PGY-1 Ambulatory Care Residency | Department of Pharmacy Services | UC Davis Health

Residency Program Director

Teresa Kwong, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP  
Clinical Pharmacist, Ambulatory Care Services
UC Davis Health
Assistant Clinical Professor
UC San Francisco School of Pharmacy
Assistant Clinical Professor
University of the Pacific School of Pharmacy

Residency Program Coordinator

Svetlana Goldman, PharmD, BCACP, CDCES
Clinical Pharmacist, Ambulatory Care Services
UC Davis Health
Assistant Clinical Professor
UC San Francisco School of Pharmacy
Contact information: sgoldman@ucdavis.edu

2024-2025 Residents
Zohra Abdul, PharmD
Sarah Kye, PharmD
Matthew Lee, PharmD
Dillon Pham, PharmD
Norielle Rosario, PharmD
Wendy Xia, PharmD

ASHP Residency Listing

Program Purpose

PGY1 residency programs build upon Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and outcomes to develop pharmacist practitioners with knowledge, skills, and abilities as defined in the educational competency areas, goals, and objectives. Residents who successfully complete PGY1 residency programs will be skilled in diverse patient care, practice management, leadership, and education, and be prepared to provide patient care, seek board certification in pharmacotherapy (i.e., BCPS), and pursue advanced education and training opportunities including postgraduate year two (PGY2) residencies.

Resident Testimonials

I can truly say that the personal and professional growth that UC Davis Health has provided me has far exceeded my expectations. I was challenged with complex clinical experiences but endlessly supported by a loving and encouraging cohort of co-residents and kind, passionate preceptors. The variety of clinical and operational experiences, precepting styles, and leadership allowed me to strengthen my clinical knowledge, deepen my understanding of pharmacy practice, and begin to formulate a practice of my own. Throughout the year, I felt encouraged to engage with my community in many aspects, from precepting student learners to attending strategy meetings with pharmacy leadership and countless opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations. This experience was transformative for me and the skills I’ve gained and the relationships I’ve built are things I’ll carry with me beyond PGY-1.
– Nhi Truong, 2022-2023 PGY1 Resident

UC Davis Health has the most amazing group of fellow coresidents, preceptors, and multidisciplinary colleagues who support the dynamic, life-long learning environment. It is an incredible place to train, with clinical pharmacists embedded throughout our 10 primary care clinics and across 12 different specialty areas. The diversity, flexibility, and clinical complexity of the 4-week rotations during PGY1 year allowed me to gain a deep foundational understanding to enable piloting new clinical pharmacy services as a PGY2 resident.
– Ellen Berkley, 2021-2022 PGY1 Resident

What sets this residency apart from others are the opportunities and flexibility that it offers – you truly have the ability to mold your year into the ideal residency. I am so honored to have worked with such enthusiastic, invested preceptors that practice at the top of their license. I would not have been able to start off my PGY2 so smoothly without the well-rounded clinical foundation built by my PGY1.
– Amber Tang, 2019-2020 PGY1 Resident

Being a resident with UC Davis Health allowed me to grow and develop confidence in myself as a leader, preceptor, and clinician. The diversity in rotation experiences and patient population really taught me to be adaptable and practice efficiently. With the many opportunities to work closely with other providers, I truly felt like a valuable part of the healthcare team!
– Anh-Thu Truong, 2019-2020 PGY1 Resident

Program Overview

The UC Davis Health PGY1 Pharmacy Residency is a one-year postgraduate educational program. This residency is accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and participates in the ASHP matching program.

Pharmacy residents are integral members of a multi-disciplinary team of clinical pharmacists, physicians, nurses, dietitians, respiratory and physical therapists. The resident is directly involved in making clinical decisions through activities such as providing patient care services, participating in management operations, and working on assigned projects. Throughout the year, the resident learns how these activities interrelate and are best coordinated with other disciplines involved with medication use management.

The pharmacy residency program at UC Davis Health is supported by the Department of Pharmacy. UC Davis Health is the major teaching facility for the UC Davis School of Medicine, andMedicine and serves as a clerkship site for several affiliated professional programs, including UC San Francisco School of Pharmacy and University of the Pacific School of Pharmacy The UC Davis Health ambulatory care clinical pharmacy services are provided throughout the UC Davis Health Primary Care, Specialty, and Pharmacy Refill Optimization Clinics.

