Valley Hospital to Begin Pharmacy Residency Program
Valley Hospital Medical Center welcomed two recent graduates from pharmacy school to its new pharmacy residency program.
The 12-month program will allow the new residents to benefit from a diverse range of clinical learning experiences, explained Edna Cheung, PharmD, BCPS, clinical manager for Valley Hospital. Throughout the year, residents will enhance their competency in managing medication-use systems and learn how to support medication therapy outcomes for patients.
Learning experiences are organized in block rotations, said Cheung, emphasizing internal medicine, infectious disease and critical care, with elective rotations available at two other Valley Health System hospitals. Residents will also participate in committee meetings, develop and revise policies and procedures, conduct quality/performance improvement activities and complete one major research project.
“Offering this residency at a tertiary care facility like Valley Hospital will offer invaluable experience to new pharmacy graduates,” said Elaine Glaser, CEO of Valley Hospital. “Our pharmacists play a critical role in the hospital setting beyond filling and dispensing medications. They evaluate physicians’ medication orders for appropriateness and accuracy, and provide expertise for dosing, administration, drug interactions and side effects of various medications.”
At Valley Hospital, pharmacists also provide recommendations on alternative therapies that could benefit the patient. For example, they review patients’ diagnoses and medications to see if any new or existing medications might increase the risk of falling. Pharmacists participate in multidisciplinary rounds with physicians and closely monitor and adjust certain medications based on patients’ renal function to ensure appropriate and safe dosing. With increasing concern about the overuse of antibiotics, a designated antimicrobial stewardship pharmacist reviews antibiotics for appropriate use, makes suggestions to reduce utilization, and plays a hospital-wide role in reducing antibiotic resistance.
Pharmacy residents will perform as a licensed practitioner under the supervision of an experienced preceptor. These preceptors are employed experienced pharmacists. At Valley Hospital, there will also be four Associate Professors of Pharmacy Practice from Roseman University College of Pharmacy who will provide training and mentorship. A post-graduate year (PGY) is not required, but the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) advocate that all pharmacists in direct care roles should have residency training.
“This Pharmacy Residency Program enables us to participate in the national ASHP match program each year, which helps us attract highly motivated and competent pharmacists not only from Las Vegas, but from other areas of the country,” said Cindy Derouin, Pharmacy Director for Valley Hospital.
Valley Hospital Residency Programs
The program is the first pharmacy residency program in The Valley Health System. Valley Hospital has also offered a physician residency program since 2006, specializing in primary care, internal medicine, neurology and orthopedic surgery, along with fellowships in gastroenterology and pulmonary/critical care. A nurse residency program is available to new graduate nurses through The Valley Health System.