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Pharmacy Residency
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Health System Pharmacy Administration and Leadership Residency

Thank you for your interest in our 2-year combined PGY1/PGY2/MS health-system pharmacy administration and leadership residency program. Our program is designed to provide a strong clinical experience and equip graduates with the essential leadership skills necessary to assume high-level managerial, supervisory and leadership responsibilities throughout their career.

The health system pharmacy administration and leadership residency program at The University of Kansas Health System was established in 1969 by Harold N. Godwin. Since that time, we have graduated over 140 HSPAL residents, some of whom have gone on to establish their own HSPAL residencies in health systems across the country.

The University of Kansas Health System HSPAL Program Manual

Residency program purpose statement

PGY1 residency programs build upon a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and outcomes to develop pharmacist practitioners with knowledge, skills and abilities as defined in the educational competency areas, goals and objectives. Residents who successfully complete PGY1 residency programs will be skilled in diverse patient care, practice management, leadership and education and be prepared to provide patient care, seek board certification in pharmacotherapy (i.e., BCPS), and pursue advanced education and training opportunities including postgraduate year 2 (PGY2) residencies.

PGY2 residency programs build upon a 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.

Program design

PGY1 learning experiences:

Direct patient care learning experiences
Learning experience Time of year Number of Weeks
Orientation June 1 week
Longitudinal service commitment n/a Every other weekend throughout the year, plus:
  • 5 weeks training in acute care (July/August)
  • 2 weeks holiday staffing (December/January)
  • 1 week training in retail (January)
Transitions of care n/a 5 weeks
Acute care selective n/a 6 weeks
Ambulatory care selective n/a 6 weeks
Direct patient care elective n/a 6 weeks
Nondirect patient care learning experiences
Learning experience Time of year Number of Weeks
Introduction to pharmacy administration n/a 6 weeks
Medication-use safety and policy n/a 5 weeks
Advanced pharmacy administration Second ½ of year 4 weeks
Expansion June 4 weeks
Research (DUE and PGY1 longitudinal projects) Throughout 4 weeks

*The learning experiences scheduled during Thanksgiving and midyear will be lengthened by 1 week from listing.

Brief learning experience description:

  • Orientation: Orientation includes health system orientation and a review of health system policies, residency manuals, the residency purpose statement, competency areas, goals and objectives, required and elective learning experiences, pharmacy culture and the health system electronic medical record system.
  • Longitudinal service commitment: This experience includes training in acute care, training in retail, weekend staffing and holiday staffing. Residents will staff the first half of the year in an acute care setting. Residents will staff the second half of the year in the retail setting.
  • Transitions of care: Residents are required to complete a transitions of care learning experience, ideally prior to their acute care experience. In this learning experience, residents will learn how to effectively support patients from inpatient acute care to outpatient care.
  • Acute care selective: Acute care options include internal medicine and cardiology.
  • Ambulatory care selective: Residents are required to complete an ambulatory care learning experience during the program. Ambulatory clinic options are listed in the PGY2 Ambulatory Residency Program Manual and website. Options will be dependent upon preceptor availability.
  • Direct patient care selective: Residents are required to select a direct patient care selective during the PGY1 year. Options include all rotations available to general PGY1 residents as electives as long as they include direct patient care. Examples include critical care, ambulatory care, specialty acute care and emergency medicine.
  • Introduction to pharmacy administration: Residents are required to complete this learning experience. This serves as an introductory experience to provide the resident exposure to team management, departmental planning, lean principles, human resources/recruitment and staffing/scheduling during the first residency year. Residents will build upon concepts and skills learned in this learning experience during the advanced pharmacy administration learning experience and throughout the second year.
  • Medication-use safety and policy: Residents are required to complete this learning experience during the program. This learning experience provides the resident exposure to drug policy, Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, and medication safety.
  • Advanced pharmacy administration: Residents are required to complete this learning experience during the PGY1 year with an operations manager and must be in a different area from the introduction to pharmacy administration learning experience. This serves as an advanced experience to continue to build upon the skills learned in the introduction to pharmacy administration learning experience. Area options include acute care, operations, ambulatory care, cancer care, investigational drugs and infusion care.
  • Expansion learning experience: Residents will complete an expansion learning experience that is intended to prepare the resident and serve as orientation for their administrative longitudinal management track learning experience for the second year.
  • DUE: Residents are required to complete a DUE project. Part of the rotation includes a scheduled research week and Academic Fridays. See page 14 for additional information regarding resident research.
  • Longitudinal research project: Residents are required to complete a PGY1 research project. Part of the experience includes a scheduled research week and Academic Fridays. See page 14 for additional information regarding resident research.