UC Davis Health and Pharmacy Services

UC Davis Health is a major academic health center located in Sacramento, California. More information about the department can be found on our webpage

Program Design

The UC Davis Health PGY1 Pharmacy Residency is designed to meet the educational goals and objectives as outlined by the ASHP Accreditation Standard for PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Programs.

Educational Outcomes Required by the Accreditation Standard:

R1. Patient Care
R2. Practice Advancement
R3. Leadership
R4. Teaching and Education
Electives may be added based on available resources and resident interest

A majority of the year will consist of ambulatory care experiences. The resident has the option to take select acute care experiences as well. The learning experiences are scheduled in block rotations. The resident will complete required learning experiences and can choose electives based on their personal interests. Selected activities run longitudinally throughout the year and must be coordinated with the learning experience activities.

Program Structure

The residency is a full-time, one year commitment that begins in mid-June and ends on June 30th. Clearance to start work by UC Davis Health Employee Health and a Human Resources orientation meeting must be completed prior to July 1scheduled start date.

Proposed Calendar of Activities

Quarter 1	Quarter 2	Quarter 3	Quarter 4
July Orientation/Training Competencies Develop goals and development plan Project: develop ideas, lit review, complete proposal Grand Rounds: topic assigned	October Required or Elective learning experience Pharmacy Week Events	January Required or Elective learning experience Review residency candidate packets Project: initial results	April Required or Elective learning experience Project: finalize presentation
August Required or Elective learning experience Project: submit IRB	November Required or Elective learning experience	February Required or Elective learning experience Residency candidate interviews Project: data analysis	May Required or Elective learning experience UC Pharmacy Conference Program improvement evaluation
September Required or Elective learning experience Quarterly Review of longitudinal experiences and development plan	December Required or Elective learning experience ASHP Midyear Meeting Quarterly Review of longitudinal experiences and development plan	March Required or Elective learning experience Project: prepare presentation Quarterly Review of longitudinal experiences and development plan	June Required or Elective learning experience Orientation for incoming residents Final review, end of residency closeout and program improvement evaluation Residency Grad Requirements checklist completed
Longitudinal Experiences
Teaching/Administrative Projects/Research Grand Rounds Presentation P&T Drug Monograph or Protocol Development Journal Clubs Drug Information Review Self-evaluation reflection Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (STLP) meetings and lectures Pharmacy Mentorship Program Chief Resident Responsibilities Research project MUE Staffing: Transitions of care services Pharmacy Refill Optimization Clinic

Learning Experiences

The resident is provided an opportunity to learn fundamental clinical, operational and management skills while participating in the provision of exemplary pharmacy practice. The resident will participate in a variety of ambulatory care experiences, required experiences, and elective rotations. The learning experiences will be divided into block rotations and longitudinal learning experiences. The majority of block rotations will be 1 month in duration. Scheduling will be based on availability and the residents’ interests.

Resident’s Role in Teaching:
UC Davis Health offers many opportunities for both clinical and didactic teaching. The resident will be responsible for assisting preceptors with clerkship teaching for University of California, San Francisco and University of the Pacific pharmacy students. 

The resident will be required to prepare an ACPE accredited pharmacy grand rounds presentation on a topic approved by the Continuing Pharmacy Education Oversight Committee based on the resident’s interests and a department needs assessment.  The PGY1 Resident will also be required to participate in the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning Program throughout the year. In addition, the PGY1 Resident may choose to participate in academic teaching, as requested by regional schools of pharmacy, with the approval of the PGY1 Residency Director.

Residency Research Project:
All UC Davis Health residents are required to complete a research project during their residency and present their research at the UC Pharmacy Conference. In preparation for conducting their research project, the resident will complete UC Davis Health IRB-required training and certification. The resident will prepare a project proposal, which will be reviewed and approved by the UC Davis Health Pharmacy Research Oversite Council. The resident will also submit their project to the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, applicable subcommittees, and the IRB for approval before embarking on their research. Upon completion of the project, the resident will be required to summarize their research project in a manuscript suitable for publication and prepare an abstract and professional poster for submission.

