PGY2 Learning Experiences
Hospital Executive Leadership:
The resident will work directly with the Vice President of Patient Services. The experience provides exposure to the structure and function of executive health-system leadership. It will also include meetings with senior hospital leaders and subordinates, and other divisional leaders. The resident will be involved in Patient Services strategic planning and gain perspective of pharmacy’s role within the health-system.
Divisional Leadership:
The resident works with the Chief Pharmacy Officer to learn the dynamics of leadership of a pharmacy enterprise. They will experience the impact that pharmacy services have on other divisions of the health system. The resident will participate in the assessment of departmental activities to assure compliance with applicable legal, regulatory, safety and accreditation requirements. They will be involved in the assessment of customer satisfaction and participate in the development of improvement methods. The resident will develop an understanding of the principles of employee engagement and various aspects of human resources management. They will learn the skills required for developing a business plan for new pharmacy services.
Pharmacy Operational Leadership:
The resident will work with the pharmacy manager of their assigned management area to develop an understanding of inpatient operations across the pharmacy enterprise. The resident will lead and participate in operational meetings to ensure coordination across multiple pharmacies. The resident will lead and participate in operational projects that impact both the division and external customers. They will be involved in topic discussions regarding drug distribution, automation/technology, regulatory compliance, and leadership development. The resident will also have the opportunity to work with our Epic Willow team on operational changes.
Pharmacy Operational Leadership (Satellites):
The resident will work with the Director of Pharmacy Operations and specific pharmacy satellite leaders to develop an understanding of operations in multiple satellite pharmacies including the Operating Room pharmacy, Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute pharmacy, Critical Care pharmacy, and Emergency Department pharmacy. The resident will understand how pharmacy services differ in each of the pharmacy satellites.
Pharmacy Finances (Longitudinal):
The resident will work with the Senior Business Director who will focus on the annual operating and capital budget process of the Pharmacy. They will be involved in the budget preparation meetings as well as an overview of the Hospital budget system. They will be involved in monthly finance meetings which focus on monthly revenue, FTE analysis, and pharmaceutical spend. This individual will develop an understanding of the financial metrics used for measuring the financial health of the pharmacy. The resident will be provided with an overview of the pharmaceutical purchasing and inventory process within the Hospital and Retail Pharmacies. They will meet with the Inventory Manager to develop an understanding of the Inventory systems and process flows. They will be involved in the Medication Savings committee. This will give the resident exposure to Pharmacy cost savings opportunities and the measurement / tracking of the initiatives.
Departmental Management (Longitudinal):
The PGY2 Departmental Management is a required longitudinal rotation that will provide residents with six-month experience in leading a smaller pharmacy team within the division. The resident will lead and manage team meetings, personnel development, administrative tasks such as hiring, progressive discipline, approving leave, and providing overall guidance to the team when applicable. The resident will work with the team to oversee any ongoing projects, meet with key stakeholders internal and external to the department to ensure the team’s success. Lastly, the resident will participate in formal and informal topic discussions, with topics including personnel development, onboarding and training, servant leadership, and managing up.
Staffing (Longitudinal):
The PGY2 Staffing experience is a yearlong (12-month) required longitudinal experience for the PGY2 HSPAL pharmacy resident. The staffing experience will take place in the area of the departmental management rotation during the first six months and main pharmacy during the second six months. The resident will learn to staff on a smaller team providing services directly to a specialty service while staffing in a satellite. During their time in the main pharmacy, they will be expected to staff as lead pharmacist helping mitigate workflow and staffing concerns.
Specialty Pharmacy:
This rotation will provide valuable insight to Specialty Pharmacy. The resident will be introduced to medication purchasing (including 340b impact and management), storage, dispensing, billing (NCPDP and medical claims). They will learn about Specialty Pharmacy specific information, such as URAC and TJC regulatory requirements and data collection elements, cold-chain management and testing, and clinical monitoring and assessments for various medications and chronic illnesses.
Clinical Pharmacy Services:
The resident will work collaboratively with the Director of Clinical Services, the Pharmacy Clinical Coordinators and other healthcare disciplines to ensure optimal patient care services. The resident will experience the impact legal, regulatory, safety and accreditation requirements have when making decisions regarding system-wide and patient specific medication use. The resident will engage in various multidisciplinary working groups and hospital wide committees addressing the safe and effective use of medication across the continuum of care. The resident will develop an understanding of the formulary system and medication policy management.
Ambulatory Pharmacy Services:
The resident will experience pharmacy services provided in the outpatient setting. They will learn the management skills required to operate three ambulatory pharmacy outlets: Main, ED and Liberty Outpatient pharmacies. Experiences include personnel management, insurance prior authorization and adjudication, 340b inventory control, dispensing, and regulatory and standards requirements. They will participate in insurance and 340b audits.
Automation and Pharmacy Informatics:
The pharmacy automation and informatics rotation will provide a comprehensive overview of how pharmacy automation and informatics helps drive the medication use process. Hands on learning through targeted automation projects will be supplemented by topic discussions referencing best practices around automation, technology, and informatics in the pharmacy space. Upon completion, residents will be able to demonstrate their understanding of how the electronic health record interfaces with pharmacy automation and how to lead operational changes across the digital continuum. Additionally, residents will experience and learn about HL7 interfaces, automated dispensing cabinet optimization, IV workflow systems, carousels, RFID systems, and the exploration and evaluation of novel technologies.
Medication Safety II:
Advanced Medication Safety rotation is designed to provide the resident with opportunities to function independently as a knowledgeable medication safety leader with emphasis on IHI Model for Improvement and Science of Safety. The resident will work closely with the Medication Safety Officer, Chief Pharmacy Officer, and Medication Safety Pharmacist. They will have the opportunity to collaborate with hospital safety leaders, risk management and multidisciplinary frontline teams to develop and implement process improvements to address identified medication safety concerns within the health system.
Advanced Ambulatory Pharmacy Services:
The advanced ambulatory outpatient pharmacy rotation is a 4-week administration rotation which supplements the mandatory ambulatory administration rotation. The resident will experience pharmacy services provided in the outpatient setting. Ambulatory outpatient pharmacies are in several sites across the Cincinnati Children's organization including Base (C1), Liberty Campus, Base Emergency Department, and the College Hill campus. The resident will learn management skills required to operate ambulatory pharmacy outlets with the Base outpatient pharmacy being the primary practice location. Retail pharmacies are closed pharmacies that only service CCHMC patients, employees, and patient families in emergency situations. Experiences include personnel management, insurance prior authorization and adjudication, 340b inventory control, dispensing, and regulatory and standards requirements. The resident will also participate in any active quality improvements processes.
Transitions of Care:
The transitions of care pharmacy team works to enhance patient outcomes by providing seamless, comprehensive, and compassionate pharmacy care during transitions between healthcare settings and home. The team is committed to ensuring medication safety, optimizing therapeutic regimens, promoting financial stewardship, and empowering patients through education and support.
