Postgraduate Year 2 (PGY2) Critical Care Residency Program

Welcome

Thank you for your interest in our ASHP-accredited post-graduate year two (PGY2) specialty residency in critical care. This innovative, focused residency program is designed to train residents to become confident and competent pharmacists in pediatric critical care.

Critical Care Residency mission statement

The mission of the critical care residency program is to train competent, confident and independent practitioners of critical care pharmacy practice in a pediatric health-system setting. Through education, multidisciplinary teamwork and research the resident will obtain skills necessary to provide quality pharmaceutical care and function as a clinical pharmacist/specialist in pediatric critical care.

Joepfrey Miguel Alvarez, PharmD, PGY2 Critical Care Resident, Class of 2024

Program overview

The post graduate year two (PGY2) pharmacy residency program in critical care at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford is a specialty training program that offers an environment to gain professional competence, expand clinical knowledge and develop a philosophy of pharmacy practice in pediatric critical care.

PGY2 program purpose

PGY2 residency programs build upon Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and PGY1 pharmacy residency training to develop pharmacist practitioners with knowledge, skills, and abilities as defined in the educational competency areas, goals, and objectives for advanced practice areas. Residents who successfully complete PGY2 residency programs are prepared for advanced patient care or other specialized positions, and board certification in the advanced practice area, if available.

The goals of the PGY2 residency program in critical care are:

  • To train competent pharmacists and innovative practitioners who can provide comprehensive pharmaceutical care services in a dynamic and challenging environment
  • To develop excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • To train practitioners who can provide accurate and timely drug information related to critical care
  • To train practitioners who can develop and implement drug policies, utilizing rational, safe and cost-effective drug therapy related to critical care
  • To educate health care professionals, students, patients and the community about appropriate medication use and safety
  • To train professionals to become leaders within the pharmacy profession

Program structure

Our philosophy of residency training is to offer practical experiences in diverse, multidisciplinary environments in pediatric critical care. Our approach in the provision of pharmaceutical care is to provide comprehensive, patient-oriented services. The residency is accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).

The practice model integrates distribution and clinical activities at the patient care level, and is supported by centralized drug distribution, support functions and management systems. Residents contribute to various clinical activities, including collection of data for Medication Utilization Evaluations (MUEs), in-services to the staff during their clinical rotations and inpatient medication teaching to patients. Critical care residents regularly participate in the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Resuscitation Oversight Committee. In addition to clinical services, the residents serve as preceptors to pharmacy students and PGY1 pharmacy residents completing their critical care clinical clerkships and learning experiences throughout the year.

NMS Code Program Number of Positions
729852 PGY2 Critical Care 1

Stipends and benefits

Residents receive a competitive annual stipend with full benefits including an excellent healthcare benefits package, voluntary tax-deferred annuity plan and 10 days of paid time off (PTO). Please refer to our ASHP listing for more information.

Residents receive educational leave and a stipend to attend and participate in clinical presentations at 2 conferences, which may include:

  • The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Midyear Clinical Meeting
  • The Society of Critical Care Medicine Annual Congress
  • The Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group Annual Meeting

Required learning experiences

  • Hospital Orientation (2 weeks)
  • Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (total 12 weeks)
  • Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (total 8 weeks)
  • Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (4 weeks)
  • Nutrition Support (1-2 weeks)

Longitudinal experiences

  • Pharmacy Research (12 months)
  • Pharmacy Operations (12 months)
  • Teaching (12 months)
    • Optional teaching certificate
  • Administration and Pharmacy & Therapeutics (12 months)

Elective learning experiences

  • Adult Medical Intensive Care Unit (if available) (4 weeks)
  • Burn Intensive Care Unit (if available) (4 weeks)
  • Emergency Department (if available) (3-4 weeks)
  • Administration (4-5 weeks)
  • Neurocritical Care (2-3 weeks)
  • Infectious Diseases (4 weeks)
  • Perioperative Pharmacy (3-4 weeks)
  • Oncology (4 weeks)
  • Stem Cell Transplant (4 weeks)
  • Solid Organ Transplant (4 weeks)
  • Acute Care Pediatrics (3-4 weeks)
  • Development of a new rotation based on resident interest and preceptor availability

Teaching Certificate Program (optional)

The PGY2 Program offers residents an opportunity to complete a Teaching Certificate. This program will provide residents with the skills to effectively precept and instruct pharmacy students. The residents will develop their own teaching and precepting philosophy, co-precept pharmacy students on Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) rotations and deliver lectures or case-based presentations throughout the year.

How to apply

The application deadline for the PGY2 Critical Care Residency Program is Friday, January 5, 2024. NO applications will be accepted beyond this date.

Applicant requirements

Applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Graduate from an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredited degree program
  2. Graduate from an ASHP accredited PGY1 residency
  3. Possess a California pharmacy intern license prior to the start date
  4. Eligible for pharmacist licensure in the state of California http://pharmacy.ca.gov

Submitting an application

Interested applicants must complete ALL of the following:

  1. Enrollment in the ASHP Resident Matching Program
  2. Submit the following required documents through PhORCAS
    1. Personal statement/letter of intent – outlining career goals, areas of interest, and reasons for applying to the residency program at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford
    2. Curriculum Vitae
    3. Official School of Pharmacy transcript
    4. Three letters of recommendation submitted directly to PhORCAS
    5. Writing sample to assess quality and written communication (e.g. drug information response, case report, drug monograph, drug utilization review, manuscript, etc. PowerPoint presentations are not accepted)
  3. Complete the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital online application
    1. Access the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital job listing website: http://careers.stanfordchildrens.org/
    2. Search by Req# enter 18480 and click Search Open Positions
    3. Follow the instructions on the website
    4. Attach your Curriculum Vitae
    5. When finished, click Submit

Interview

After review of application materials by the residency committee, selected applicants will be contacted for an interview in February. Candidates will be required to give a short presentation as part of the interview process.

ASHP Resident Matching Program: This residency agrees that no person at this residency will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any residency applicant.