Medication Use Evaluation:
All residents are required to complete a medication utilization evaluation during their residency. Upon completion of the project, the resident will be required to summarize their MUE findings in a manuscript and prepare a final report for presentation to a P&T committee or subcommittee.

Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee Activity:
The resident will be required to complete a drug formulary review, as assigned by the UC Davis Health P&T Committee coordinator. The RPD will work with the P&T Committee coordinator and the resident to determine the assignment, based on the resident’s interests and the needs of the department. If there are no formulary requests available, the resident may develop a treatment guideline or protocol. 

Committee Assignments:
The resident will participate in various committee activities, as assigned by the RPD. Assignments will be determined based on current department initiatives.  The purpose of the resident’s committee involvement is to ensure the resident gains exposure to the pharmacist’s role in activities related to quality-improvement, medication safety, safe handling of hazardous drugs, guideline development and assessment/implementation of technology and automation within the institution and pharmacy department.

Professional Development:
The resident is encouraged to maintain an active role in pharmacy and professional organizations.  The resident is strongly encouraged to become a member of the California Society of Health-System Pharmacists (CSHP) and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and will attend their annual Midyear meeting in early December.  The resident will be provided professional leave time to facilitate participation in professional development activities.

Pharmacy Department Service:
The resident will be required to provide service to the department during evening and weekend shifts throughout the year. It is mandatory for the resident to complete as least one shift on a major holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years). Shifts will be divided between the Pharmacy Refill Optimization clinic and inpatient clinical pharmacy services. A licensed pharmacist will work alongside the resident or will be available on-call as backup.

Required Competencies:
Residents function as licensed pharmacists in patient care activities.  As such, minimum knowledge in a variety of areas must be assured.  Within one month of starting the Residency, the resident must complete competencies required of all clinical pharmacists. Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification is an employment prerequisite. In addition, each resident will become certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS).

Resident Portfolio:
Each resident must maintain an electronic portfolio containing all information from the residency year including yet not limited to: copies of papers or projects done during rotations, lectures given, research project manuscript, P&T drug monograph, and MUE. The portfolio shall be maintained in Pharm Academic.

Salary/Benefits:
Health, Dental and Vision insurance for resident and dependents; vacation, sick leave and professional leave as outlined in the Pharmacy Resident Manual, usually 21 days of PTO, 14 paid holidays, 6 extended sick days and 4 days of professional development leave.  Travel funds (~$3000) are included in the base salary. There is a stipend for Pharmacy Department scrubs.

Resident Personnel Policies:
The following policies can be located in the Pharmacy Resident Personnel Manual

• Resident Qualifications
• Early Commitment Policy
• Pre-employment drug testing
• Health insurance and Benefits
• Licensure requirements
• Moonlighting
• Duty hours
• Tracking of duty hours
• Professional, family, and extended leave policies
• Dismissal policy and consequences of failure to progress

Requirements for successful completion of the residency:

• California Pharmacist Licensure Per Pharmacy Resident Manual
• Quarterly resident progress meetings with assigned mentor and RPD/RPC
• A minimum of 52 weeks training inclusive of standard vacation, professional and sick leave
• Achieved 80% of residency learning experience goals and objectives (100% of Patient Care Competency Area R1)
• P&T Drug Monograph, Protocol or Guideline
• Medication utilization evaluation or CQI project (plus presentation)
• Residency research project and poster presentation
• Regional or national research conference presentation
• Manuscript preparation and submission (June)
• Teaching certificate (STLP)
• Grand rounds (CE activity)
• Attendance at 80% of monthly Ambulatory Care Residency Advisory Committee meetings
• Completion of staffing contributions as outlined by the program description
• Active participation in the residency close out & annual program evaluation at the end of the year
• Resident closeout completed in Pharm Academic
• Completed resident portfolio
• Completed Duty Hours Tracker

Pharmacy Residency training programs at UC Davis Health are conducted under the licensed entity within UC Davis Health which is UC Davis Medical Center.