PGY2 learning experiences:

Learning experience Time of year Number of Weeks
Administrative longitudinal management track July 2 weeks and throughout the year
Longitudinal service commitment n/a Every 4th weekend
Pharmacy informatics n/a 6 weeks
Acute care management n/a 6 weeks
Ambulatory care and specialty pharmacy services n/a 6 weeks
Pharmacy supply chain and system support n/a 8 weeks
Cancer care, infusion and investigational drug services n/a 6 weeks
Pharmacy executive leadership n/a 4 weeks
Health system executive leadership n/a 4 weeks
Administrative elective Second half of year 5 weeks
Master’s research Throughout 3 weeks

*The learning experiences scheduled during Thanksgiving and Midyear will be lengthened by 1 week from listing.

Brief learning experience description:

  • Administrative longitudinal management track: This experience is designed for the resident to become oriented to their assigned area in order to complete the learning objectives and goals associated with the longitudinal learning experience throughout the PGY2 year. Administrative longitudinal management track experiences vary year to year based on interests of the resident and department needs. Examples of past longitudinal tracks include inpatient clinical, inpatient operations, ambulatory, cancer care and pharmacy informatics. Learning objectives include:
    • Serve as the direct supervisor for a group of employees
    • Create agenda, record minutes and lead team meetings
    • Manage all human resources-related activities including performance evaluations
    • Coordination of track-specific duties within the residency program
    • Facilitation of projects in cooperation with the management-track preceptor
    • Completion of longitudinal implementation project
  • Longitudinal service commitment: Residents are required to complete a longitudinal service commitment experience throughout the residency year. This experience includes training in the longitudinal area during administrative longitudinal management track experience followed by weekend and holiday staffing.
  • Pharmacy informatics: Residents will gain basic understanding of the language and concepts of information technology (IT), thereby equipping the resident to function in the interdisciplinary environment of informatics project teams to advance the professional duties and responsibilities of a pharmacy informatics specialist. The rotation also provides exposure to Health Information Technology Services (HITS), its daily activities, policies and procedures, and management.
  • Acute care management: This rotation will provide experiences to develop an understanding of clinical services management, medication distribution systems and process, sterile and nonsterile compounding, perioperative pharmacy services, formulary management, employee engagement, change management, professional relationship development and leadership principles within a large academic medical center. The resident will become familiar with a variety of leadership roles and responsibilities through active participation in committees, meetings and projects. The resident will develop leadership and pharmacy management skills in an academic medical center and will develop a strong foundation in clinical pharmacy services through experiences in clinical management, medication distribution systems and processes, formulary management, information technology, medication management and employee education.
  • Ambulatory and specialty pharmacy services: This experience is intended to provide residents with the opportunity to experience and understand ambulatory clinical services management, operations management and the business of specialty and retail pharmacy. Residents will have an opportunity to collaborate with ambulatory leaders throughout the rotation on various projects. They will also have the opportunity to learn how the ambulatory pharmacy department communicates with executive leadership at an academic health system.
  • Pharmacy supply chain and system support: The experience is designed to provide the resident with exposure to financial analysis as it relates to the economics of a health-system based pharmacy. Specifically, this includes a review of pertinent financial statements, analysis of contractual opportunities, budget preparation and compliance, and review of contract compliance. Other activities include exposure to inventory management techniques, backorder/shortage management, and interaction with pharmaceutical industry representatives. Additionally, residents will work with the various members of system support team to develop understanding of strategic pharmacy system support and improvement. Residents should expect small, introductory projects within those focused learning opportunities as well at least one opportunity to implement a system-wide pharmacy change.
  • Cancer care, infusion and investigational drug services: This experience is designed to provide the resident with exposure to pharmacy leadership in the care of cancer patients involving a continuum of care from the inpatient to outpatient setting. In addition, the rotation involves the care of non-oncology infusion and research patients. The resident will gain exposure to similarities and differences in pharmacy practice in these areas compared to the acute hospital setting. Daily operations involve sterile compounding with a focus on hazardous drugs and clean room maintenance to assure timely patient care.
  • Executive pharmacy leadership: This learning experience is designed to provide HSPAL residents the opportunity to spend time with senior pharmacy leaders and the vice president of Health Professions. The resident will have a variety of experiences related to pharmacy and outside of pharmacy within their preceptor’s service lines.
  • Health system executive leadership: This learning experience is designed to provide HSPAL residents the opportunity to witness nonpharmacy leadership at the executive level. While on rotation, the resident will have a variety of experiences in a nonpharmacy area with varying leaders within the preceptor’s service lines.
  • Administrative elective learning experience: Residents will have an opportunity to complete an elective learning experience in an area of their choice. Residents are encouraged to select a learning experience that affords them experience in the area in which they wish to pursue a career. Learning experience descriptions will be developed when the elective is determined, but the following are available: acute care central automation and distribution management, regulatory and compliance, cancer care operations and continuous improvement in healthcare leadership.
  • Master’s research: Residents are required to complete a master’s research project for both residency and master’s coursework requirements. Research days are scheduled throughout the residency year and include Academic Fridays. See page 14 for more information on residency research.

