Postgraduate Year Two (PGY2) Critical Care

Salary and Paid Time Off (PTO)

• The 2012-2013 PGY2 residents will receive a stipend of $42,000.
• Residents will be given 12 days for vacation and sick time during their 12-month program.

Benefits

• Health insurance: comprehensive medical, dental and vision care coverage effective July 1.
• Basic life insurance and long term disability coverage.
• Residents will each receive one complimentary lab coat.

Funding for Professional Meetings

• Financial support will be provided to each resident attending the Fall Resident Retreat, ASHP’s Midyear Clinical Meeting, and the Midwest Pharmacist Residents Conference. Funding for additional meetings may be provided at the discretion of the Director of Pharmaceutical and Nutrition Care.

Educational Leave

The program provides the following days of required educational leave which are not deducted from the resident’s PTO allotment.

• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) training and testing (2 days in July if not already certified)
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support training and testing (optional) (2 days)
• Resident Fall Retreat (2 days)
• ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting (4 weekdays)
• Midwest Pharmacists Residents Conference (2 days)

Residents in all residency programs will be required to perform or participate in a number of activities throughout the year. These activities are designed to assure competency with the goals and objectives outlined in the Residency Learning System (RLS) and the ASHP accreditation standards. In addition to the expectations outlined in the accreditation standards, the residents are expected to be able to:

• Display professionalism on a daily basis
• Uphold and adhere to all standards of the pharmacy profession
• Function as pharmacy generalists
• Demonstrate effective verbal and written communication skills
• Demonstrate the ability to educate, teach and lead other health care providers
• Demonstrate the ability to educate patients in regards to medication therapy
• Participate in quality improvement initiatives

The following specific activities are designed to achieve these outcomes and are required for successful completion of the program.

• Residents shall participate in the residency orientation program and all resident meetings
• Residents shall complete all service commitment required duties
• Residents shall complete all required and elective rotations
• Residents shall participate in department service documentation activities
• Residents shall attend assigned medication safety seminars
• Residents shall attend assigned department meetings
• Residents shall participate and present in the leadership development series
• Residents shall participate and present in journal clubs
• Residents shall participate and present in case conferences
• Residents shall attend the Fall Resident Retreat
• Residents shall attend ASHP’s Midyear Clinical Meeting
• Residents shall attend Pharmacy Grand Rounds (PGR) Seminars
• Residents shall prepare and present two ACPE-approved continuing education Pharmacy Grand Rounds
• Residents shall participate in recruitment efforts of the department
• Residents shall attend PGY2 program specific seminars and topic discussions
• Residents shall participate in the teaching of P-4 pharmacy students on clinical rotations
• Residents shall participate in teaching activities at UNMC’s College of Pharmacy
• Residents shall successfully complete BLS and ACLS (PALS is optional)
• Residents shall complete a research project designed to improve the services of the department and/or contribute knowledge to the Pharmacy profession
• Residents shall present a research poster at the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) Midyear Meeting
• Residents shall present their research at the Midwest Pharmacy Residents Conference
• Residents shall complete a research project manuscript
• Residents shall complete a teaching certificate program (if a similar one was not completed as a PGY1 resident)

PGY2 residents are required to fulfill the service commitment (staffing) designed to ensure that residents gain experience and can function as competent clinical practitioners. Each resident will train with preceptors and basic training will take place during the first month of residency. At the conclusion of the basic training period, the designated preceptors and the resident will mutually determine if the resident is ready to function independently as a pharmacist.

As part of the service commitment for PGY2 Residents, the following staffing requirements apply:

1. PGY2 residents will staff 22 shifts throughout the year, two shifts per month that may or may not include weekends and/or evenings.
2. PGY2 residents must work one holiday.
3. Staffing will occur primarily in the resident’s specialty area of training.

Residents are future leaders in the profession. Residents are required to attend leadership development meetings. Residents will lead article discussions regarding leadership philosophies from many aspects of life. Residents will read and discuss selected essays from the Harvey Whitney Award Lectures. Residents are encouraged to assess their own leadership philosophy/style and use the residency year as a way of further developing their leadership skills.

Each year a resident retreat is arranged to provide each resident the opportunity to participate in team building. Lectures will be provided on various topics including but not limited to the following: communication, leadership, personal growth, ethics, finance, stress management and personality traits. This is a very rewarding experience and is an overnight event.

Residents are required to develop and complete a research project. Residents will select a research topic based on their clinical interests. Faculty and clinical staff will present project ideas during orientation. An appropriate preceptor will be selected to guide and supervise the resident. Residents will develop a formal research proposal. If necessary, the resident will submit the proposal for IRB approval. A completed research project form, formal proposal, completed IRB (if required), oral presentation at the Midwest Pharmacy Residency Conference and final written manuscript are required for successful completion of the project.

Poster Presentation at University HealthSystem Consortium

Each resident will present a poster on their research topic at the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) meeting held in conjunction with the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting.

Attendance/Presentation at the Midwest Pharmacy Residents Conference (MPRC)

Each resident is required to attend and present research findings at the MPRC held each spring. Each resident will make a brief presentation on their project which will be evaluated by a preceptor from within or outside of the program.

