Emory University Hospital Post-Graduate
Year One Pharmacy Residency

Emory University Hospital’s post-graduate year one (PGY-1) pharmacy residency prepares you to practice independently and excel in clinical service, teaching, and research. The program offers learning opportunities in general and specialized practice settings.

Residents will spend most of their time at the Emory University Hospital (EUH), the primary teaching site for Emory University and the flagship hospital of Emory Healthcare.  It is the seventh-highest volume solid organ transplant center in the nation and home to Winship Cancer Institute, Georgia's only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center.

In addition, residents can complete rotations at other Emory Healthcare sites that are not offered at Emory University Hospital. Rotation schedules are flexible and designed to provide residents with a solid foundation of core experiences and ample opportunities for pursuing individual interests.

Goals

Residents develop a customized training plan at the beginning of the year. A residency advisor guides residents through the program and ensures identified goals are met.

During the PGY-1 program at EUH, residents will:

• Function effectively as the pharmacist on multidisciplinary healthcare teams
• Utilize practice management skills to promote rational and safe use of medications
• Identify, prevent and resolve medication-related problems for patients in acute healthcare settings
• Master personal development skills for life-long learning and professional growth
• Gain skills in and contribute to teaching and research

PGY1 residency rotations are approximately 4-6 weeks in duration and fall during calendar months. PGY1 residents may not spend more than three rotations of their residency in one specialty. PGY1 residents must spend two-thirds or more of the program in direct patient care and should not spend back-to-back months in non-direct patient care rotations. PGY1 residents are allowed two off-site rotations (defined as any rotation where most of the resident’s time is spent at an institution other than EUH) during the residency year. If the resident chooses two off-site rotations, the second must not be offered at EUH.

Required Learning Experiences (4-6 weeks)

• Critical care (select one)
  • Medical Intensive Care Unit
  • Surgical Intensive Care Unit
• Immunocompromised (Select one)
  • Oncology
  • Solid Organ Transplant
    • Heart/Lung Transplant
    • Kidney/Pancreas Transplant
    • Liver transplant
• Infectious diseases
• Internal medicine
• Orientation
• Practice management

Elective Learning Experiences (4-6 weeks)

Required Longitudinal Rotations

• Case Conference (6 weeks; ~10 hours of preparation per presentation)
• Drug Information Longitudinal (52 weeks; ~2-4 hours/month)
• Grand Rounds (10 weeks; ~120 hours)
• Pharmacy Service Longitudinal (52 weeks)
• On call every sixth day excluding Wednesdays. (~50 on-call days per year)
• Operational staffing every 3rd weekend, Saturday and Sunday (~17 weekends/year; 8 hours/day)
• Quality Improvement Longitudinal (52 weeks; ~1hr/week)
• Research Completion Longitudinal (32 weeks; 1-2 hrs/week)
• Research Development Longitudinal* (24 weeks; ~1-2 hrs/week)
• Teaching Certificate Longitudinal (52 weeks; ~2-4 hrs/month)
  
  

  *Resident is allotted one week of research in August and three weeks of research block in December, which are identified during orientation, and an additional 5 project days to be spent at the residents’ request with preceptor approval. No more than one project day per rotation and not applicable on weekends or holidays.

Research project: Through a flipped research model, residents design, develop and complete an original research project, including a final manuscript of research results. To expand understanding of research requirements, residents complete an Emory IRB-certified module. Residents present their projects at the Southeastern Residency Conference in April.

On-call program: Residents participate in the clinical pharmacist on-call program on a rotating basis. PGY-1 residents will receive ACLS training and certification so they can respond to medical emergencies, including Code Blue and Code Strokes. They will also answer drug information questions and perform pharmacokinetics as part of their on-call responsibilities.

Drug Information: PGY-1 residents prepare drug therapy monographs, drug class review or treatment guideline protocol as part of their longitudinal drug information learning experience. Monographs are presented at Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee meetings. Other projects may also be presented at various hospital committees.

Quality Improvement Project: PGY-1 residents work together on a quality improvement project with a goal to improve patient care at EUH.

Grand Rounds presentation: Residents prepare a 60-minute presentation on an approved topic for Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) credit.

Journal club: Residents present journal articles monthly and interact with residents from other programs in the metro Atlanta area through the Atlanta Area Resident Journal Club (APRIE) every other month.

Staffing: Residents staff every third weekend.

Teaching: In addition to providing in-services while on rotations, residents assist in precepting fourth-year pharmacy students from Mercer University and the University of Georgia. Residents participate as facilitators for the introductory pharmacy practice experience for third-year pharmacy students. Additionally, residents complete a pharmacy teaching certificate program offered by Mercer University College of Pharmacy and receive the title of "Adjunct Clinical Instructor."

Licensure: Residents must obtain Georgia Pharmacist Licensure within 120 days of their start date. 

Evaluations: Residents should complete all evaluations, including rotational evaluation and global evaluations, in a timely manner.

Compensation: Residents receive a $54,000/year salary, plus medical, dental, vision and 401K benefits.

Residents receive financial support to attend the following conferences as well as $75 towards professional organization dues:

ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting – Residents represent EUH at the residency showcase and present their research project findings. 

Southeastern Residency Conference (SERC) – Held in late spring, SERC is one of the largest and oldest residency conferences in the country. Residents present the results of their research projects at SERC.

Contact Info

For more information, please contact the program director or a coordinator.

Kayla Lawlor, PharmD, BCCCP
kayla.lawlor@emoryhealthcare.org

Sarah Green, PharmD, BCPS, BCIDP, AAHIVP
sarah.b.green@emoryhealthcare.org

Christele Francois, PharmD, BCPS
christele.francois@emoryhealthcare.org