Pharmacy Residency Program

Welcome to the Tampa General Hospital Pharmacy Residency Program Webpage

Welcome to the webpage for Pharmacy Residency Programs at Tampa General Hospital. We commend you on your commitment to further your professional development in pursuit of residency training. This is an important step that requires critical evaluation as you search for a program that meets your individual needs.

Tampa General Hospital is a 988-bed, academic teaching facility that is committed to providing outstanding pharmacy post-graduate residency training. The Department of Pharmacy offers three residency training programs dedicated to developing clinical practice competencies while promoting leadership, confidence, and professional skills. Each program combines clinical training with teaching and scholarly activities to develop a well-rounded clinical practitioner. While the programs have required rotations, each provides flexibility to meet the needs of the individual resident.

Our dedicated preceptors work closely with each resident to assist them in meeting their professional goals. We are confident that our program will provide the expertise, training, and support to further your growth.

Please review the program overviews to see if one of our programs is right for you. We wish you the best of luck in your search for a program that fits your individual needs.

Sincerely,

About TGH

Tampa General is a private not-for-profit hospital and one of the most comprehensive medical facilities in West Central Florida serving a dozen counties with a population in excess of 4 million. As one of the largest hospitals in Florida, Tampa General is one of the region's largest employers with over 6,000 employees.

Tampa General Hospital has been affiliated with the University of South Florida College of Medicine since the school was created in the early 1970s. Tampa General is the primary teaching affiliate of the University of South Florida College of Medicine and some 290 residents are assigned to Tampa General Hospital for specialty training in areas ranging from general internal medicine to neurosurgery. In addition, USF medical students, nurses and physical therapy students all receive part of their training at Tampa General. Faculty of the University of South Florida College of Medicine admit and care for patients at Tampa General as do community physicians, many of whom also serve as adjunct clinical faculty.

TGH is the area’s only Level I Trauma Center and one of just four burn centers in Florida. With five aeromedical helicopters we are able to transport critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. The hospital is home to one of the leading organ transplant centers in the country, having performed more than 6,000 adult solid organ transplants, including the state’s first successful heart transplant in 1985. TGH is a state-certified comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the west coast of Florida. Other outstanding centers include cardiovascular, orthopedics, high risk and normal obstetrics, urology, ENT, endocrinology, and the Children's Medical Center, which features a nine-bed pediatric intensive care unit and one of just three outpatient pediatric dialysis units in the state. As the region's leading safety net hospital, Tampa General is committed to providing area residents with excellent and compassionate health care ranging from the simplest to the most complex medical services. These are but some of the areas of excellence that this academic medical center has to offer.

The Department of Pharmacy and Preceptor Team

The department of pharmacy is staffed with 181 employees, 69 full time pharmacists and over 62 support staff members. It is affiliated with several Colleges of Pharmacy within and outside the state of Florida.  Our Residency Preceptors have a proven commitment to residency training.  Their backgrounds represent a diverse mix of experiences and training:

• Pharmacy practice residency training
• Specialty residency training (e.g., critical care, nutrition support, emergency medicine, solid organ transplantation, pediatrics)
• Board certification (e.g., Pharmacotherapy Specialist, Nutrition Support Specialist)
• American College of Critical Care Medicine (ACCM) Fellowship Induction

In addition to a focus on direct patient care, preceptors are involved in scholarly activities such as scientific journal peer review (e.g., Critical Care Medicine, Pharmacotherapy), active textbook and journal publication, platform and poster presentations and research.  These practitioners are actively involved with local, state, national and international professional organizations (e.g., Florida Society of Health-System Pharmacists, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, American College of Clinical Pharmacy, Society of Critical Care Medicine, American Society of Transplant Physicians).  With over 15 dedicated pharmacy preceptors, the pharmacy department is a fertile ground for training future pharmacy practitioners specializing in the care of hospital practice, teaching, and scholarly activity.

Click here to meet our preceptors.

PGY1 Residency Overview

Mission Statement

The PGY1 residency program at Tampa General Hospital (TGH) provides an exceptional training experience to develop the resident clinically and professionally. The purpose of the residency program is to develop pharmacy care providers for positions in clinical practice, teaching/academia, or advanced practice in a specialized PGY2 training program. Upon graduation, residents will be self-directed learners possessing clinical competencies, leadership and professional skills and will have the confidence to excel in diverse practice environments.

