Skip Navigation

PGY1 Pharmacy Residency

The University of Kansas Health System offers a 13-month post-PharmD training program. The PGY1 pharmacy residency is an organized, directed, postgraduate training program that centers on development of the knowledge, attitudes and skills needed to pursue rational drug therapy.

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.

PGY1 pharmacy residency program highlights

Length of program: 13 months (approximately June-July)

Number of positions: 6

PGY1 residency program required learning experiences:

  1. Orientation
  2. Acute care general selective
    Includes the following learning experiences:
    • Internal Medicine
    • Cardiology
  3. Acute care specialty selective
    Includes the following learning experiences:
    • Hematology/oncology
    • Inpatient cystic fibrosis
    • General pediatrics
    • Neonatal intensive care
    • Neurology
    • Pediatrics
    • Perioperative/OR
    • Psychiatric pharmacy
    • Pulmonary hypertension
    • Solid organ transplant
  4. Ambulatory care selective
    Includes both comprehensive care and specialty learning experiences. See PGY2 website for list of available learning experiences.
  5. Medication-use, safety and policy
    Includes foundations of drug policy, drug information, pharmacy and therapeutics committee, medication safety, quality outcomes and compliance.
  6. Introduction to administration
  7. Clinical research (longitudinal)
    PGY1 residents participate in leading 2 research projects throughout the year. Through the reversed model, PGY1 residents complete data collection/analysis and develop a poster and manuscript in the first 6 months of the program for a research project that was developed by a previous PGY1 resident. Starting in January of the residency year, PGY1 residents will develop a research question and design a research project by the end of the residency year that will be passed to the incoming PGY1 class.
  8. Service commitment (longitudinal)
    PGY1 residents staff clinical pharmacist shifts approximately every other weekend through January and then approximately every fourth weekend from January to June of the residency year. All weekend shifts are decentralized clinical pharmacist shifts with direct patient care responsibilities. Clinical care teams PGY1 resident staff are reevaluated each residency year. They currently include cardiology, pediatrics, internal medicine and/or surgery, and the PGY1 resident joins one team for the entire year.
  9. Grand rounds and leadership topic discussion
    PGY1 residents will present 1 45-minute and 1 60-minute pharmacy grand rounds presentations throughout the year. The 60-minute presentation includes offering continuing education credit for pharmacist. Additionally, PGY1 residents moderate and lead 1 leadership discussion throughout the year.

PGY1 program specific elective learning experiences

  1. Critical care selective
  2. Advanced independent practice
  3. 3 general electives (1 must be in direct patient care setting)

PGY1/2 MUSP PGY1 program specific elective learning experiences

  1. Advanced medication-use, safety and policy
  2. Critical care selective
  3. Advanced independent practice
  4. 2 general electives (1 must be in direct patient care setting)

PGY1/2 HSPAL PGY1 program specific elective learning experiences

  1. Transitions of care
  2. 1 general elective in direct patient care setting
  3. Advanced administration
  4. Leadership expansion

Elective learning experiences

The following learning experiences are considered elective options, but some may be required or specific to a particular PGY1 track. Additionally, learning experiences included above in required selective learning experiences may be selected as elective options.

  1. Advanced independent practice
  2. 2-week experience following a blocked learning experience in an acute care setting where the resident is the assigned pharmacist for the clinical team. This learning experience is scheduled after December of the residency year.
  3. Advanced heart failure
  4. Chief resident (longitudinal) *Application required
  5. This elective longitudinal learning experience takes place from January to July of the PGY1 residency year. The primary focus is to gain experience with residency program administration as well as developing and improving leadership skills of the resident.
  6. Critical care selective
  7. Includes the following learning experiences:
    • Medical ICU
    • Neurosurgery ICU
    • Surgical/trauma ICU
  8. Emergency Department
  9. Infectious diseases/antimicrobial stewardship
  10. Palliative care
  11. Pharmacy informatics
  12. Pharmacy administration
  13. Poison Center/toxicology
  14. Transitions of care
  15. Advanced medication-use safety and policy
  16. Advanced administration
  17. Leadership expansion

Teaching certificate

PGY1 residents have the option to participate in the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy Resident Teaching Certificate.

Benefits

  • Annual salary: $52,000
  • Benefits include PTO, paid holidays and other benefits provided to health system employees
  • View more information

Program manuals

Informational sessions

  • Virtual recruitment events will be held in the fall. Details and links to these events can be found on our social media accounts (below) or by emailing the program contacts.

Application requirements

PhORCAS residency program application

  • Letter of intent
  • Curriculum vitae
  • College transcripts
  • 3 letters of recommendation
  • Supplemental materials as outlined in the ASHP residency program directory

Deadlines

Deadlines

  • All application materials must be received via PhORCAS by due date listed on ASHP residency program directory.
  • Must have a valid pharmacy license in the state of Kansas within 90 days of the start of residency.

National matching services (NMS) code: 143313

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.

