Learning Experiences
At the beginning of the program, each resident will undergo an initial orientation and training learning experience that focuses on operational functions. After training, residents complete four required standard learning experiences and three elective standard learning experiences.
The residents’ interests and career goals determine the sequence of learning experiences. If a resident is interested in completing a PGY-2 residency focus, we can align the learning experiences to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Midyear Meeting in preparation.
The required six-week Antimicrobial Stewardship learning experience includes hospital-wide surveillance of antibiotic use to promote the rational, safe and cost-effective use of antimicrobial agents.
During the learning experience, the resident will:
- Review and assess hospital-wide culture and susceptibility reports to ensure appropriate antimicrobial coverage, dose and duration of therapy
- Identify opportunities for de-escalation and resolve any therapeutic duplications, unintended drug interactions or adverse events
- Optimize the outcome of individuals with an infectious disease by providing evidence-based, patient-centered medication therapy as an integral member of an interdisciplinary team
- Participate in and document patient-centered care such as pharmacokinetic and renal dosing of antimicrobial agents
- Serve as a resource on the optimal use of antimicrobial agents
- Conduct medication use evaluations and formulary reviews as needed, and report results to the Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee
- Precept pharmacy students
The required Cardiac Intensive Care Unit learning experience is six weeks long. There are 14 beds on the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.
During the learning experience, the resident will:
- Monitor all patients in the CICU daily and assist clinicians with optimizing medication regimens
- Participate in CICU multidisciplinary rounds every week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
- Complete admission medication histories
- Prepare and complete clinical and operational projects
- Attend monthly Pharmacy and Therapeutics Cardiovascular Subcommittee meetings, Critical Care Practice Council meetings and other multidisciplinary process improvement meetings; assist with related initiatives, as needed
- Precept pharmacy students
The required Neuro/Trauma Intensive Care Unit learning experience is six weeks long. There are 14 beds in the Neuro/Trauma ICU.
During the learning experience, the resident will:
- Participate in emergency medical and stroke codes
- Participate in multidisciplinary rounds on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
- Monitor pharmacokinetic, anticoagulant and antimicrobial dosing
- Prepare intravenous drugs in an emergency situation
- Interview and counsel patients about previous medications, new medications and disease states
- Attend Intensive Care Unit Subcommittee and Critical Care Practice Council meetings
- Complete a journal club in the practice area and conduct in-service programs for medical staff when necessary
The required six-week adult internal medicine learning experience takes place on a 65-bed unit.
During the learning experience, the resident will:
- Review interventions and alerts from the Antimicrobial Stewardship Tool daily for assigned patients
- Ensure appropriate anticoagulation for all patients on the floor
- Act as a resource to floor staff to answer any questions and educate patients regarding medications
- Provide recommendations to cardiothoracic surgery service about step-down cardiac surgery patients
- Screen new-start sotalol/dofetilide patients for appropriateness and follow these patients throughout their stay to verify medication safety and efficacy
- Conduct monthly cardiac rehab education courses
- Precept pharmacy students
The required six-week Internal Medicine-Cardiology learning experience takes place on a 40-bed unit that serves primarily cardiac, neurology and trauma patients.
During the learning experience, the resident will:
- Monitor assigned patients daily and assist providers with optimizing medication regimens
- Round with multidisciplinary team daily and identify barriers to discharge
- Ensure appropriate anticoagulation, renal dosing and antimicrobial use for telemetry patients
- Act as a resource to healthcare team members
- Educate patients and/or nursing staff as needed
- Precept pharmacy students
The required Internal Medicine-Oncology learning experience is six weeks long. Residents work on the 40-bed oncology unit. Based on patient needs, residents may follow select patients who are not on the oncology unit. During the learning experience, the resident will:
- Monitor patients on the oncology unit and assist the healthcare team with medication therapy recommendations and education
- Assist in chemotherapy/biotherapy review and recommendations
- Educate patients, family members and caregivers about medication therapy
- Assess nonformulary medication substitutions and requests
- Precept pharmacy students, as available
The required Internal Medicine-Orthopedics rotation is a six-week learning experience on a 60-bed internal medicine unit. The patient population is primarily orthopedic patients, surgical site infections, and some internal medicine overflow.