Key preceptors

  • Rick Couldry, RPH, MS, FASHP, vice president of pharmacy and health professions
  • Samaneh Wilkinson, PharmD, MS, CPEL, FASHP, senior director of ambulatory pharmacy services
  • Kat Miller, PharmD, MHA, DPLA, FASHP, senior director of acute care pharmacy services
  • Leigh Anne Scott, PharmD, MBA, senior director of cancer care and infusion pharmacy services
  • Korby Lathrop, PharmD, MS, director of pharmacy, lab informatics and pharmacy benefit management program
  • Chris Loucks, PharmD, MS, director of pharmacy supply chain

Resident presentations

PGY1 year

  • The resident is required to conduct one 60-minute presentation of CE quality in the second half of the residency year. This presentation will take place on a day of the week as scheduled by residency leadership. The PGY1 Residency Advisory Council will determine the learning topics of need for the pharmacy department and the resident will choose an approved topic from that list.
  • Poster presentation of DUE results
  • Oral presentation of longitudinal project results at selected residency conference

PGY2 year

  • The resident is required to conduct one 45-minute presentation during the PGY2 residency year for pharmacy department leaders. The presentation will take place as scheduled by residency leadership. The resident will select their own topic, but it must be relevant to pharmacy leadership.

PGY1 and PGY2 year

  • The resident is required to present a poster presentation
  • 20-minute oral practice presentation of longitudinal or master’s research at HSPAL RAC
  • 20-minute oral presentation of longitudinal or master’s research at selected residency conference

General presentation objectives

  • Demonstrate a thorough knowledge for topic presented
  • Compose, present, and communicate information that is brief, well-structured and error-free
  • For clinical presentations:
    • Analyze patient cases for pertinent pathophysiologic processes, pharmacotherapy and drug-related problems
    • Interpret drug response and evaluate risk/benefit in patient cases
    • Identify controversial issues involved in patient cases and develop a therapeutic plan
  • Apply critical literature evaluation skills to medical literature

Academic degree

Residents will earn a Master of Science in pharmacy practice from the University of Kansas as part of the residency program. A minimum of 30 hours of coursework is required to be completed during the 2-year residency. Classes are taught through the Health Policy and Management Department, College of Business, College of Pharmacy and by administrators in the pharmacy department. The majority of classes take place during the evenings to avoid interference with clinical learning experiences. Graduate student tuition is paid for by The University of Kansas Health System. Residents who drop classes after the drop/add period in which no refund is awarded by The University of Kansas may be required to reimburse the health system. Similarly, any tuition reimbursement refunded to a resident must be forwarded on to the health system.

