Curriculum

New residents participate in an eight-week orientation period, during which they are introduced to the residency program, pharmacy department operations, and key hospital workflows by current residents, preceptors, the residency program director (RPD), and the management team. The program’s ultimate goal is to develop the knowledge, skills, and professional philosophy required to become an excellent, patient-centered clinical pharmacist.

Program overview

The program is customizable to each resident’s interests and career goals, offering flexibility while maintaining core training standards. Residents participate in multidisciplinary clinical rounds, patient counseling, and leadership activities such as program development, accreditation survey preparation, and committee participation (e.g., Pharmacy & Therapeutics). Each resident will complete a research project to be presented at the Western States Conference and gain experience in medical writing for publication.

Core pharmacy rotations

Our residents practice under P&T-approved clinical protocols across a range of inpatient care areas including:

Longitudinal rotations

Longitudinal rotations are mandatory for all residents to complete. These yearlong rotations take place concurrently with core and elective rotations. These rotations encompass ASHP CAGOs and must be achieved to successfully graduate from the PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency Program. Longitudinal activities include the following:

Program purpose

PGY1 pharmacy residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) education and outcomes to develop clinical pharmacists who are responsible for medication-related care of patients with a wide range of conditions, eligible for board certification and postgraduate year two (PGY2) pharmacy residency training.

Learning experiences 

Learning experiences are formatted as rotations. Each rotation during this residency is designed to provide thorough training in various facets of pharmacy.

Elective learning experiences

All residents must complete orientation, including ACLS and PALS certification (completed on-site), prior to beginning clinical rotations.

Requirements for acceptance

ACPE accredited pharmacy school graduate or received FPGEC certification, CA RPh licensure within 90 days of start date, 3 letters of recommendation, letter of intent, CV, PhORCAS and NMS Match participation.