During the learning experience, the resident will:
- Monitor assigned patients daily, communicate with providers in person to optimize medication therapy
- Evaluate for appropriate perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis, postoperative DVT prophylaxis and postoperative pain management
- Review cultures, imaging, patient labs/vitals for appropriate antibiotic coverage and dosing for surgical site infections, utilize pharmacokinetic dosing for vancomycin
- Speak with patients to clarify home medications, medication allergies, and evaluate pain control
- Precept pharmacy students, as available
The Ambulatory Clinic rotation is a required longitudinal learning experience that takes place at Meritas Health Cardiology Anticoagulation Clinic, located on the 5th floor of the pavilion. Residents will start during orientation and average one clinic day every two weeks.
During the learning experience, the resident will:
- Participate in the pharmacist warfarin management medication therapy services protocol, with transitions to/from DOACs as clinically necessary
- Assist with 15-20 patients per day, both in-clinic and at-home test patients
- Assist with periprocedural management of anticoagulants and therapeutic bridging with enoxaparin or other therapies
- Work closely with other team members
- Act as a medication resource for patients, family, clinic staff, and providers
- Precept pharmacy students, as available
The required Health Systems Administration longitudinal learning experience is scheduled throughout the residency program. Pharmacy management provides an overview of the leadership and management issues within the profession, hospital and Pharmacy Department. Pharmacy management will complete the evaluation process.
The required Learning and Education longitudinal learning experience focuses on professional presentations, communication and preceptorship.
During the learning experience, the resident will:
- Gain experience with effectively disseminating information to healthcare professionals, patients and students. Good communication and interpersonal skills are vital to success in this experience
- Devise efficient strategies for accomplishing the required activities in the allotted time
- Increase their knowledge base and therapeutic management of the renal disease state
- Complete the teaching certificate requirements from the University of Missouri-Kansas City
- Precept pharmacy students
The required Research longitudinal learning experience focuses on the design, conduct and collection of information related to the required medication use evaluation and residency research project. The learning experience discusses principals of research conduct using the Essentials of Practice-Based Research modules provided by the ASHP Foundation along with supplemental materials. The experience is designed to allow full immersion into the project.
The medication use evaluation and residency research projects run concurrently for the full year. Residents get one research day with every learning experience and approximately five days in December. After completing the medication use evaluation, the resident will be able to recommend opportunities for improvement with the medication use process. The residency research project culminates in a presentation and manuscript suitable for publication.
The required Staffing longitudinal learning experience will be focused on pharmacy operations, July through June. Residents will rotate working every third weekend and one weekday evening per week (two shifts every three weeks).
During the learning experience the resident is expected to progress over the year as follows:
- 1st quarter:
- Start as extra staff, partnered with a mentor pharmacist (direct observation/modeling/coaching)
- 2nd quarter:
- Continue expansion into operations (take on more facilitation role)
- During quarter, start taking clinical interventions
- 3rd & 4th quarter:
- Handle vast majority of central pharmacy workflow (expand further into facilitation role)
- Late 3rd quarter and 4th quarter will cover clinical weekend shifts
The required Orientation and Training learning experience is approximately six weeks long. During that time, residents become familiar with North Kansas City Hospital and the Pharmacy Department's processes and are exposed to hospital and department policies and procedures. Topics covered in orientation and training include, but are not limited to, pharmacy workflow, an overview of patient safety, computer systems training, medication management, technology, controlled substances procedures, compounding procedures and competency demonstrations/tests. Emphasis is placed on making independent judgments while using effective verbal and written communication. Residents prioritize tasks and collaborate with pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, prescribers, nurses and other members of the healthcare team.