Each resident will present two formal ACPE-approved continuing education seminars during the residency program. Grand Rounds are scheduled between September through June (excluding portions of December and February). The goal of the seminar is to improve the resident’s communication skills and techniques, literature evaluation, and understanding of the continuing education process. The topic will be selected by the resident with guidance from at least one pharmacist or faculty member.

Residents will formally present one journal club during the residency year to staff and faculty. This will include a self-evaluation and a formal evaluation. Residents may be asked on rotations to formally present journal articles.

Residents will formally present one case presentation to faculty and staff during their residency year. These cases revolve around pharmacotherapy topics, include primary literature, and be a case in which the resident was directly involved.

The Critical Care Conferences are informal presentations of a selected topic in the area of critical care pharmacotherapy to PGY1 and PGY2 residents, staff, students, and faculty. All residents are encouraged to attend.

This is voluntary for PGY2 residents, but strongly encouraged if the PGY2 resident did not complete a teaching certificate program as a PGY1. The Teaching Certificate Program will allow the resident to participate in a wide-variety of activities related to pharmacy education and explore the external forces that impact the educational process. The focus is to introduce pharmacy residents to the many aspects involved in teaching including both didactic and clinical instruction. Residents will gain a broad understanding of pharmacy education on an institutional and national level. Residents will develop their own teaching portfolio and teaching philosophy.

Resident involvement in all teaching activities fosters the development and refinement of the resident’s communication skills and knowledge base. This experience can build confidence and promote the effectiveness of the resident as a teacher. Residents will serve as co-preceptors for P-4 pharmacy students on clinical rotations and are expected to act as role models for our future practitioners. In addition, residents will collaborate with the UNMC College of Pharmacy by participating in activities including inservices, didactic lectures, case studies and small group discussions throughout the year. In all circumstances, each resident will work under the guidance of a preceptor.

The Chief Pharmacy Resident is a specialty pharmacy resident (PGY2) who coordinates and keeps track of activities associated with all concurrent pharmacy residents. The Chief Resident also provides leadership, support and motivation to all residents as a peer in clinical practice. The Chief Pharmacy Resident serves as the Secretary on the Residency Advisory Committee (RAC) and works closely with all program directors.

Required Rotations

• Orientation (July)
• Research (December)

Longitudinal Rotations

• Pharmacy Grand Rounds
• Leadership Development Series
• Research
• Journal Club
• Service (Staffing)

Core Rotations

• Adult Critical Care Medicine I, II and III
• Emergency/Trauma Medicine
• Infectious Diseases (ID)
• Pediatrics/Neonatal ICU
• Surgical Services

Elective Rotations

• Cardiology
• Congestive Heart Failure/Heart Transplantation
• Adult Stem Cell Transplantation
• Burn ICU
• Immunocompromised Host ID Service
• Pulmonary Medicine
• Solid Organ Transplantation
• Toxicology

The Nebraska Medical Center is the clinical partner of the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), which includes the colleges of medicine, pharmacy, nursing, dentistry and allied health. UNMC, with an enrollment of approximately 2,600 students, is the only public academic health science center in Nebraska and is internationally recognized as a leader in patient care, research and education. The not-for-profit hospital is known for excellence and innovation in medicine.

The Nebraska Medical Center is a 624-bed, level one trauma center with over 40,000 emergency room visits per year. As the primary teaching hospital for UNMC, The Nebraska Medical Center is a respected leader in solid organ transplantation, cardiology, bone marrow transplantation, oncology and neurosciences. The Nebraska Medical Center brings together the expertise of private practice medicine with the strengths of an academic health center.

The Nebraska Medical Center’s many areas of specialization give the resident a variety of experiences, from the critically ill neonate to the cancer patient undergoing bone marrow transplantation. By combining state-of-the-art research, education and extraordinary patient care, we offer the best of both worlds.

The working relationship between The Nebraska Medical Center and the UNMC College of Pharmacy provides a solid foundation for a quality pharmacy residency program. The program provides an excellent mixture of clinical experiences, one-on-one interaction with faculty and clinical preceptors and the flexibility to modify the program to individual needs. In addition, the residency provides many opportunities for educating and precepting students. The end product is pharmacy training that actively involves the resident in patient care, education and research.

Qualifications for participation in The Nebraska Medical Center PGY2 Residency Program are in accordance with criteria set forth by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).

• Resident applicants shall be graduates of an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)-accredited Doctor of Pharmacy degree program OR have equivalent experience.
• Residents shall have completed an accredited PGY1 pharmacy residency program.
• Resident applicants must be licensed or eligible for licensure as a pharmacist in the state of Nebraska. Licensure must be obtained by July 31st.
• Resident applicants shall participate and adhere to all rules of the ASHP Resident Matching Program Process.

Please click on the following link for all application requirements and to apply on-line:

PGY2 Critical Care Residency Application

For questions regarding the PGY2 Critical Care Residency please contact:

Steve Nissen, PharmD, BCPS
PGY2 Critical Care Program Director
The Nebraska Medical Center
981090 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 68198-1090
Phone: 402-559-8253
Fax: 402-559-4907
Email Steve Nissen