Program Overview

Tampa General’s Post Graduate Year One Pharmacy Residency Program was established in 2000. The program was awarded the full six-year accreditation status by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists in 2008; a distinguished honor that is awarded to only 29 percent of residency programs surveyed.

The PGY1 residents work closely with a dedicated group of specialized pharmacy preceptors that mentors and trains future pharmacist practitioner. Residents completing this residency program will be competent clinical practitioners, who will be part of the medical team managing disease state outcomes and providing safe and cost-effective pharmaceutical care to patients. Residents function as an integral member of the healthcare system to provide complete and detailed pharmacotherapeutic interventions to improve patient care services. Residents participate as active members of the pharmacotherapy consult service to provide clinical services such as pharmacokinetics and total parenteral nutrition. In addition, they will be ACLS certified and participate on the code blue team.

The intense twelve-month program provides experiences in a variety of settings, focusing on the core areas of practice specified in the ASHP Accreditation Standards. Residents complete nine to ten months of core rotations and two to three months of elective rotations tailored to meet individual resident needs and interests.

Graduates from the PGY1 program have successfully gone on to pursue many different career paths, including academia, clinical hospital positions, and Post Graduate Year Two training in areas such as internal medicine, infectious diseases, and critical care. With over 15 different preceptors in various practice settings (e.g. general medicine, critical care, emergency medicine, transplant, ambulatory care, pediatrics, administration, etc), the PGY1 residency program has much to offer to meet the interests of the PGY1 resident.

Teaching

Residents completing this residency program will be competent educators in pharmacy practice.

The program provides various opportunities for one to develop effective teaching skills to pharmacy students, medical residents, pharmacists and physician groups.

Residents will serve as co-preceptors for pharmacy student rotations, participate in pharmacy staff development programs and provide pharmacy presentations to the medical residency and nursing staff.  Academic teaching experiences will be conducted at the University of Florida St. Petersburg Campus. Completion of a teaching certificate program is a component of this residency program. In addition, residents will develop effective counseling skills through participation in patient counseling activities.

Scholarly Activity

Residents completing this residency program will be competent in scholarly activities through active participation in both service/research project management and publication. Residents will complete a service or research project and submit a manuscript for publication in a biomedical journal prior to graduation.

Residents present their projects at the following meetings:

• University HealthSystem Consortium's (UHC) Pharmacy Council Meeting
• ASHP Mid-year Clinical Meeting
• Southeastern Residency Conference (SERC)

Staffing Responsibilities

Residents are trained to independently function as a decentralized, unit-based clinical pharmacist supporting both the pharmacotherapy consult and pharmacy practice service at TGH.  

The role and responsibilities of a decentralized, unit-based clinical pharmacist is to support all pharmaceutical services for the patient care area assigned and may include but is not limited to the following:

• Entering pharmacy orders
• Supporting the pharmacotherapy consult service including pharmcokinetic dosing of medication therapy to include, but not limited to aminoglycosides, vancomycin, warfarin, digoxin, etc. 
• Writing and monitoring orders for TPN.
• Supporting the medication reconciliation service
• Triaging and resolving medication problems
• Responding to code blue team
• Supervising and overseeing pharmacy technicians

PGY1 residents work every 3rd weekend and a half-shift one night every week.

All residents work one major (Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Years) and one minor holiday.

Program Sites

• Clinical rotations will be completed at TGH.
• Academic teaching experiences will be conducted at the University of Florida St. Petersburg Campus.
• Ambulatory care rotations are conducted at TGH Family Care Clinics and affiliated centers within the area.
• The residency program actively supports the Tampa Bay Residency Forum which is "an educational endeavor designed to provide a platform for area residents, directors and preceptors to network, grow professionally and provide a collaborative environment for Tampa Bay area residency programs". Click here for more information about this unique program.

Concentrated Experiences

Longitudinal Experiences

• Teaching: University teaching; pharmacy/physician/student teaching
• Staffing: Decentralized, unit based pharmacist
• Research/Service Project and Manuscript

Program Specifics

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Medical insurance (e.g. health, dental)
• Sick leave
• Paid vacation
• Retirement plan contributions
• Professional travel reimbursement
• Lab coats
• Resident office
• Resident computer
• ACLS certification
• A GREAT learning experience

Contact

Please address all correspondence to the PGY1 Residency Program Director:

Minh-Tri Duong, PharmD
PGY1 Residency Program Director/Education Coordinator
Tampa General Hospital
813-844-4735 (office)
813-844-4062 (fax)
mduong@tgh.org

PGY2 Transplant Residency Overview

Mission Statement

The overall goal of the 12-month Tampa General Hospital PGY2 Transplant Pharmacy Residency Program is to develop a well rounded, self-confident, competent clinical pharmacist, who can manage all types of solid-organ transplant patients in both an acute care and ambulatory care setting. The Resident will develop skills to become a leader in the transplant community.

