Howard County General Hospital recognizes the value of pharmacy residency training for individuals seeking a career in the community hospital setting. The pharmacy residency program started in 2012 and offers a variety of opportunities in various areas of pharmacy practice. The PGY1 pharmacy residency program builds on Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) education and outcomes to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists responsible for medication-related care of patients with a wide range of conditions, eligible for board certification, and eligible for postgraduate year two (PGY2) pharmacy residency training.
About the Program: Program Overview | Rotations | Learning Opportunities | How to Apply | Benefits | Current Resident | Alumni | Staffing
Program Goals
The program aims to develop well-rounded pharmacists dedicated to the profession of pharmacy and skilled in:
- The proper management of medications
- Evidence-based and patient-centered medication therapy management
- Working with other health care professionals in managing patients in an inpatient and outpatient setting
- Exercising leadership skills
- The ability to manage time and prioritize when given multiple tasks
- Providing medication counseling and practice related education
- Using medical references
Program Directors
Please contact us with questions or concerns:
Eun Jin Park, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCIDP
Residency Program Director
[email protected]
Daryn Norwood, Pharm.D., BCPS
Director of Pharmacy
[email protected]
Clinical Services at our Pharmacies
Clinical services provided by the pharmacy department include but are not limited to the following:
- pharmacokinetic monitoring of vancomycin and aminoglycosides
- inpatient anticoagulation monitoring
- monitoring of narrow therapeutic index medications
- medication history gathering by pharmacy technicians in emergency department
- intravenous to oral medication conversion
- patient medication education
- antimicrobial stewardship
- renal drug monitoring program
- parenteral nutrition support
- multidisciplinary rounding
- drug information
Program Overview
At the completion of the PGY-1 residency program, residents will become a highly competent and qualified practitioner able to provide care to a wide array of patients. Our program offers the experiences necessary to proceed on to a specialty residency or to begin practicing as a clinical pharmacist.
HCGH is a community hospital providing the unique capability to engage each of our residents in patient care, project management and practice management. The knowledge gained during the residency year will enable residents to be a great resource to other healthcare professionals. The residency program will not only allow advancement of the individual’s clinical skills, but will also provide a setting to develop their maturity, leadership and be able to perform practice related projects.
Projects assigned to residents will include, but are not limited to, a year-long residency project, drug monographs/class reviews, oral and written communication projects, patient education and community outreach, quality improvement projects and participation in various departmental committees. Upon successful completion of the post-graduate Year-1 residency program, the resident will be awarded a residency certificate.
Rotations
The program offers a twelve-month post-graduate training experience composed of eight mandatory rotations and three elective rotations, two of which may be an off-site experience.
Required Rotations
- Orientation (8-12 weeks)
- Internal Medicine I (4 weeks)
- Infectious Diseases I (4 weeks)
- Critical Care I (4 weeks)
- Administration I (4 weeks)
- Internal Medicine II (4 weeks)
- Infectious Diseases II (4 weeks)
- Critical Care II (4 weeks)
Elective Rotation Options
- Administration II
- ICU III
- Internal Medicine III
- Infectious Diseases III
- Off-Site Rotation (opportunities available at Johns Hopkins Hospital)
Longitudinal Rotations
- Medication Safety and Quality Improvement
- Pharmacotherapy Rounds
- Pharmacy Practice
- Research Project
- Teaching & Education
How to Apply and Application Requirements
- Pharm.D. or equivalent experience
- Eligibility for Maryland licensure
- Academic transcripts
- Curriculum Vitae
- Education
- Work experience
- Experiential education (rotations)
- Community service activities
- Professional organization involvement
- Leadership experiences
- Awards and honors received
- Presentations
- Research experience
- 3 letters of recommendation
- References should complete the reference section in the Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service (PhORCAS). Traditional letters of reference are not required.
- Letter of intent
All components of the application must be uploaded into PhORCAS by the deadline noted in PhORCAS. Late applications will not be considered.
HCGH PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency program is unable to sponsor visas at this time.
Benefits
General
- Resident office with computer and laptop
- In-house phone and direct line (Ascom)
- ACLS certification
Meeting Support
Travel and accommodation reimbursement for ASHP Mid-Year Clinical Meeting and Eastern States Residency Conference.
