PGY1/PGY2 Pharmacotherapy
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Interviews for the PGY1/2 Pharmacotherapy program will be conducted fully virtually. There will be no in-person interviews conducted.
Program Purpose (Year One)
PGY1 pharmacy residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) education and outcomes to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists responsible for medication-related care of patients with a wide range of conditions, eligible for board certification, and eligible for postgraduate year two (PGY2) pharmacy residency training.
Program Purpose (Year Two)
PGY2 pharmacy residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) 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.
Additional Program Description
The pharmacotherapy residency program at UNC combines PGY1 and PGY2 training to produce a specialized practitioner with an advanced degree of proficiency and expertise in working with interdisciplinary teams to deliver pharmaceutical care to diverse populations from ambulatory to critically ill, pediatric to geriatric ages, and presenting with varied and complex health problems.
The intense focus on direct patient care of this residency develops a specialist of great flexibility in the direct patient care arena, an individual who can move from one specialized area of practice to another with confidence and ease. While other clinical specialized residencies build a knowledge base and decision-making skills in one area of focus, the pharmacotherapy residency graduate refines the decision-making skill in such a way that it is transferable across practice areas and then supplements that skill with strong knowledge acquisition in a broad range of disease states.
The scope and depth of residency graduates’ knowledge of the broad sweep of diseases and their treatment, combined with extensive patient care experience as outlined in the appendix, produces a pharmacist who can successfully serve health care organizations as an authoritative resource for information about medications and for decision-making affecting the care of patients. This includes contributions to formulary decision-making.
Groomed for practice leadership, pharmacotherapy residency graduates can be expected to continue their pursuit of expertise in practice; to possess advanced skills to identify the pharmacotherapy and medication-use training needs of other health care professionals; to deliver effective training to those health care professionals; and to contribute to the pharmacy literature.
Overview
The first year of the program strengthens baseline pharmacotherapeutic knowledge, clinical judgement, and problem-solving skills across a broad range of treatment areas. The second year builds upon these competencies to develop the resident’s abilities to deliver appropriate care in medically complex situations as well as to participate in health-system level of care via contributions to practice management. The combined program provides continuity between the PGY1 and PGY2 years, which allows the resident to gain both depth and breadth of exposure to a multitude of practice environments as well as the opportunity to complete a more comprehensive research project.
The graduating pharmacotherapy resident will be prepared to enter clinical practice as a pharmacotherapy specialist in acute or ambulatory care, academia as a school of pharmacy faculty member, or even practice management as a clinical manager. The graduate will be skillful in working as a member of multidisciplinary teams and in navigating the intricacies of care transitions. The resident will also have the baseline level of skills and experience to execute meaningful point-of-care research and to design and execute teaching activities in affiliation with a school of pharmacy.
For more detailed information, check out our Pharmacotherapy Overview video!