Program Overview

From October 1, 2008 to September 30, 2009, 52 heart transplants, 38 lung transplants, 184 adult kidney transplants, 11 pediatric kidney transplants, three heart/kidney transplants, 21 kidney/pancreas transplants, four pancreas transplants, 90 liver transplants and four liver/kidney transplants were performed at Tampa General Hospital. The heart transplant program was recognized as the 4th busiest in the nation. The practice site provides an optimal training ground for one to develop a specialized practice in transplant services.

Residents completing this training program will be competent practitioners, who will be part of the transplant healthcare team, managing all disease state outcomes including individualized immunosuppression, as well as all other aspects of patient care (with an emphasis on hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, in the post-transplant patient), providing safe and cost-effective pharmaceutical care to all transplant patients.

The pharmacists will develop patient communication skills and become adept at identifying medication adherence issues before they become problematic. Residents will be motivated to identify individual areas that require development or improvement. They will provide effective written and verbal communication with an emphasis on customer service. They will display leadership and contribute to the profession by maintaining high professional standards, involvement in professional organizations, and staying abreast of current issues related to the practice of pharmaceutical care for the transplant patient.

Teaching

Residents completing this residency program will be competent educators in pharmacy practice. The program provides various opportunities for one to develop effective teaching skills to pharmacy students, medical residents, pharmacists and physician groups.

Residents will serve as co-preceptors for pharmacy student rotations, participate in pharmacy staff development programs and provide pharmacy presentations to the medical residency and nursing staff.

Academic teaching experiences will be conducted at the University of Florida St. Petersburg Campus. Completion of a teaching certificate program is a component of this residency program. In addition, residents will develop effective counseling skills through participation in patient counseling activities.

Scholarly Activity

Residents completing this residency program will be competent in scholarly activities through active participation in both service/research project management and publication. Residents will complete a service or research project and submit a manuscript for publication in a biomedical journal prior to graduation.

Residents present their projects at the following meetings:

• University HealthSystem Consortium's (UHC) Pharmacy Council Meeting
• ASHP Mid-year Clinical Meeting
• Southeastern Residency Conference (SERC)
• American Transplant Congress Conference

Staffing Responsibilities

Residents are trained to independently function as a decentralized, unit-based clinical pharmacist supporting both the pharmacotherapy consult and pharmacy practice service at TGH.  

The role and responsibilities of a decentralized, unit-based clinical pharmacist is to support all pharmaceutical services for the patient care area assigned and may include but is not limited to the following:

• Entering pharmacy orders
• Supporting the pharmacotherapy consult service including pharmcokinetic dosing of medication therapy to include, but not limited to aminoglycosides, vancomycin, warfarin, digoxin, etc. 
• Writing and monitoring orders for TPN.
• Supporting the medication reconciliation service
• Triaging and resolving medication problems
• Responding to code blue team
• Supervising and overseeing pharmacy technicians

PGY2 residents work every 4th weekend in a patient care area assigned to their area of specialty as part of the Pharmacotherapy Specialist rotation.

All residents work one major (Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years) and one minor holiday.

Program Sites

• The resident will complete various clinical rotations and activities at Tampa General Hospital and the Lifelink Healthcare Institute. Nationally, the solid organ transplant programs were 13th in volume in 2007. (Data obtained from the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network) The resident will have the opportunity to schedule off-site rotations (i.e. bone marrow transplant, pediatric transplant).
• Ambulatory care rotations are conducted at various Tampa General Hospital sites.
• Academic teaching experiences will be conducted at the University of Florida St. Petersburg Campus.
• The residency program actively supports the Tampa Bay Residency Forum which is "an educational endeavor designed to provide a platform for area residents, directors and preceptors to network, grow professionally and provide a collaborative environment for Tampa Bay area residency programs".

