PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency Program

PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency Program

Mission Statement

The PGY2 Critical Care pharmacy residency program builds 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. Additionally, the program places a strong emphasis on developing leadership skills.

Program Overview

Tampa General Hospital (TGH) has over 140 adult intensive care unit beds and is dedicated to providing top-notch care to critically ill patients. TGH is an ideal place for training well-prepared leaders in critical care pharmacotherapy. The hospital excels in various areas of critical care including:

  • Level 1 trauma center serving West Central Florida
  • Pulmonary critical care medicine program
  • Emergency medicine services
  • Neuroscience center - Comprehensive stroke center certification 
  • Regional burn center verified by the American Burn Association / American College of Surgeons (ACS) verified burn center
  • Cardiovascular center of excellence

This academic medical center offers a range of opportunities for the PGY2 Critical Care resident. The resident will be an essential part of the health care team, providing comprehensive pharmaceutical care services such as pharmacotherapy consults, pharmacokinetic analysis, drug information, and intensive patient monitoring. They will also develop proficiency in managing medical emergencies by actively participating in the pharmacy department’s response to code blue (cardiac and respiratory arrest), OB alerts, anesthesia stat alerts, and support to the rapid response team. The program director, five core preceptors, and nine elective preceptors are dedicated to training pharmacists in the management of critically ill patients, bringing diverse experiences and expertise to the program.

  • 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

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), 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 through the University of South Florida if not previously completed as a PGY1.

Residents will be engaged in the following educational activities:

  • Precepting pharmacy students and PGY-1 residents
  • Attendance at longitudinal teaching seminars organized by the RAC teaching subgroup 
  • Delivering ACPE-accredited pharmacy grand rounds
  • Presenting noon conference to medical residents
  • Preparing clinical in-services - physicians, medical team, ARNPs, or nursing staff
  • Leading pharmacy student topic discussions
  • Organizing Critical Care Journal Club
  • Writing a review article for Advanced Critical Care (AACN)
  • Lecturing for the Critical Care Nursing Transition Program
  • Lecturing to USF Medical and Pharmacy Students
  • Didactic teaching opportunities at University of South Florida 

Scholarly Activity

Residents completing this residency program will be competent in scholarly activities through active participation in both service and research project management, as well as publication. Before graduation, residents are required to complete both a service or research project and submit a manuscript for publication in a biomedical journal. The residency program involves completion of both a minor and a major project. The major research residency project is designed to be achievable within a 10-month period. The major research project is intended to be led, managed, and completed from start to finish by the resident with the support and guidance of the research preceptor. A minor research project will be a collaborative effort with other ICU pharmacists in the first month of the residency year, with the goal of submitting an abstract to the Society of Critical Care Medicine. The resident will be expected to write the abstract and present the project if selected for a national meeting. After completion of the major project, the resident will write a research manuscript in publishable format.

Residents may present their projects at the following meetings:

  • Society of Critical Care Medicine Annual Conference 
  • Vizient Pharmacy Council Meeting
  • ASHP Mid-year Clinical Meeting
  • Optional: Florida Residency Conference (FRC)

Practice Management (Administration)

Residents completing this residency program will develop skills in critical care administration needed in future roles. Balance of multiple responsibilities related to guiding the management of critically ill patients is the ultimate goal. Experiences may include but are not limited to order set development/revision, revision or development of pharmacy policies/procedures, involvement in continuous quality improvement, and formulary monograph through the P & T Committee. The resident will perform at least one medication utilization evaluation and lead at least one process improvement meeting or task force. There will also be a focus on involvement in professional organizations to advance the practice of critical care.

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:

  • Verifying pharmacy orders in Epic
  • Supporting the pharmacotherapy consult service including pharmacokinetic dosing of medication therapy to include, but not limited to aminoglycosides, vancomycin, warfarin
  • Ordering and monitoring orders for TPN therapy
  • Supporting the medication reconciliation service
  • Triaging and resolving medication problems
  • Responding to code blue arrests and emergent intubations

PGY2 residents work every 4th weekend in a patient care area assigned to their area of specialty. All residents work one major (Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Years) and one minor (Labor Day or Memorial Day) holiday throughout the year.

Mentorship

The PGY2 Critical Care resident will choose a mentor from the preceptor group after having the opportunity to meet with preceptors at the beginning of their experience through planned events. The mentor of their choosing will serve as their mentor throughout the year not only to provide guidance in both professional and personal aspects of career development but also as an extra support system for the resident’s overall well-being. We believe this opportunity provides our residents with a well-rounded experience with means to ensure they are provided with the tools and support to flourish throughout their first year of residency.

Program Sites

  • Clinical rotations will be completed at Tampa General Hospital
  • Academic teaching experiences may be conducted at the University of South Florida College of Pharmacy

Concentrated Experiences

Core Rotations:

  • Medical ICU I- 1 month

  • Medical ICU II- 1 month

  • Trauma / Surgery ICU- 1 month

  • Trauma / Surgery ICU II- 1 month

  • Neuroscience ICU- 1 month

  • Emergency Medicine- 1 month

  • Cardiothoracic Surgery ICU- 1 month

Elective Rotations Options:

  • Academia

  • Additional month of Medical ICU 

  • Additional month of Trauma/Surgery ICU

  • Burn ICU

  • Cardiac ICU

  • Infectious Diseases/Antimicrobial Stewardship

  • Pediatric ICU

  • Transplant (Abdominal, Cardiac, or Lung)

  • Mechanical Circulatory Support 

  • Vascular ICU

Longitudinal Experiences

  • Project Management (Critical Care Administration)

  • Research

  • Staffing

  • Teaching

Program Specifics

PGY2 Critical Care Residency Program

ASHP Program Code

33018

NMS Code

630552

Accreditation Status

Accredited

Duration/Type

12 months

Number of Positions

1

Application Deadline

January 2nd (Please note this program will participate in PhORCAS)

Starting Date

July 1

Estimated Stipend

$54,100

Interview Required

Yes

Training Site

Hospital

Owner/Affiliate

Private

Model Type(s)

Teaching

Tax Status

Nonprofit

Professional Staff

185 pharmacists

Non-professional Staff

200 non-pharmacist staff

Total Beds (Licensed)

981 total beds 

Average Daily Census

907

Benefits

  • Competitive salary
  • Medical insurance (e.g. health, dental)
  • Sick leave
  • Paid vacation
  • Retirement plan contributions
  • Health and Wellness Center
  • Professional travel reimbursement
  • Lab coats
  • Resident office
  • Resident computer
  • Cell phone stipend (pending eligible service carrier)
  • ACLS certification
  • TGH library services

Contact

Please address all correspondence to PGY2 Critical Care Residency Director:

Beatrice Adams, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP, FCCM
Manager, Pharmacy Patient Care Services 
PGY2 Critical Care Residency Program Director
Coordinator of Residency Programs
Tampa General Hospital
813.844.5561 – Office
badams@tgh.org