About the Pharmacy Residency Program: Learning Opportunities

About the Program: Learning Opportunities

The Johns Hopkins Hospital Pharmacy Residency Program provides many opportunities for career development. Through teaching, in-services, precepting students, networking and travel, we offer a wide array of learning experience.

• Partnerships
  • The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
    • Pharmacotherapy Rounds
      This weekly meeting is an integral part of the residency program. The goal of Pharmacotherapy Rounds is to enhance the participant's knowledge regarding the use of drug therapy. In rounds, residents learn to evaluate the scientific literature and discuss its applicability to clinical practice. They have the opportunity to present complex concepts in an academic setting. In addition, there are opportunities to meet other local pharmacy residents. Continuing education credits can be earned by attending these meetings. This program is an excellent mechanism to see how pharmacy is practiced in other sites.
    • Teaching Opportunities
      As a result of the partnership between our residency program and the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, there are several educational opportunities available to Hopkins residents. At different times during the year, University of Maryland pharmacy students rotate through The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Residents have the opportunity to precept these students. Another educational opportunity includes the presentation of hospital in-services for nurses, physicians, and/or pharmacists.
  • The Johns Hopkins Department of Medicine
    The Department of Pharmacy is unique due to the dual reporting relationship of its director to The Johns Hopkins Hospital administration and to the chairman of the Department of Medicine with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. This relationship is crucial for the credibility of pharmacy residents as clinicians.
       The clinical skills of pharmacists within the Department are well respected by physicians at Hopkins. Often, pharmacy residents learn alongside medical students. Residents are expected to attend medical rounds during rotations. Floor rounds such as Pediatric and oncology depend on the recommendations of clinical pharmacists. Other rounds such as Grand Rounds are available for residents to attend.
  • The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)
    In an effort to support the field of pharmacy, a strong relationship has been forged between Johns Hopkins and ASHP. Several Hopkins clinicians are involved in pharmaceutical societies on a state and national level. This residency program actively supports the society involvement of residents through membership reimbursement and meeting attendance. Throughout the year, there will be various opportunities to become involved in committees, board meetings and to publish articles in society journals. This program strives to provide opportunities for networking with pharmacists in leadership positions. Through a trip to ASHP headquarters, residents can learn about how ASHP operates.
    
• Presentations
  Effective communication skills are critical for the pharmacy practitioner. While residents will have many opportunities to refine their skills on rotation, the following experiences are assigned:
  • A 40-minute presentation on a disease state or other topic of interest is to be presented to preceptors, students, Hopkins pharmacy staff and other individuals from the University of Maryland. Slides and handouts are to be developed and used. A 15-minute question-and-answer session will follow the presentation.
  • At least one nursing inservice is to be presented during the pharmaceutical care rotation. Topics will be selected in conjunction with the preceptor. Appropriate audio-visual and handout materials should be developed.
  • The residents' major project will be presented to preceptors at Hopkins and at a regional resident conference. The presentation is 10 to 12 minutes long, with additional time allotted for questions.
    
• Other Opportunities
  • Off-Site Rotations
    Through an elective rotation, residents have an opportunity to learn how pharmacy is practiced in smaller community hospitals. In addition to its flagship hospital, Johns Hopkins Health System includes Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and Howard County General Hospital. There also are opportunities to rotate through Pharmaquip, a home care and infusion service of the Johns Hopkins Home Care Group. 
  • Travel
    Travel to pharmacy-related sites is an important component of the Hopkins pharmacy residency. All residents are required to attend the ASHP Midyear meeting, during which residency recruitment occurs. Networking opportunities are numerous at this annual meeting. A trip in the fall also is incorporated into the residency. During this trip, residents may visit ASHP headquarters, the National Institutes of Health, and/or the Food and Drug Administration. The trip can also include sightseeing of the Washington, D.C. area. In addition to the ASHP Midyear, residents have the opportunity to attend the ASHP annual meeting to present their projects. In the spring, residents formally present their projects at the Eastern States Residency Conference. Accommodations, travel and some other expenses will be paid for professional travel to local, state and national meetings