St. Joseph Medical Center PGY1 in an Ambulatory Setting

The St. Joseph Medical Center PGY1 residency program in an ambulatory setting is an ASHP accredited program that began July 2020 with two resident positions. This residency program is an expansion into the ambulatory care arena to match our developed ambulatory care services including over 25 pharmacists practicing in primary care, heart failure, rheumatology, population health, oncology, anticoagulation, hospice, specialty pharmacy, and gastroenterology. Since 1985 St. Joseph Medical Center has provided an excellent PGY1 residency program experience in an acute care setting. We strive to develop a foundation of critical thinking and leadership skills that will promote continuous professional development and innovation in healthcare. Our program fosters a skill set to prepare residents for practice as clinical pharmacists in a variety of patient care, academic, and research settings, including PGY2 residency and fellowship experiences. The residency recruits for two resident positions from candidates throughout the United States.

The residency program is focused on providing diverse opportunities to develop proficient clinicians in provider clinics, pharmacist-run clinics, and population health arenas. Additionally, the residency provides experiences to intricately understand the patient’s continuum of care from acute to ambulatory to hospice settings. During the program, the resident will establish and manage a yearlong project geared towards creating or optimizing pharmacy services provided in the ambulatory care setting. As integral members of the health care team, residents work to achieve optimal drug therapy outcomes for their patients. They will display leadership and professionalism in all aspects of their practice and function as effective communicators and educators.

Our residency program, based in a non-academic health care setting, has become a catalyst for innovative pharmacy practice models within Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. Rotation areas are designed to provide the resident with a well-rounded clinical and administrative experience. Within each rotation, additional time may be devoted to areas of interest, thus providing the opportunity for specialized training. Clinical rotations are designed to enhance the resident’s expertise in promoting, assessing and ensuring safe, efficacious and rational drug therapy. Residents also have the opportunity to elect to complete a teaching certificate program through the University of Washington.