Contact us

The University of Kansas Health System
Pharmacy
4000 Cambridge St., Mailstop 4040
Kansas City, KS 66160
Sarah Mester

PGY1 Residency program director

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

Lindsey Fitzpatrick

Residency coordinator

Lindsey Fitzpatrick, PharmD, BCPS (she/her/hers)

Meet our residents

Pharmacy residency group photo

Megan Callahan

Hometown: Houston, Texas

Pharmacy school: The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy

Clinical staffing area: Pediatrics

Research project title: Effect of Obesity on Incidence and Severity of Neurotoxicity in Patients Receiving Arsenic Trioxide for Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia

Areas of interest: Oncology and women's health

Why I chose The University of Kansas Health System: Having lived in Texas most of my life, I was excited for the chance to explore a new city and care for a different patient population. I was drawn to this program because it's a large academic medical center with great opportunities to teach and precept. I also loved that we have the opportunity to staff in a clinical area. What stood out to me the most was how welcoming and supportive everyone was. From the residents I met at midyear to the faculty during interviews, it was clear that this is a place where people are passionate about their work and truly invested in helping each resident grow.

Elizabeth Carter

Hometown: Kingman, Kansas

Pharmacy school: University of Kansas School of Pharmacy

Clinical staffing area: Cardiology

Research project title: Comparing the Clinical Efficacy of Higher Versus Lower Valproic Acid Maintenance Dosing in Status Epilepticus

Areas of interest: Critical Care

Why I chose The University of Kansas Health System: I always knew I wanted to pursue residency at an academic medical center. The health system stuck out to me for multiple reasons. As a student, I had multiple opportunities to see first-hand how valued the residents are and how their opinion and presence is an integral part of the multidisciplinary rounding teams. The health system also has a vastly diverse patient population, spanning all levels of acuity. I knew that by completing my training here and taking care of all types of patients in any area, I would be provided the strong foundation to move on to a PGY2 in my area of interest. The health system’s pharmacy is one of the best pharmacy "phamilies" I've ever encountered! The care throughout the health system makes coming to work every day easy.

Ryley Elsea

Hometown: Wichita, Kansas

Pharmacy school: University of Kansas

Clinical staffing area: Pediatrics

Research project title: Evaluating Incidence of Immune Effector Cell-Associated HLH (IEC-HLH) Across CAR T and BiTE Therapies and Treatment Outcomes with Anakinra, Ruxolitinib and Emapalumab

Areas of interest: Oncology, solid organ transplant

Why I chose The University of Kansas Health System: Having the opportunity to rotate through the health system as a student, I was able to see and learn so much from my preceptors in highly specialized areas and always felt like I was part of the team. Coming into residency, I knew I wanted to continue being challenged clinically and personally in an environment that felt safe and encouraging for learners, and being an academic medical center, the health system felt like the perfect place for me. The learning experiences and opportunities in the health system are endless, which gives me the chance to broaden my clinical knowledge in a way that is unrivaled by many programs.

Kailey Gill

Hometown: Norton, Kansas

Pharmacy school: University of Kansas School of Pharmacy

Clinical staffing area: Internal medicine

Research project title: Efficacy and Safety of Low-Dose Anti-Thymocyte Globulin Compared to Moderate-Dose Anti-Thymocyte Globulin for Induction Therapy in Kidney Transplantation

Areas of interest: Transplant, infectious diseases

Why I chose The University of Kansas Health System: I chose the health system because I was looking for a program that offered a wide variety of rotations with clinically complex patients that matched my interests. I wanted to complete a residency at a large academic medical center where I would be challenged but also supported by preceptors who are invested in teaching. What stood out to me was the strong learning environment, the ability to work on meaningful research and how valued pharmacists are on the care team. This program felt like the right place to grow both professionally and personally during my residency year.

Olivia Lopez

Hometown: Shawnee, Kansas

Pharmacy school: University of Kansas School of Pharmacy

Clinical staffing area: Cardiology

Research project title: Evaluation of the Safety and Efficacy of Antimotility Agents in Patients with Clostridium Difficile Infection

Areas of interest: Cardiology, critical care, internal medicine

Why I chose The University of Kansas Health System: As a student, I had the opportunity to complete APPE rotations through The University of Kansas Health System. I was able to collaborate with knowledgeable preceptors and be a part of multidisciplinary teams that were supportive and encouraging toward learners. While I was searching for residency programs, I constantly found myself comparing each program to my experiences at this health system. Being a large academic medical center, there are an ample amounts of learning opportunities available to residents. I felt like this program would be the best fit for my interests and would help shape me into a well-rounded pharmacist through its challenging learning experiences and meaningful projects.

Lauren Rihanek

Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska

Pharmacy school: South Dakota State University

Clinical staffing area: Internal medicine

Research project title: Comparison of Clinical Outcomes Between Oral Fluoroquinolones and Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole Versus Oral Beta Lactams for Uncomplicated Enterobacterales Bloodstream Infections

Areas of interest: Infectious diseases

Why I chose The University of Kansas Health System: I chose the health system because I wanted an environment that would both support and challenge me to grow beyond my comfort zone. I was drawn to the large academic medical center setting, which would allow me to gain experience in managing patients with a wide range of disease states. It was evident that this institution would provide the opportunities I was seeking to develop as a pharmacist, with dedicated preceptors and mentors to guide me every step of the way!

Related links