Research projects

Residents are required to complete research projects throughout the 2 residency years. Residents will have 3-4 weeks dedicated to research each year as well as Academic Fridays to ensure dedicated time to work on research projects.

  • Academic Fridays
  • Occur every first and third Friday of the month starting in August of PGY1 year
  • Academic Friday content:
    • Research project time including project meetings
    • HSPAL RAC attendance
    • Pharmacy Leadership Collaborative Meeting (PLC)
    • Advanced Institutional Pharmacy Services (AIPS) class (may be scheduled on other dates pending instructor availability)
    • 1:1 meetings with residency leadership
    • HSPAL Team meetings

Residents are expected to utilize Academic Fridays to minimize time away from learning experience due to research and other HSPAL obligations, especially during the PGY1 year.

PGY1 Projects

Each resident is required to complete 2 projects directed at enhancing personal and professional growth while benefiting the pharmacy department through innovative changes in pharmacy practice in the PGY1 year. These projects may be in the form of original research, development, enhancement or evaluation of some aspect of pharmacy services. Projects will include a quality-focused Drug-Use Evaluation (DUE) to be completed by November and completion of a pharmacy practice project by spring of the PGY1 year for presentation at a residency conference. Project presentations will be in the form of a poster presentation and an oral presentation at a spring residency conference. A final manuscript for the pharmacy practice project must be submitted prior to the end of the PGY1 year.

Master’s project requirement

During the program, residents are required to complete a longitudinal project that suffices the master’s project requirement of their coursework. This project must be in alignment with the strategic goals for the department and organization and allow the resident to contribute to an area of pharmacy practice. The resident will be required to submit for national recognition or award, an oral presentation at a national meeting or a peer reviewed journal. If the project submission does not require a written manuscript, the resident must prepare one to meet ASHP residency objectives.

Residency information

Length of program:

24 months

Number of positions:

6 (3 PGY1, 3 PGY2)

Longitudinal service commitment

  • PGY1: Every other weekend
  • PGY2: Every fourth weekend

Current benefits

  • Annual salary
    • PGY1: $52,000
    • PGY2: $56,000
  • Benefits include PTO, paid holidays and health/dental/life/liability insurance
  • View more information

Conference attendance and travel

Conference attendance and travel is supported by the department based on availability of funds.

Additional pharmacy education and leadership opportunities

  • Chief resident
  • Precept pharmacy students from University of Kansas School of Pharmacy and University of Missouri Kansas City School of Pharmacy.
  • Participate in local and national pharmacy organizations such as GKCSHP, KCHP, ASHP and ACCP.
  • University of Kansas School of Pharmacy offers a teaching certificate for local residents.

Application information

Informational sessions

Deadlines

  • Application deadline: January 2, 2024
  • Must have a valid pharmacy license in the state of Kansas 90 days after starting residency.

Checklist for application

Important dates after completion of match process

  • June: Annual resident's meet-and-greet event and orientation

National matching services (NMS) code: 180718

Contact us

Pharmacy Resident

HSPAL residency director

Sarah Daniel (she/her/hers), PharmD, MS, BCPS

Sarah Mester

PGY1 Residency program coordinator

Sarah Mester, PharmD, MS, BCPS (she/her/hers)

Pharmacy

HSPAL residency advisor

Samaneh Wilkinson (she/her/hers), MS, PharmD, CPEL, FASHP

Meet our residents

Pharmacy Resident

Chris Hall, PGY2, chief resident (he/him/his): Health system pharmacy administration and leadership

Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida

Pharmacy school: University of Florida College of Pharmacy

Practice interests: Informatics, transplant, oncology, sterile compounding, acute care operations, automation, 340B program management and supply chain

Hobbies: Cheering on the Florida Gators, volleyball, pickleball, cooking and anything outdoors

Research project: Development of a Novel Inventory Management Strategy and Central Pharmacy Inventory Optimization

Why I chose The University of Kansas Health System: The University of Kansas Health System has a rich and longstanding history of training pharmacy leaders, and I wanted to be a part of that legacy. Throughout the residency application process, I continued to resonate with the unique experiences that The University of Kansas Health System provides to create strong pharmacy leaders. Because of its history and size, there is no shortage of opportunities to learn whatever you want.

