Pharmacy Residency Programs

Overview

Massachusetts General Hospital is a 1,035-bed, academic teaching hospital in Boston, MA. It is the largest hospital in New England, and the third oldest in the United States. Consistently ranked as one of the top hospitals in the nation by US News & World Report, Mass General’s history and achievements have earned it a reputation as one of the foremost medical centers in the world for centuries. The hospital's reputation dates as far back as 1846, when the first public demonstration of the use of ether as an anesthetic during surgery took place in the Mass General Ether Dome. Mass General is affiliated with Harvard Medical School and conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the U.S.

Department of Pharmacy

Established in 1845, the Mass General Department of Pharmacy provides innovative and comprehensive direct patient care and operational services to the inpatient hospital and numerous outpatient clinics.

The Department of Pharmacy encompasses a staff of approximately 350 fulltime employees, a $450 million annual drug budget, and 15 locations, including the Gray Main Inpatient Pharmacy, Operating Room Pharmacy, Wang Outpatient Pharmacy, Yawkey Ambulatory Oncology Infusion Pharmacy, General and Oncology Clinical Trials Pharmacy, as well as numerous outpatient and ambulatory oncology pharmacies off-campus. Over 9 million medication doses are dispensed annually and are supported by medication carousels, anesthesia workstations, and automated dispensing cabinets. The hospital has a fully implemented electronic medical record across the institution. Pharmacists are involved in complex medical management, integrated into multidisciplinary teams and provide services such as therapeutic drug monitoring, patient counseling, drug information, medication reconciliation and acute emergency response.

Pharmacy Residency Training

Our mission is to provide a dynamic, goal-oriented environment to develop a well-rounded clinical expert, educator and leader and to assure each resident is thoroughly trained in the provision of individualized direct patient care, clinical and didactic teaching, practice-based research, and patient-centric pharmacy leadership. The Mass General Pharmacy Residency Programs are committed to adhering to the accreditation standards set forth by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and therefore strive to meet and exceed those standards.

A multitude of clinical learning experiences are offered to provide the knowledge and skills necessary to develop a resident into an independent practitioner. Under the direction and guidance of expert-level clinical pharmacists, residents will ultimately assume ownership and responsibility of their patients’ pharmaceutical care and become vital members of medical teams. In addition, numerous longitudinal expectations will allow residents to experience interdisciplinary teamwork, pharmacy operations, pharmacy practice management, clinical trials and process improvement. At Mass General, we take pride in being able to effectively place every residents’ professional objectives at the center of their training, thereby enabling them to excel in a variety of career paths. We instill passion for the practice of pharmacy and empathy for patient care such that each resident is also committed to the advancement of the profession.

Curriculum

The Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Pharmacy offers the following Pharmacy Residency programs:

• PGY1 Pharmacy
• PGY2 Psychiatric Pharmacy
• PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy
• PGY2 Oncology Pharmacy
• PGY2 Emergency Medicine
• PGY2 Infectious Diseases
• PGY1/2 Health - System Administration and Leadership
• PGY2 Solid Organ Transplant Pharmacy
• PGY2 Internal Medicine

Graduate Pharmacy Education

All of the Pharmacy Residency Programs at Mass General are unified together as Graduate Pharmacy Education. Collectively, these criteria-based, post-graduate training experiences are designed to develop trainees into autonomous clinicians with the skills needed to lead patient-specific programs in acute care practice settings.

While on clinical service, post-graduate year one (PGY1) and post-graduate year two (PGY2) residents collaborate and serve as the primary pharmacists for their assigned patients. As members of integrated healthcare teams, residents work cooperatively with other providers to deliver safe medication therapy and achieve optimal outcomes.

Residents participate in multidisciplinary bedside rounds, develop patient care plans, and optimize medication therapy. In all programs, residents develop skills in clinical and didactic teaching, research methodology, critical thinking, and pharmacy practice leadership.

Learning Experiences

• Required core learning experiences
• Elective learning experiences chosen based on resident’s interest
• Longitudinal learning experiences

Presentations

• ACPE-accredited Clinical Education Program
• Pharmacy Grand Rounds
• Journal club and case presentations
• Multidisciplinary in-services

Research

• Longitudinal research project
• Guidance from mentor(s) and the Residency Research Committee
• Poster presentation at the Vizient Council Meeting and/or the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition
• Platform presentation at the Eastern States Conference for Pharmacy Residents and Preceptors or other professional conference

Resident Seminars

• Teaching certificate issued in collaboration with Northeastern University (optional)
• Pharmacy research certificate issue in collaboration with MGH Institute for Health Professions (optional)

Pharmacy Practice Experience

• Decentral pharmacy practice experience (PGY1 and PGY2 pharmacy residents)
• Central pharmacy practice experience (PGY1 pharmacy residents)
• Acute emergency response with ACLS certification

Leadership Opportunities

• Residency officer positions and resident-run committees
• Pharmacy Therapeutics & Safety Committee
• ASHP Visiting Leaders Program
• ASHP Whitney Reception
• John W. Webb Lecture

Meetings and Conferences

• ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition
• Vizient Pharmacy Council Meeting
• MSHP Annual Meeting
• Regional Pharmacy Residency Conference for Pharmacy Residents and Preceptors
• Other professional conference (with approval from Residency Program Director, Director of Graduate Pharmacy Education and Chief Pharmacy Officer)

Benefits

• Competitive stipend: PGY1: $57,000; PGY2: $60,000
• Health insurance options
• Vacation days, paid holidays and sick time
• Professional materials (laptop, pager, lab coat, office space, drug information resources, etc.)
• Travel reimbursement for approved conferences
• Massachusetts Society of Health-System Pharmacists membership
• Discounted subway/train passes
• Discounted health club membership
• “MGH Perks” for various activities in the New England area

Faculty

Resident Community

Find out about residency activities, who we are and life in Boston

How to Apply

Applicants for PGY1 and PGY2 programs must possess a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree and be eligible for immediate licensure by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy. Successful completion of an ASHP-accredited PGY1 Pharmacy Residency is required for those applying for the PGY2 programs. Previous experience in pharmacy practice, a sound academic record and other scholarly and leadership activities are also important considerations.

Applications for all programs should be submitted via PhORCAS and must include:

• Completed application
• Formal Letter of Intent
• Curriculum Vitae
• Official pharmacy school transcripts and undergraduate transcripts (if applicable)
• Three standardized references completed via PhORCAS

The deadline for receipt of a completed PhORCAS application is December 31. After applications are reviewed, qualified candidates will be contacted to schedule an on-site interview in Boston, Massachusetts. All of the Pharmacy Residency Programs at Mass General participate in the ASHP Resident Matching Program.

NMS Codes:

• PGY1 Pharmacy Residency (General Track): 180513
• PGY1/2 Health-System Pharmacy Administration Residency: 263518
• PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency: 648652
• PGY2 Oncology Pharmacy Residency: 715660
• PGY2 Emergency Medicine Residency: 751269
• PGY2 Infectious Diseases Residency: 751455
• PGY2 Solid Organ Transplant Pharmacy Residency: 798076
• PGY2 Internal Medicine: 657556
• PGY2 Psychiatry: 651766