Concentrated Experiences

Longitudinal Experiences

• Research/Service Project and Manuscript
• Transplant Pharmaceutical Care Clinic
• Lung Transplant Clinic
• Staffing: Decentralized, unit based phamacist (refer to Staffing Responsibilities)
• Teaching: Pharmacy/Physician/Student teaching. University teaching is available as an option

Program Specifics

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Medical insurance (e.g. health, dental)
• Sick leave
• Paid vacation
• Retirement plan contributions
• Professional travel reimbursement
• Lab coats
• Resident office
• Resident computer
• ACLS certification

Contact

Please address all correspondence to PGY2 Transplant Residency Director:

Drew Silverman, PharmD
PGY2 Solid Organ Transplant Residency Program Director
Pharmacotherapy Specialist
Abdominal Transplant Services
Tampa General Hospital
813-844-7210 (office)
813-844-4062 (fax)
dsilverman@tgh.org

PGY2 Critical Care Residency Overview

Mission Statement

The PGY2 Critical Care residency program is designed to develop competencies necessary for specialized practice in critical care pharmacotherapy. The primary focus of the residency is the enhancement of clinical skills. Upon completion of this residency, graduates will be prepared to practice as a critical care pharmacotherapy specialists in academic and/or community acute care environments.

Program Overview

With over 120 adult intensive care unit beds and a singular focus of providing the best care to the critically ill, TGH is fertile ground for the training of well-equipped leaders in critical care pharmacotherapy. Areas of excellence in critical care at TGH include, but are not limited to the following:

• regional level 1 trauma center for central Florida
• pulmonary medicine program
• emergency department
• neuroscience center
• American Burn Association / American College of Surgeons (ACS) verified burn center
• regional digestive disorders center
• cardiovascular center
• bariatric surgical program

These are but some of the areas of excellence that this academic medical center has to offer the PGY2 Critical Care resident. 

The PGY2 Critical Care resident will be an integral part of the health care team for each service, providing comprehensive pharmaceutical care services, including pharmacotherapy consults, pharmacokinetic analysis, drug information and intensive monitoring of each patient on service.  The resident will also gain a true competence in the management of medical emergencies through active involvement with the pharmacy department’s response to code blue (cardiac and respiratory arrest) and anesthesia stat alerts. 

The program director, five core perceptors, and seven elective perceptors involved in the training of the PGY2 Critical Care resident have a proven commitment to training pharmacists in the management of the critically ill.  Their backgrounds represent a diverse mix of experiences and training:

• American College of Critical Care Medicine (ACCM) Fellowship Induction
• Specialty residency training (e.g., critical care, nutrition support, emergency medicine, solid organ transplantation, pediatrics)
• Pharmacy practice residency training
• Board certification (e.g., Pharmacotherapy Specialist, Nutrition Support Specialist) 

In addition to a focus on direct patient care, preceptors are involved in scholarly activities such as scientific journal peer review (e.g., Critical Care Medicine, Pharmacotherapy), active textbook and journal publication, platform and poster presentations, and research in the management of acutely/critically ill patients.  These practitioners are actively involved with local, state, national and international professional organizations (e.g., Florida Society of Health-System Pharmacists, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, American College of Clinical Pharmacy, Society of Critical Care Medicine).    

Teaching

Residents completing this residency program will be competent educators in pharmacy practice. The program provides various opportunities for one to develop effective teaching skills to pharmacy students, medical residents, pharmacists, and physician groups.

Residents will serve as co-preceptors for pharmacy student rotations, participate in pharmacy staff development programs and provide pharmacy presentations to the medical residency and nursing staff. A teaching certificate program is offered thru the University of Florida St. Petersburg Campus.

Scholarly Activity

Residents completing this residency program will be competent in scholarly activities through active participation in both service/research project management and publication. Residents will complete a service or research project and submit a manuscript for publication in a biomedical journal prior to graduation.

Residents present their projects at the following meetings:

• University HealthSystem Consortium's (UHC) Pharmacy Council Meeting
• ASHP Mid-year Clinical Meeting
• Optional: Southeastern Residency Conference (SERC)

Staffing Responsibilities

Residents are trained to independently function as a decentralized, unit-based clinical pharmacists supporting both the pharmacotherapy consult and pharmacy practice service at TGH for critically ill patients.  

The role and responsibilities of a decentralized, unit-based clinical pharmacist is to support all pharmaceutical services for the patient care area assigned and may include but is not limited to the following:

• Entering pharmacy orders
• Supporting the pharmacotherapy consult service including pharmcokinetic dosing of medication therapy to include, but not limited to aminoglycosides, vancomycin, warfarin, digoxin, etc. 
• Writing and monitoring orders for TPN.
• Supporting the medication reconciliation service
• Triaging and resolving medication problems
• Responding to code blue team
• Supervising and overseeing pharmacy technicians

PGY2 residents work every 4th weekend in a patient care area assigned to their area of specialty as part of the Pharmacotherapy Specialist rotation.

