PGY-1/PGY-2 Health-System Administration and Leadership

Program Purpose

The purpose of the MGH PGY-1/PGY-2 Health-System Pharmacy Administration & Leadership (HSPAL) Residency Program is to prepare graduates to serve in various leadership roles within an academic medical center health-system pharmacy department.

PGY-2 pharmacy residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and PGY-1 pharmacy residency training to contribute to the development of pharmacists in specialized areas of practice. PGY-2 residencies provide residents with opportunities to function independently as practitioners by conceptualizing and integrating accumulated experience and knowledge and incorporating both into the provision of advanced practice settings. Residents who successfully complete an accredited PGY-2 pharmacy residency are prepared for advanced patient care or other specialized positions, and board certification in the advanced practice area.

Description

The PGY-1/PGY-2 HSPAL Residency program is a 24-month program at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) with a combined Masters’ Degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences with a specialization in Health-System Pharmacy Administration from the University of North Carolina (UNC) Eshelman School of Pharmacy (#1 ranked pharmacy school in the country).

In the first year of the program, residents will complete the same requirements of the MGH PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency Program, supplemented with coursework towards completion of the MS degree. Our mission is to provide a dynamic, goal-oriented environment to develop a well-rounded clinical expert 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 PGY-1 year will develop the resident into an independent generalist practitioner with a strong clinical foundation. After completion of the first year of residency, the resident will receive a PGY-1 residency certificate.

In the second year of the program, residents work closely with the entire MGH Department of Pharmacy Leadership Team, hospital, and health-system administrators to develop competence in clinical leadership, pharmacy operations, budgeting and finance, medication safety, drug use policy, regulatory affairs, process improvement, pharmacy informatics and enterprise-level management. The second-year electives are customizable to each resident's interests and career goals. Additionally, the resident can participate in a corporate pharmacy leadership role within Mass General Brigham Healthcare, founded by both Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital and includes 10 additional community hospitals within the system.

The MGH PGY-1/PGY-2 HSPAL Residency will follow all standards and regulations outlined in the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Regulations on Accreditation of Pharmacy Residencies and the ASHP Accreditation Standard for Postgraduate Year Two (PGY-2) Pharmacy Residency Programs. The residency program is an accredited ASHP Residency Program.

We currently offer one position for the combined PGY-1/PGY-2 HSPAL Residency Program.

The Master of Science Degree in Pharmaceutical Sciencesis offered in collaboration with the University of North Carolina Hospitals, Duke University Health System, Atrium Health-Wake Forest Baptist Health, Mission Hospitals, BayCare Health System, Baptist Health, University of Pennsylvania Medicine, Moses Cone Hospital, Novant Health, University Hospitals, Boston Medical Center, University of Kentucky Health, and Eskenazi Health. The core curriculum for the two-year MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences program with a specialization in health-system pharmacy administration consists of course work in advanced topics with human resource management, health-systems financial management, medication safety, quality improvement, and health-system pharmacy operations.

Program Goals

• Prepare, dispense, and manage medications to support safe and effective drug therapy for patients
• Design, implement, and manage a safe and effective medication-use system
• Apply contemporary quality methodology to the management of pharmacy services
• Lead and manage the health system pharmacy’s human resources
• Manage the health system pharmacy financial performance within the context of the broader health system
• Leverage technology and automated systems to optimize the medication-use system
• Demonstrate personal leadership qualities and business acumen essential to operate effectively within the health system and advance the profession and practice of pharmacy
• Attain board certification (BCPS)

Learning Experiences

The first month of the PGY-1 residency is an orientation to the Department of Pharmacy, after a 1.5-day hospital orientation. Activities include competency lectures on basic clinical skills, training on the Massachusetts General Hospital Epic® information system and side-by-side training with clinical and operational pharmacy preceptors.

PGY-1 Core Learning Experiences:

Please review the MGH PGY-1 Residency webpage to review the Core, Selective, Elective, and Longitudinal learning experiences in the PGY-1 year which will be completed in addition to the UNC MS Degree. The PGY-1/PGY-2 HSPAL resident will have a 4-week Pharmacy Administration learning experience in the first year and a 4-week Introduction to Pharmacy Operations learning experience.

PGY-2 Core Learning Experiences:

• Ambulatory Oncology & Cancer Infusion Center Leadership (6 weeks)
• Executive/Enterprise Leadership (6 weeks)
• Clinical Leadership (6 weeks)
• Advanced Pharmacy Operations and Automation (8 weeks)
• Business and Finance (4 weeks)
• Medication Safety, Quality, Compliance, and Regulatory Affairs (5 weeks)
• Supply Chain Management (4 weeks)
• Specialty Pharmacy Leadership (3 weeks)

PGY-2 Elective Learning Experiences:

• Extension of any required rotation
• Perioperative Pharmacy Management
• Advanced Medication Use Policy and Safety
• Retail Pharmacy Management
• Advanced Compounding Operations Leadership
• Advanced Ambulatory Oncology Leadership
• Other experiences based on the resident’s interest (e.g., Vizient Informatics and Supply Chain Leadership elective)
• Data & Analytics
• Additional experiences available based on resident’s interest

PGY-2 Longitudinal Experiences:

• Pharmacy Manager On-Call (rotating basis with other Pharmacy Leaders)
• Supervisory experience (Oversee overnight Central Distribution Technician Staff: 10 FTE)
• Pharmacy Practice Experience – Central and Decentralized Clinical and Operational Services
• Joint Research Project & Master’s Thesis
• Optional: AmerisourceBergen Pharmacy Supply Chain Residency Forum

Resident Wellness and Resiliency

The MGH PGY1 Pharmacy Residency prioritizes our residents’ well-being. Some (but not all) of the ways that we support our residents include:

• Resident advisor that is assigned to each resident for the year to act as a mentor and resident advocate
• Events planned by the resident-led MGH Resident Social and Wellness Chair
• Access to the MGH-sponsored employee assistance program that includes free access to mental health tools and access to a mental health professional within 48 hours, if needed
• Education sessions devoted to resiliency and managing burnout

Benefits

• Competitive stipend: PGY-2: $65,998.40
• 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

Application Requirements

• Doctor of Pharmacy degree from an ACPE-accredited program
• Eligible for licensure in Massachusetts
• Application materials must be submitted through PhORCAS by January 2nd
  • Completed PhORCAS application
  • Formal letter of intent
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Official pharmacy school transcript and undergraduate transcripts
  • Three letters of recommendation through PhORCAS (at least 1 letter of recommendation needs to be from a clinical preceptor)
• Complete a UNC Graduate School Application
• The deadline for receipt of a completed PhORCAS application is January 3rd. After applications are reviewed, qualified candidates will be contacted to schedule an interview.

Contact Information

Corey McEwen, PharmD, MS
Director of Pharmacy Oncology Services
Director, PGY-1/2 HSPAL Residency Program
CMCEWEN1@mgh.harvard.edu

Antonia Akrap, PharmD, MS, BCPS
Manager, Perioperative Pharmacy Services
Coordinator, PGY-1/2 HSPAL Residency Program
AAKRAP@mgh.harvard.edu