Program Type: ASHP accredited PGY 1 Residency
ASHP Match Number: 176813

Purpose Statement

The purpose of The Johns Hopkins Hospital Post-Graduate Year 1 (PGY1) Pharmacy Residency is to build on Doctor of Pharmacy education and outcomes to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists responsible for medication-related care of patients with a wide range of conditions, eligible for board certification and eligible for postgraduate year two (PGY2) pharmacy residency training.

Program Overview

The PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital provides the resident with the skills and knowledge required to become a competent pharmacy practitioner.

The program is a twelve-month, postgraduate training experience composed of four competency areas: 1) patient care; 2) advancing practice and improving patient care; 3) leadership and management; and 4) teaching, education and dissemination of knowledge. Our residents will have the opportunity to provide pharmaceutical care to patients in multiple settings, develop independent learning skills, maintain a professional ethic, provide effective medication education to others, understand research methods and opportunities, and assume personal responsibility for effecting change.

The specific program for each resident varies based upon the residents' goals, interests and previous experience. However, all residents are required to complete rotations in core subject areas considered to be essential to the pharmacy practitioner. A broad range of elective rotations is available to permit the resident flexibility in pursuing individual goals.

Additional learning experiences aimed at producing a well-rounded pharmacist include the development and completion of a major project related to pharmacy practice, development of oral and written communication skills, patient education, participation in various departmental administrative committees, and practice in various pharmacy areas throughout the institution. Upon successful completion of the program, trainees are awarded a residency certificate.

Program Goals

Residents who complete this program will be able to:

• Serve as an independent practitioner with in-depth knowledge of medication management
• Promote the safe, appropriate, and effective use of medications
• Contribute to the education of pharmacy learners, interdisciplinary team members, and patients
• Obtain a position as a clinical pharmacist or a PGY2 resident

Orientation

The Pharmacy Residency Orientation experience provides a comprehensive and coordinated training program designed to provide incoming residents with an understanding of policies, procedures, and expectations for the pharmacy residency experience. During orientation, residents will participate in hospital, department, and division orientation, and will be exposed to department policies and resources. Hospital and pharmacy department orientation is required for all new pharmacist hires at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The resident is expected to interact with members of the pharmacy department throughout orientation and to attend assigned orientation and training sessions.

Prior to the start of the residency program, residents will be given a full, detailed orientation itinerary.

Rotations

Required Rotations

• Critical Care (1 month)
  Choice of:
  • Cardiac Care Unit (CCU)
  • Cardiovascular Surgical Intensive Care (CVSICU)
  • Medical Intensive Care (MICU)
  • Neurosciences Critical Care (NCCU)
  • Surgical Intensive Care (SICU)
  • Weinberg Intensive Care (WICU)
• Internal Medicine (1 month)
• Integrated Practice Rotation (2 months)
• Leadership Collaborative Rotation (1 month)
• Ambulatory Care (6 months longitudinal experience)
  • Adult Internal Medicine Clinic (3 months)
  • Anticoagulation Management Clinic (3 months)

Click here for brief description of rotations.

Elective Rotations (1 month each)

• Addiction Medicine
• Adult Hepatology Service
• Advanced Heart Failure and Heart Transplantation
• Ambulatory Oncology
• Antimicrobial Stewardship
• Benign Hematology and Hemostatic/Antithrombotic Stewardship
• Bone Marrow Transplantation/Myeloma/Lymphoma
• Concentrated Leadership
• Emergency Medicine
• Epic Willow Inpatient Certification
• General Adult Infectious Diseases Consults
• General Cardiology
• General Pediatrics
• Hematologic Malignancies
• Inpatient HIV/AIDS
• Investigational Drug Service
• Kidney and Pancreas Transplant
• Liver Transplant
• Medical Oncology
• Medication Quality and Outcomes
• Medication Safety – Adults
• Medication Safety - Pediatrics
• Neonatal Intensive Care
• Oncology Clinical Decision Support
• Pain Management/Palliative Care
• Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care & Heart Transplant
• Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis
• Pediatric Emergency Medicine
• Pediatric Infectious Diseases Consult
• Pediatric Intensive Care
• Pediatric Oncology
• Pediatric Nephrology
• Pharmacy Management & Leadership
• Psychiatry
• Surgery Acute Care
• Transplant Nephrology

Click here for brief description of rotations.

Additional elective rotations may be available pending resident interest and preceptor availability. Residents are required to spend at least 2/3^rd of the program in direct patient care activities.

Education Components

• Pharmacotherapy Rounds
  • All residents will provide a 30-minute presentation that is APCE accredited.
  • Please refer to the “Learning Opportunities” section of the Department of Pharmacy, Johns Hopkins Medicine website.
• Teaching Requirements
  • Participate in 1 - 3 teaching sessions at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Notre Dame of Maryland University School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland Eastern Shore School of Pharmacy, or Howard University School of Pharmacy
  • Prepare & present a minimum of 4 educational in-services, one of which occurs during IPR
  • Write one article for the Writing on the Wall

Requirements for Acceptance to the Program

The qualified candidate will have a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from an ACPE accredited school of pharmacy.