All residents work one major (Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Years) and one minor holiday.

Program Sites

• Clinical rotations will be completed at Tampa General Hospital
• Academic teaching experiences will be conducted at the University of Florida St. Petersburg Campus.
• The residency program actively supports the Tampa Bay Residency Forum which is "an educational endeavor designed to provide a platform for area residents, directors and preceptors to network, grow professionally and provide a collaborative environment for Tampa Bay area residency programs".  Click here for more information about this unique program.

Concentrated Experiences

Core Rotations:

• Medical ICU
• Trauma / Surgery
• Emergency Medicine
• Neuroscience ICU

Elective Rotations:

• Infectious Diseases
• Burn ICU
• Cardiac Surgical ICU
• Cardiac ICU
• Transplant
• Pediatric ICU

Longitudinal Experiences

• Project/Manuscript
• Staffing: Decentralized, unit based pharmacist (refer to Staffing Responsibilities)
• Teaching: Pharmacy, physician, nursing, and student teaching. University teaching is available as an option
• Critical care administration

Program Specifics

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Medical insurance (e.g. health, dental)
• Sick leave
• Paid vacation
• Retirement plan contributions
• Professional travel reimbursement
• Lab coats
• Resident office
• Resident computer
• ACLS certification

Contact

Please address all correspondence to PGY2 Critical Care Residency Director:

Earnest Alexander, Pharm D, FCCM
PGY2 Critical Care Residency Director
Manager, Clinical Pharmacy Services
Tampa General Hospital
(813)844-4203 (Office)
(813)844-4062 (fax)
ealexander@tgh.org

Application Process

Applications will be open on November 1. Deadline is January 9. 

Required materials to complete your application packet include:
            •  A copy of your Curriculum Vitae
            •  A one-page letter of intent
            •  Three letters of recommendation AND three recommendation forms.  One recommendation should come                 from a previous pharmacy employer and two from clinical faculty or clinical practitioners. The applicant must                 wave the right to review the recommendations.

      Click here for the recommendation form.
            •  Official transcripts for all colleges of pharmacy school(s) attended. As many university registrar offices will be                 closed during the holiday season, you may want to submit a transcript that does not include the fall                 semester’s course work. A current, official transcript will then be required on the day of your interview.
            •  An on-line application at https://apply.tgh.org/default.asp for the respective program.
                        •  ENTER 10337 in the keywords search field to apply for the PGY1 Residency Program.
                        •  ENTER 10693 in the keywords search field to apply for the PGY2 Transplant Residency. 
                        •  ENTER 22645 in the keywords search field to apply for the PGY2 Critical Care Residency.

Application materials must be submitted via EMAIL (with the exception of the transcript which must be mailed) to:

Minh-Tri Duong, PharmD
Residency Program Director, PGY1
Education Coordinator, Pharmacy Services
Pharmacy Department, Tampa General Hospital
1 Tampa General Circle, Tampa, FL 33606
813-844-4735 (office)
813-844-4062 (fax)
813-332-8498 (pager)
mduong@tgh.org

Application Requirements

INTERVIEW: An on-site interview to Tampa General Hospital is required. Applicants will be invited to interview based upon their application. Full day interviews are conducted on weekdays only. They will be scheduled for a mutually convenient time during the month of February.

WORK AUTHORIZATION/PERMIT: To qualify for the residency program, all applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States and will not require sponsorship now or in the future.

ASHP RESIDENT MATCHING PROGRAM: 'Tampa General Hospital's residency programs participate in the Resident Matching Program. Applicants MUST register to participate in the match. To register for the match and for further information on the ASHP Resident Matching Program, visit the following website www.natmatch.com/ashprmp or contact National Matching Services Inc.

This residency program agrees that no person at this site will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any residency applicant.

You can reach NMS by e-mail at: ashprmp@natmatch.com

LICENSURE: Applicants accepted to Tampa General Hospital's Residency Program are expected to take the Florida state board exam PRIOR to beginning the residency program or be currently licensed in the State of Florida.

GRADUATES of an ACPE-accredited program: Applicants must be graduates of an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)-accredited Doctor of Pharmacy degree program.