Compensation
$52,582.40 (for 2021-2022)
Paid Time Off
Residents are allowed two paid holidays, one hospital-recognized summer holiday and one hospital-recognized winter holiday.
Residents are on a probationary period for the first 90 days of employment per our Human Resources policy. After this time period has elapsed, residents accrue paid time off like regular staff members. All paid time off requests must be approved by the current preceptor as well as the residency program director in advance.
Health Insurance
Standard Comprehensive Coverage
- Medical
- Vision
- Prescription
- Life insurance
- Disability
- Dental
Current Resident
Nehal Ahmed, Pharm.D. | 2022 – 2023
Nehal Ahmed was born in Cairo, Egypt and grew up in Maryland, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She then received her Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. Her professional interests include internal medicine, critical care, and health system administration and management. In her free time, Nehal enjoys spending time with friends and family (and two cats, Millie and Molly), traveling, and trying new foods. Nehal would like to thank her friends, family, and mentors for their continued support and guidance.
Pharmacy Residency Alumni
- Shila Mortazavi, Pharm.D. | 2021 - 2022
- M. Claire Vickers, Pharm.D. | 2020 - 2021
- Rénadin Siagat, Pharm.D., Ph.D., M.Ed., BS.RT | 2019 - 2020
- Dana Lee, Pharm.D., BCPS | 2018 - 2019
- Melissa Augustino, Pharm.D., BCPS | 2017 - 2018
- Caroline Kim, Pharm.D. | 2017 - 2018
- L. Diana Berescu, Pharm.D., BCPS | 2016 - 2017
- Soumil Sheth, Pharm.D. | 2016 - 2017
- Eun Jin Park, Pharm.D., BCPS | 2015 - 2016
- Amy Truong Pham, Pharm.D. | 2015 - 2016
- Andrew Wang, Pharm.D., BCPS | 2014 - 2015
- Miranda Law, Pharm.D., BCPS | 2014 - 2015
- Jackie Tran, Pharm.D., BCPS | 2013 - 2014
- Nana Addo, Pharm.D. | 2013 - 2014
- Eun-Young Lee, Pharm.D., BCPS | 2012 - 2013
Program Administrator Responsibilities
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The residency program director (RPD) ensures that the program goals and objectives are met and the requirements necessary for the completion of the PGY-1 residency program are met by all residents. In addition to designing resident schedules and coordinating educational activities, the RPD will ensure that all training deadlines are met, monitoring learning evaluations and preceptor interactions and that resident evaluations are completed. The residency director is responsible for ensuring that each resident is receiving a well-rounded experience and is meeting all ASHP goals and objectives. Preceptor selection and ongoing preceptor development will be defined by the residency director in conjunction with the director of pharmacy. The program director will ensure that the overall program goals and objectives are met.
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The Residency Advisory Committee is a standing committee of the Department of Pharmacy. It is composed of residency preceptors and meets on a monthly basis to evaluate residents’ progress. The Committee serves in an advisory capacity to the Residency Program Director, and endeavors to maintain and improve the quality and consistency of the residency program.
The committee provides a forum for preceptors to discuss common concerns, to develop additional learning experiences, and to promote new and innovative areas of practice. The committee meets on a monthly basis. The specific functions of the committee include:- Continuous evaluation of the curriculum, goals and objectives
- Quarterly evaluation of the residents’ progress
- The evaluation and support of residency projects
- Resident recruitment and selection
Pharmacy Residency Staffing
Residents will staff every third weekend rotating between centralized staffing and clinical staffing responsibilities. The staffing component of the residency program will begin with a training period following the orientation month and the go-live is tentatively scheduled for September 1st, beginning with the Labor Day holiday weekend. Residents will gain experience by working the following shift assignments: central pharmacy, decentralized, evening, and as available based on the staffing needs of the department. Outside employment is not permitted while completing a PGY-1 residency at Howard County General Hospital.
Holiday Coverage
All pharmacy staff members are hired with the expectation of staffing holidays and this requirement also applies to pharmacy residents. Residents will be responsible for working one winter holidays (Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, or New Year’s Day) and one summer holiday (Labor Day or Memorial Day). While it depends on the staffing needs of the department, Labor Day weekend is usually set as the go-live for independent pharmacy staffing and the assigned summer holiday in the one-resident model.