital orientation, residents will be oriented to WPH and FH Departments of Pharmacy and will gain experience practicing in an operational role within their “home-base” pharmacy under the direct guidance of an experienced staff pharmacist. The program director and site coordinators will also orient residents to the program’s structure, purpose, accreditation standards, and evaluation methods.
Residents will complete various residency projects as part of the program. Required projects include a pharmacotherapy project (formulary monograph, class review, or therapeutic guideline), a medication use evaluation or administrative project, and an ACPE-accredited continuing education presentation. Residents will also design, conduct, and present a clinical research project.
Through a partnership with Duquesne University School of Pharmacy, residents may elect to complete the requirements of the teaching certificate program. In addition to required educational presentations, residents will co-precept pharmacy students, facilitate a student-run topic discussion and develop a teaching philosophy statement.
Residents will participate in the clinical on-call rotation at Forbes Hospital, which fosters the development of problem-solving skills by exposure to a variety of clinical scenarios. Additionally, residents will complete one clinical staffing shift each month, during which the resident will provide direct patient care for patients followed by the inpatient anticoagulation service, provide clinical guidance for the pharmacy staff, and provide pharmacy support at various medical emergency codes in the hospital. During on-call and clinical staffing rotations, the resident will be assigned a “back-up” preceptor for questions or issues.
Residents will be assigned staffing duties on a rotating basis, in order to develop the necessary skills to practice as a well-rounded pharmacist and clinician. Residents will be assigned a pharmacy “home-base” at either WPH or FH for all operational staffing shifts. Residents will be required to staff every third weekend throughout the year. Residents will provide staffing coverage for two non-hospital recognized holidays (i.e. Christmas Eve, the day after Thanksgiving, etc.) and clinical on-call coverage for one hospital-recognized holiday.
