Pharmacy Residency Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

• Are residents assigned a mentor or advisor?
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Are residents assigned a mentor or advisor?
PGY1 residents are assigned a pharmacy director or manager who will act as the resident’s advisor during the year. The PGY2 Residency Program Directors usually serve as the PGY2 residents advisor, but an additional advisor may be assigned. Residents use advisors as sources of guidance, advice, and support. 
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• Are residents involved in Committees?
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Are residents involved in Committees?
The residents attend and participate in meetings throughout the year. This provides residents the opportunity to witness how pharmacy personnel and leadership are involved in decision making processes throughout the hospital.
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• Does UAB Hospital provide funding for national and regional pharmacy meetings?
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Does UAB Hospital provide funding for national and regional pharmacy meetings?
UAB Hospital provides support for residents to attend national or regional pharmacy conferences and meetings.
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• Does UAB have a teaching certificate program?
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Does UAB have a teaching certificate program?
Yes. The Teaching Certificate Program is a longitudinal requirement for the PGY1 residents and is optional for PGY2 residents. This program consists of numerous teaching requirements that the resident will complete throughout the year. Teaching activities will include development of CPE programs, a formal lecture, journal clubs, inservices, student pharmacotherapy rounds, and co-precepting responsibilities.  Additional requirements include the development of a teaching portfolio & teaching philosophy, attendance of pedagogy seminars, and laboratory or simluation teaching opportunties.
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• How are vacation days scheduled?
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How are vacation days scheduled?
During the residency, there is no accumulation of vacation or sick leave. However, there is time around the holidays that residents will be assigned off. Residents are assigned three days off on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday during the week of Thanksgiving and one week off either before or after Christmas. All other time off must be coordinated with the preceptor and approved by the Residency Program Director and/or Residency Program Coordinator.
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• Is there an on-call component?
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Is there an on-call component?
There is an on-call component for the residents. One resident is on call each week, and responsibilities rotate among the residents. When on-call, the resident must be available for covering an evening shift if needed during the weekdays and day or evening shift on the weekends. The resident may only cover two shifts each week he or she is on-call (once the resident has been “called in” twice, he or she cannot be “called in” again that week). If the resident is “called in” he or she is exempt from all other residency responsibilities for 8 hours after completion of the on-call shift. Pharmacy residents are considered to be on-call for any disaster or emergency preparedness situations at all times throughout the year.
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• What does orientation include?
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What does orientation include?
During the first six weeks of the program, the resident will complete orientation within the Department of Pharmacy. The Orientation is designed to involve the resident in many aspects of practice to build a foundation for the residency year. The general objective of this time period is for the resident to gain an overview of the pharmacy support units, a thorough knowledge of procedures in the central area to which he or she is assigned, including use of the Automated Medication Management System, and a unit pharmacist security clearance code for the IMPACT/Cerner system. Orientation activities will include the same didactic and area training that all new pharmacist hires receive. In addition, during the orientation period residents will be oriented to resident responsibilities, policies governing the residency, and the Resident Learning System (RLS). The initial customized training plan and resident schedule will also be completed during this time.
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• What is the staffing/practice coverage requirement?
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What is the staffing/practice coverage requirement?
Once orientation is completed, PGY1 and PGY2 residents are responsible for practice coverage every third weekend. Residents provide practice coverage with both staffing and clinical responsibilities. Residents are also responsible for practice coverage during the following times: Thanksgiving Day and the day after, one week either around Christmas or New Year’s (not both), one week during Spring Break, and two consecutive weeks at the end of the residency year.
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• What projects are residents involved with?
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What projects are residents involved with?
Residents are involved with numerous projects throughout the year while on rotations. Two longitudinal projects that all PGY1 and PGY2 residents are responsible for include one Medication Utilization Evaluation (MUE) and one Major Project.
Medication-Use Evaluation (MUE) - The Department of Pharmacy, in conjunction with the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, develops and monitors the Hospital’s therapeutic policies and practices, particularly with regard to drug utilization within the institution. Each resident participates in this quality assurance activity by performing a medication-use evaluation (MUE) as a longitudinal activity.
Major Project - Early in the residency year, residents are presented with a list of potential topics from which the resident can choose his or her Major Project. Based on the topic, the resident is assigned a pharmacist who will act as the resident’s Project Director. The major project is presented at a regional or national pharmacy meeting.
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