The pharmacy resident on-call program is designed to strengthen critical thinking skills, enhance clinical autonomy, and cultivate professional confidence through provision of clinical and operational support to the Department of Pharmacy.

Responsibilities

The primary responsibility of the on-call program is code pager coverage and providing emergency response to all adult and pediatric inpatient, outpatient, and emergency department areas. Additional activities may include administrative support, patient education, and medication history reviews based on departmental need. Residents remain on-site for the duration of their shift and complete a written sign-out summarizing activities and services provided.

Coverage and Scheduling

Resident On-Call (ROC) coverage is provided 7 days/week during the following times:

• Weekdays: 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
• Weekends and holidays: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

On-call shifts are distributed equitably amongst residents throughout the year with an average of 1-2 weekday shifts per month and 2-3 weekends per year in accordance with ASHP duty hour requirements. The year-long schedule is finalized and shared prior to August. On-call weekends align with normal staffing weekend scheduling, replacing staffing responsibilities (i.e., the on-call shift replaces the staffing shift). PGY1 residents receive a compensatory day off following their on-call weekend. Residents do not work consecutive on-call shifts (excluding weekends and holidays in which two shifts may be scheduled in a row). 

Training, Evaluation, and Feedback

Support for residents participating in the on-call program is provided throughout the year. A comprehensive orientation includes didactic lectures, hands-on training, and multidisciplinary simulation center sessions involving both adult and pediatric patient scenarios. Incoming residents complete two supervised training shifts with a returning resident and finish a comprehensive competency checklist, which is reviewed by their facilitator prior to the first independent on-call shift.

Ongoing evaluation and feedback are provided through individualized sign-out review following each shift, weekly email feedback and in-person group debriefs with preceptors, and quarterly evaluations with program facilitators. Wellness resources are readily available and encouraged, including support following challenging on-call events. Resident feedback is regularly solicited by the Resident On-Call Committee and used to guide continuous quality improvement of the on-call program.