Pharmacy Resident

Daniel Padron, PGY2 (he/him/his): Health system pharmacy administration and leadership

Hometown: Dalton, Georgia

Pharmacy school: University of Georgia College of Pharmacy

Practice interests: Supply chain, pharmacy infusion services, specialty pharmacy, 340B management

Hobbies: Going to new restaurants and breweries, playing tennis, watching Georgia football in the fall

Research project: Optimizing Site of Care Selection for Infusion Services

Why I chose The University of Kansas Health System: There are many reasons why The University of Kansas Health System caught my attention, such as its rich history in cultivating successful pharmacy leaders and commitment to continuous improvement through the use of lean methodologies. After learning more about the program, I was amazed by all the different clinical and administrative opportunities available that will help shape me into an exceptional pharmacy leader. Through the interactions that I had with members of the pharmacy team, it was evident that The University of Kansas Health System was the right fit for me.

Pharmacy Resident

Kaitlyn Yoakum, PGY2 (she/her/hers): Health system pharmacy administration and leadership

Hometown: Overland Park, Kansas

Pharmacy school: University of Kansas School of Pharmacy

Practice interests: Ambulatory care/specialty pharmacy management, clinical management, operations, training and development

Hobbies: Spending time with friends and family, whether that’s going to KC Chiefs or K-State football games, golfing with my husband, traveling to various cities or spoiling our goldendoodle, Bailey!

Research project: Site of Care Process Implementation for IVIG Cancer Patients from Outpatient to Home Infusion

Why I chose The University of Kansas Health System: I chose The University of Kansas Health System because of the strong pharmacy culture as well as the health system’s commitment to their legacy of excellence. Everyone that I have had the pleasure of working with has taken a personal interest in my growth and development both as a pharmacist and as a leader. I am confident that the variety of skills and experiences I will receive throughout this program will prepare me for my career as a pharmacy leader!

Pharmacy Resident

Ashlie Christian, PGY1 (she/her/hers): Health system pharmacy administration and leadership

Hometown: Stonewall, Louisiana

Pharmacy school: Texas Tech University School of Pharmacy

Practice interests: Supply chain, operations, automation, specialty pharmacy

Hobbies: Cheering on LSU athletics, concerts, reading, running, cooking, exploring new places (cities, restaurants, breweries)

Research project: Implementation of a Dispense Alert Approval Process within Pharmacy Automation

Why I chose The University of Kansas Health System: The University of Kansas Health System has a legacy for developing exceptional leaders, and I aspired to be a part of that legacy. I believe part of the reason the health system has this legacy is because of the culture created by pharmacy leadership, the vast experiences they can provide to their residents and the opportunity to learn from some of the nation’s best pharmacy and health system leaders and practitioners. The authenticity I experienced throughout my interactions with residents, program leadership and preceptors was a direct reflection of this culture and further contributed to my desire to be a part of the program. It was evident to me that the health system truly values the success of their residents and would provide the resources and mentorship necessary to get them there.

Pharmacy Resident

Chloe Thornton, PGY1 (she/her/hers): Health system pharmacy administration and leadership

Hometown: Little Rock, Arkansas

Pharmacy school: The University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy

Practice interests: Inpatient operations, formulary management, drug information, clinical management and infectious disease

Hobbies: Traveling, spending time with family and friends, baking, cheering on the Tennessee Volunteers

Research project: Development of an IT Ticket Triage Process to Optimize Lead Time

Why I chose The University of Kansas Health System: I was drawn to The University of Kansas Health System because of their proven commitment to furthering the field of pharmacy through the creation of dedicated, passionate and successful pharmacy leaders. The robust clinical, administrative and enterprise leadership rotations offered within the program encompass everything I was searching for. Each interaction I had with key preceptors continued to show me that this was the program that would shape me into the pharmacy leader I had always envisioned becoming.

We are an equal employment opportunity employer without regard to a person’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity and sexual orientation), national origin, ancestry, age (40 or older), disability, veteran status or genetic information.

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