Pharmacy Residency Program - Required Rotations

Orientation

The Orientation Rotation is a 5-6 week learning experience which will be used to develop the core skills needed to operate as a member of the inpatient pharmacy team. This rotation will take place across both campuses and be primarily focused in the central pharmacy setting. The goals of this rotation are to expose the resident to the operational functions of a staff clinical pharmacist as well as the fundamentals of order verification. Topics covered will be sterile product preparation, antibiotic dosing, department policies and procedures and utilization of department clinical resources.

Cardiology

Preceptor: Erin Greel, PharmD, BCCP

The Cardiology rotation is four-week elective rotation that will challenge the resident to develop the skills and knowledge base needed to work in a setting with a diverse set of patients with cardiologic conditions. The primary location of the rotation will take place on a 30-bed monitored unit. Goals of the rotation are to increase the resident’s knowledge caring for patients with wide range of cardiovascular conditions and to increase the resident’s ability to concisely and appropriately deliver medication information to patients being started on new medications. Topics covered include NSTEMI/STEMI, Heart Failure, Atrial Fibrillation, and Anticoagulation.

Internal Medicine

Preceptor: Christina Richards, PharmD, BCPS

The Internal Medicine rotation is a four-week learning experience and will be used to develop a foundation of internal medicine knowledge and skills. The primary location of the rotation will be on a 40 bed telemetry unit, the Progressive Care Unit. The goal of this rotation is to develop clinical decision making and gain confidence working with the health care team. Residents will participate in patient care rounds daily, provide nursing and pharmacist education, perform medication reconciliations and discharge medication teaching. Topics covered include but are not limited to, Pneumonia, Diabetes, Heart Failure, COPD, Antimicrobial Stewardship, and Medication/Substance Withdrawal.

Critical Care I

Preceptor: Kristina Tepedino, PharmD, BCPS

The Critical Care I rotation is a four-week learning experience and will be used to develop the foundation of critical care knowledge and skills. The primary location of this rotation is a 10-bed Medical ICU located. The goal of this rotation is to develop fundamental decision-making skills necessary to function as an independent clinician in the ICU setting with a focus on designing, monitoring and evaluating patient-specific pharmacotherapeutic plans. Activities will include rounding daily with ICU team, providing in-services to team members, reviewing relevant journal articles and presenting patient cases. Topics covered include diabetic ketoacidosis, sepsis, sedation/pain management, and alcohol withdrawal.

Critical Care II

Preceptor: Debra Black-Pisick, RPh, MS

The Critical Care II rotation is a required four-week learning experience and that expands on the critical care knowledge developed during the Critical Care I rotation. The primary location of this rotation is a 10 bed Medical ICU. The goal of this rotation is to develop independence and confidence in decision making related to the care of critically ill patients. Topics covered include ARDS, Neuromuscular Blockade, Status Epilepticus and ICU Delirium.

Management

Preceptor: Eric Musial, PharmD, MBA

The Pharmacy Management rotation is a four-week learning experience and will be used to develop foundational skills in pharmacy leadership and department operations. The objective is to understand and apply key aspects of pharmacy management including but not limited to handling human resource issues, interpretation of financial data, basic accounting principles, budgeting, supply chain management and informatics. Topics covered include Cost Accounting, Inventory Management, Meaningful Use and Performance Improvement Methodologies (TQM, Six Sigma).

Hematology/Oncology

Preceptor: David Roderick

The Hematology/Oncology rotation is a four-week rotation primarily located in a very active 19-chair outpatient clinic. The goals of this rotation is to develop the resident’s knowledge base and skill set in providing care for the oncology patients as well as provide opportunities for the resident to educate providers and nurses on novel therapies and changes to policies and procedures. Topics covered include Solid Tumors (Pancreatic Cancer, Lung Cancer, Breast Cancer, etc.), Chemotherapy Induced Nausea/Vomiting, Febrile Neutropenia, and various solid organ tumor treatments.

Ambulatory Care

Preceptor: Lindsay Johnson, PharmD and Ronak Parekh, PharmD

The Ambulatory Care rotation is a 4 week learning experience that will focus on providing medication management in the outpatient setting. This rotation will take place in the Lowell General ConnectCare Hub, managing chronic disease states such as Diabetes, Hepatitis and COPD through a collaborative practice agreement. Goals of the rotation are to increase resident comfort in counseling patients and to provide the resident with experience in overcoming challenges in patient access and compliance. Topics include proper medication administration, chronic disease state management, and managing patient access.