PGY-2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Residency | UC Davis Pharmacy

Residency Program Director

Program Purpose

PGY2 pharmacy residency programs build upon Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and PGY1 pharmacy residency training to develop pharmacist practitioners with knowledge, skills, and abilities as defined in the educational competency areas, goals, and objectives for advanced practice areas. Residents who successfully complete PGY2 residency programs are prepared for advanced patient care, or other specialized positions, and board certification in the advanced practice area, if available.

Program Structure

The PGY2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Residency is a full-time, one-year commitment, typically beginning on July 1 and ending June 30. Clearance to start work by UC Davis Health Employee Health and a Human Resources orientation meeting must be completed prior to the established residency start date.

Program Overview

The Post Graduate Year Two (PGY2) Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Residency at UC Davis Health is designed to provide PGY1 graduates the opportunity to accelerate growth beyond generalist practice and further the development of specialized care in areas specific to the needs of ambulatory patients. It is assumed that the resident has already achieved a basic level of competence commensurate with that of a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency. The PGY2 residency focuses on developing the knowledge, attitudes, training, and skills necessary to cultivate pharmacists who are competent and compassionate practitioners who are prepared for a role as an ambulatory care pharmacist.

The PGY2 residency has a strong emphasis on developing leaders in pharmacy who are poised to contribute to the development and expansion of ongoing or new ambulatory care service lines. Graduates of the residency have the capability to design, implement, and secure collaborative interdisciplinary practice agreements necessary to establish new areas of ambulatory practice and expand current clinical practice. Graduates are empowered to treat and appropriately triage the most complex chronic and acute illnesses presented by ambulatory patients. Patient care is provided within the context of a long-term health care partnership with both patients and health care providers that emphasizes health improvement and disease prevention. Completion of this PGY2 Ambulatory Care Residency will provide the practitioner the advanced critical thinking skills and clinical knowledge necessary to practice as an ambulatory care pharmacotherapy expert, to enhance ambulatory care services as a clinical coordinator, and/or to share skills with others by serving as an adjunct faculty member. Moreover, program graduates will be primed for ambulatory practice leadership to service as experts in medication prescribing.

Although the primary goal of the residency is listed above, there are options for emphasis in this residency program. With any one of the below areas of emphasis, an intensive immersion in direct patient care in the ambulatory environment is required to complete the residency. The resident may choose to emphasize in one of the following:

• Management – Includes learning experiences tailored towards a future career as a pharmacy manager in Ambulatory or Specialty Pharmacy Settings
  
  
• Academia – Includes experiences with faculty from the UCSF School of Pharmacy and extended time as primary preceptor for students and residents

Clinical – Includes a minimum of 8 weeks in a clinical focus area to explore the clinical and administrative aspects. Examples include a focus in primary care (with extended time in various primary care clinics, population health, geriatrics, or the rental transplant clinic) or a focus in a disease state specialty (may be tailored to include ambulatory care clinic and inpatient experiences that focus on that disease state).

National Recognition

We are proud to share that the UC Davis Health PGY2 Ambulatory Care Residency Program was selected as a recipient of the 2024 ASHP Pharmacy Residency Program Excellence Award – a prestigious national honor recognizing residency programs that demonstrate a sustained commitment to excellence in the training and mentorship of pharmacy residents. 

In awarding this honor, ASHP highlighted our program’s resident-led service expansion learning experience, which empowers residents to lead ambulatory care clinic pilot projects. These resident-led clinic pilots ultimately expand the footprint of pharmacists in ambulatory care, and in turn expand patient access to care across our health system.

UC Davis Health and Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Services

UC Davis Health is a nationally recognized academic medical center offering primary care for all ages, specialty care in over 150 fields, and the latest treatment options and expertise for the most complex health conditions. Some highlights include:

• Rated Sacramento’s top hospital
• Nationally ranked in multiple specialties
• Home of the nationally ranked Children’s Hospital
• Receiving top honors for nursing excellence
• HIMSS level 7 recognition for advanced technology that improves care
• Region’s only Level I trauma center for both adults and pediatrics
• Regional burn center
• NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center

Ambulatory care pharmacists manage patient care under collaborative practice agreements in a variety of disease states and interdisciplinary clinic settings, including:

• Primary Care in the UC Davis Primary Care Network
• Specialty Clinics across UC Davis Health
  • Allergy
  • Cardiology
  • Dermatology
  • Endocrinology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Hepatology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Neurology
  • Oncology
  • Pain
  • Pediatrics
  • Pulmonology
  • Rheumatology
  • Solid Organ Transplant (Renal and Liver)

UC Davis Health PGY2 Ambulatory Care Residency Learning Experiences

The residency learning experiences will primarily be divided into block rotations and longitudinal learning experiences. While most rotations will be 4 weeks in duration, the residency year will include at least one 12-week rotation to allow for ambulatory care residents to follow patients longitudinally, engage in continuity of care, and gain autonomy in the clinic setting. Rotation schedules will be determined based on availability and resident interests. Rotation schedules will be designed to include all required competency areas, goals, and objectives (CAGOs) as well as a variety of clinical experiences and environments. A minimum of 8 months will be spent in direct patient care experiences. Rotation schedules will be adjusted and updated quarterly, in conjunction with preparing the updated development plan.

• Additional electives may be developed based on resident’s interests
• Project time will be coordinated through the year as arranged with the PGY2 Ambulatory Care program director

Proposed Calendar of Activities

UC Davis Health PGY2 Ambulatory Care 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 pharmacy students, University of the Pacific pharmacy students and UC Davis Health PGY1 pharmacy residents. The PGY2 resident will also have an opportunity to participate in multidisciplinary teaching with the UCD School of Medicine faculty, fellows, residents, and students.

The resident will assume the primary preceptor role for UCSF pharmacy students during their rotations in the latter part of the residency. The resident will be required to prepare an ACPE accredited pharmacy grand rounds presentation or department competency on a Preceptor development topic, based on the resident’s interests and a department needs assessment. In addition, the PGY2 Ambulatory Care Resident may choose to participate in academic teaching, as requested by regional schools of pharmacy, with the approval of the PGY2 Ambulatory Care Residency Director.

Residency Research Project:
All UC Davis Health PGY2 residents are required to complete a research project and present their research in a podium presentation at the UC Pharmacy Conference or other regional meeting. In preparation for conducting their research project, the resident will be 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 Medical Center Pharmacy Residency Oversight Committee (PROC). The resident will also submit their project to the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee. They will submit to IRB for review, before embarking on their research. Upon completion of the project, the resident will be required to summarize their research project for the Departmental newsletter and prepare a manuscript. PGY2 residents will submit their manuscript for publication and prepare a poster suitable for submission.

Pharmacy Committee Assignments:
The PGY2 Ambulatory Care resident will participate in various committee activities, as assigned by the PGY2 Ambulatory Care residency director. 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 ambulatory care pharmacists’ 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. Residents have served on the Ambulatory Care Sub-Committee P&T, P&T Committee, UC-Wide Specialty Clinical Subgroup, UC-Wide Ambulatory Care Subgroup, and Vizient Committees.

Ambulatory Care Residency Chair Assignments:
The PGY2 Ambulatory Care resident will continually contribute to the residency program to better understand the operations of the residency program director and ASHP accreditation standards. Areas of focus are orientation, recruitment and interviews, and staffing.

Professional Development:
The PGY2 Ambulatory Care resident is encouraged to maintain an active role in pharmacy professional organizations. The resident is strongly encouraged to become a member of the California Society of Health Systems Pharmacists (CSHP), American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists (ASHP) and the American College of Clinical Pharmacists (ACCP) and attend their annual meetings. The resident will be provided with some financial support from the institution and professional leave time to facilitate participation in professional development activities.

Pharmacy Department Service:
The PGY2 Ambulatory Care resident will be expected to provide pharmacy department service hours. This expectation will be met primarily by providing staffing at UC Davis Health. Staffing includes afterhours experiences in transitions of care and weekend experiences in the Primary Care Clinic and Anticoagulation Clinic. The PGY2 Ambulatory Care resident will provide preceptorship to PGY1 residents during staffing. It is anticipated that the PGY2 resident will offset a staff pharmacist in a clinic setting once competency is established.

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 required prior to employment and ACLS training will be provided if the resident is not previously certified.

Resident Portfolio:
Each resident must maintain a 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, protocols developed, P&T drug monograph, and MUE. The portfolio shall be maintained in the resident shared drive.

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

• Candidate Minimum Qualifications & Pre-employment requirements
• Early Commitment Policy
• Licensure
• Duty-hours & Moonlighting
• Professional, planned/unplanned, and extended leave
• Disciplinary & Corrective Action

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