Emergency Medicine Pharmacy Residency Program

The PGY2 Emergency Medicine Pharmacy Residency conducted by Denver Health in Denver, Colorado is accredited by ASHP.

 

Purpose:

The ASHP accredited PGY-2 Emergency Medicine (EM) Pharmacy Residency program at Denver Health Medical Center is as 12-month program of training and experience based upon the ASHP standards for PGY2 Pharmacy Residencies in Emergency Medicine. The program will begin in early July and finish at the end of June the following year. Upon successful completion of the residency requirements, the resident is awarded a certificate of program completion. The emergency medicine PGY2 residency provides residents with opportunities to function independently as practitioners by conceptualizing and integrating accumulated experience and knowledge and incorporating both into the provision of patient care that improves medication therapy in the emergency care setting. Residents who successfully complete an accredited PGY2 pharmacy residency possess competencies that qualify them for clinical pharmacist and/or faculty positions, board certification, teaching other health professionals and health professional students.

 

Program Overview:

ASHP Residency Accredited Logo

This intensive one-year training program is designed to provide a structured learning environment and to foster an in-depth learning opportunity for a resident to develop into a successful clinical pharmacy specialist. The program builds on the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) education and PGY1 pharmacy residency program to contribute to the development of a clinical pharmacist in a specialized area of practice. The program involves activities in a wide variety of practice settings, including: providing optimal medication management for patients who are in need of emergent care; participation in both adult and pediatric medical emergencies; participation in the trauma services provided in our Level 1 regional trauma center; designing, optimizing and managing treatment regimens for hospitalized patients in a variety of intensive care settings; and teaching patients, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals as an integral part of the health care team.

The PGY2 Emergency Medicine resident will have the opportunity for both didactic and experiential teaching throughout their residency year, including co-precepting and mentoring PGY1 residents and APPE students. The resident will have the opportunity to provide EM related lectures to the Department of Emergency Medicine Residency program faculty and residents. A staffing component in the ED will be required (additional ICU staffing pursuant on progress of PGY2 resident, sufficient training in critical care areas, and department needs outlined below) as well as a major research project that will be presented at a national meeting with the intent to publish in a peer reviewed journal. Residents completing our program will demonstrate professional maturity by following a personal philosophy of practice, monitoring their own performance, exhibiting commitment to the profession, and exercising leadership in improving the safety of the medication-use system.

Finally, the program provides a unique setting as Denver Health is a Federally Qualified Health Center as well as Colorado’s premier safety net institution that provides care for the largest margin of medically underserved patients in the state. Denver Health is home to one of the first Emergency Medicine Physician Residencies in the nation and also one of the premier pre-hospital care systems in the nation, the Denver Division of Paramedics, both of which provide a robust backdrop for collaborative opportunities in education and research for the pharmacy resident.

 

Residency Program Structure

The program includes 7 required learning experiences (3 to 10 weeks in length) and a choice of elective learning experiences (2 to 4 weeks in length). There are several required longitudinal experiences. We currently offer a traditional research approach to allowing the resident to select a major project and MUE of interest at the beginning of the year, work through challenges and gain independence to follow the project through to manuscript development by the end of the year.

 

Required Learning Experiences:

  • Orientation (2- 4 weeks)
  • Emergency Medicine – Adult I (4-5 weeks)
  • Emergency Medicine – Adult II (8-10 weeks)
  • Emergency Medicine – Pediatrics (4 weeks)
  • Medical ICU (4-5 weeks
  • Surgical/Trauma ICU (4-5 weeks)
  • Toxicology (4 weeks)

 

Required Longitudinal Experiences:

  • Major Project/Research
  • Antimicrobial Stewardship
  • Presentations and Preceptorship
  • Management and Leadership
  • Medical Emergency Response (Code Blue, Stroke Alert, Trauma Alert / Activation
  • Medication Use Evaluation
  • Clinical staffing (ED) every 3rd weekend  
    • Additional moonlighting shifts covering ED, ICU PM and overnight ICU shifts may be made available to the resident dependent on resident progress and department staffing needs

 

Elective Learning Experiences: (3-4 available based on resident needs)

  • EMS/Pre-hospital (Denver Division of Paramedics) (2 weeks)
  • Denver Health Pediatric ICU (4 weeks)
  • Children’s Hospital Colorado Emergency Department (4 weeks)
  • Global Health (2-4 weeks)
  • Research Design and Methodology (4 weeks)
  • Emergency Medicine - University of Colorado Hospital (4 weeks)
  • Burn ICU - University of Colorado Hospital (4 weeks)
  • Advanced/Independent Practice in Emergency Medicine (4 weeks)

 

 

 

Attendance and participation in the following throughout the year: 

  • Pharmacy Grand Rounds Presentation
  • Hospital leadership committee(s)
  • Didactic teaching to pharmacy students
  • Didactic teaching for medical residents (Denver Health EM Residency)
  • National/local meetings as required by the residency
  • Exposure to Professional Society EM Groups
  • PGY2 recruitment process
  • Emergency Department Policy and Management

 

 

Application Information & Requirements for Applicants 

Applicants must be a PharmD graduate or candidate for graduation of an Accredited Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredited degree program, completed or in progress of completing an ASHP accredited PGY1 Pharmacy Residency. Applicants must be licensed and in good standing, or eligible for licensure in the state of Colorado by November 1st of the starting year. If not licensed by November 1st, the resident will be terminated from the program. 

Denver Health participates in the ASHP National Matching System. The NMS number for our program is 760269. Applications should be submitted electronically through PhORCAS. All materials must be received by January 3rd to be considered for the residency program. Necessary application materials include:

 

Letter of intent (maximum of 1 page) highlighting the following:

  1. Your goals and reason for doing an advanced PGY2 specialty residency in emergency medicine 
  2. Why you chose to apply for the Denver Health residency program 
  3. Your short and long term goals in pharmacy practice 
  4. Your strengths and weaknesses at this point in your career and how a PGY2 residency in emergency medicine will help you develop and achieve your goals 
  • Curriculum Vitae  
  • Three letters of reference using the PhORCAS Standardized Reference Template with at least one from a preceptor in emergency medicine or critical care 
  • Official college of pharmacy transcript 

 

Current PGY1 Residents at Denver Health Medical Center may early commit to a Denver Health Medical Center PGY2 Residency Programs.

All completed applications will be reviewed by the Residency Advisory Council to determine which candidates will be invited for an interview.

Resident applicants are responsible for submitting all required materials online through PhORCAS.

 

ASHP Code: 82025
NMS#: 760269

 

Current PGY2 Emergency Medicine Resident: Melissa Porter (2023-2024)

Key Supporting Preceptors for PGY2 Emergency Medicine Residency:

  • Spencer Laehn, Pharm.D., BCCCP
  • Dan Schuenke, Pharm.D., BCCCP

 

Contact:

Lance Ray, PharmD, BCPS, BCEMP
Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Emergency Medicine
PGY2 Emergency Medicine Pharmacy Residency Program Director
Clinical Instructor, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Colorado
790 Delaware Street, MC0056
Denver, CO 80204
Email: Lance.ray@dhha.org
Telephone: 303-602-3392

Twitter: @LRayRx