Licensure and Certification Requirements

All residents are expected to obtain a Maryland State Pharmacy License by August 1st.

The resident will arrive at the program already ACLS certified, or will complete certification during the residency year.

Attendance at Professional Meetings

The department will support the resident (expense and leave time) to attend ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting & Eastern States Residency Conference. For any PGY1 resident who accepts a PGY2 residency through the early commitment process, they may choose to attend a different clinical meeting in place of the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting. Any additional travel that is to be supported by the department is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Please refer to the “Meetings and Conferences” section of the Department of Pharmacy, Johns Hopkins Medicine website.

MUE Project

The resident must complete a self-directed research or quality improvement project. The scope, magnitude, and type of project will vary according to individual interests but must be completed in a manner suitable for presentation and publication.

Please refer to the “Projects” section of the Department of Pharmacy, Johns Hopkins Medicine website.

Committee Participation

The resident will be assigned to departmental, hospital, or health-system committee(s) over the course of the year.

Staffing Component

Each resident will practice as a pharmacist in a designated area throughout the residency year. The PGY1 resident will follow the staffing requirements as outlined in the Residency Program Manual.

Please refer to the “Staffing Requirements” section of the Department of Pharmacy, Johns Hopkins Medicine website.

On-Call Coverage

The resident will participate in clinical on-call services. On-call duties include code response, drug information question responses, pharmacokinetic assessments, administrative assistance, and other duties. On-call hours are from 4 PM to 10 PM on weekdays and 8 AM to 8 PM on weekends and holidays. The frequency of on-call coverage depends upon the number of residents in the entire program and averages about 18 shifts per year.

Please refer to the “On Call Program” section of the Department of Pharmacy, Johns Hopkins Medicine website.

Paid Time Off (PTO)

Please refer to the “Benefits” section of the Department of Pharmacy, Johns Hopkins Medicine website.

Preceptors

Please refer to the “JHH Rx Preceptors” section of the Department of Pharmacy, Johns Hopkins Medicine website.

Program Director

Cathy L. Walker, B.S. Pharm

Title: Assistant Director, Education and Training
The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Education: B.S. Pharmacy, Philadelphia
College of Pharmacy and Science, 1985
Training: Pharmacy Practice Residency,
Children’s Hospital National Medical Center,
Washington D.C., 1986

Cathy Walker is the Assistant Director, Education and Training, for the Department of Pharmacy at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. She is the Residency Program Director for the PGY1 Pharmacy residency, and provides support for all of the Hopkins residency programs. Ms. Walker received her pharmacy degree from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and completed her Pharmacy Practice residency at the Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC.

Ms. Walker is active in the Eastern States Conference for Pharmacy Residents and Preceptors, serving on the Advisory Board and as the Conference Chair in 2008. She is committed to pharmacy education and is a member of the Notre Dame University of Maryland Experiential Education Advisory Board. Ms. Walker is the advisor for the Maryland Society of Health-System Pharmacists Emerging Practitioner Committee. She is a past member of the Preceptor Development Section Advisory Group of the American Society of Health System Pharmacists and the UHC Research and Education Committee. The Department of Pharmacy is an accredited ACPE provider, for which Ms. Walker is the Continuing Education Administrator.

Ms. Walker has been the recipient of the Maryland Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ Pharmacist of the Year award. Prior to moving into pharmacy administration, Ms. Walker practiced as a pediatric pharmacist and nutrition support pharmacist, where she served as preceptor for numerous pharmacy students and residents.

Residency Program Coordinator

Jennifer A. Szwak, PharmD, BCPS, DPLA, FCCP
Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Internal Medicine
The John Hopkins Hospital
Department of Pharmacy
600 North Wolfe Street, Carnegie 180
Baltimore, MD 21287-6180
Phone: 410-502-8815
Email: [email protected]

Education: PharmD, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy, 2010
Training: PGY1 Pharmacy Residency, Emory HealthCare, Atlanta, GA, 2011
PGY1 Internal Medicine Residency, University of Chicago Medicine, 2012

Jennifer (Austin) Szwak is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Internal Medicine & the PGY1 Residency Program Director at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Szwak has been engaged in residency training & development as a PGY1 & PGY2 Internal Medicine Residency Program Director for 7 years prior to coming to the Johns Hopkins Hospital. In addition to her roles within the institution, she has been actively involved in the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) and the Adult Medicine Practice and Research Network and is currently chair of the Vizient Pharmacy Network Research Committee.

Contact

Cathy L. Walker, B.S. Pharm

Assistant Director, Education and Training
Department of Pharmacy
The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Location: 600 North Wolfe Street / Carnegie 180
Baltimore, Maryland 21287-6180
Office: (410) 614-4377
Email: [email protected]