More information and questions?
Hannah Palmer, PharmD, BCPS
St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital
6720 Bertner Avenue; MC 2-230
Houston, Texas, 77030
Email: hpalmer@sleh.com
P: (832) 355-3114
F: (832) 355-4794
What is the Infectious Diseases Pharmacy Fellowship?
The Infectious Diseases Fellowship will combine infectious diseases clinical practice and research in a two year program. The fellow will be trained as a clinical practitioner in the St. Luke's Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship with patient care, monitoring, research, and teaching components. The first year will focus more heavily on clinical activities and progress into the second year with an extensive research focus. Research will be conducted in collaboration with extensive research focus. Research will be conducted in collaboration with expert faculty researchers from the University of Houston College of Pharmacy.
What is the history of the residency program at St. Luke's?
An ASHP-accredited residency in hospital pharmacy was first initiated at St. Luke's in 1973. It continued for some time, producing many graduates who have since assumed significant positions in all areas of the country. The current program has re-established our original tradition of excellence in residency training, brought up to date with revised program standards under a completely new team of preceptors and staff. Full accreditation for the new program at St. Luke's was awarded by the ASHP Commission on Credentialing in September 1992. As of the fall of 2011, we have had 46 graduates of the current program and four in training. St. Luke's has several other residency opportunities. St. Luke's has a post-graduate year 2 (PGY2) Critical Care Residency which was accredited in 2003 and has fourteen graduates and one in training. We also have a PGY2 Cardiology specialty residency program started in July 2008 and received full accreditation 2011. We have had one resident complete the program. Also in 2008, we established a two year Infectious Diseases Fellowship in conjunction with the University of Houston College of Pharmacy. We have had one fellow complete the program. There are currently three in the program. The fellows have stayed on to complete a third year. Lastly, we have a PGY1/PGY2 MS and Pharmacy Administration residency in conjunction with the University of Houston that was established in July 2009 and received full accreditation in 2011. We have had one graduate in the program and two in training. In 2012, we will expand the PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency to 6 positions and add a PGY2 Transplant Residency.
How is the infectious diseases fellowship offered at St. Luke's?
The fellowship is a full-time (2 years) program which requires a commitment of 40-48 hours per week. The fellowship is conducted through the accomplishment of formal learning objectives, consistent with the accreditation standards of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). The program has an establish core of learning activities but may also be custom tailored to each resident's background, experiences, and personal goals for the program.
The start date of the fellowship is between July 1st and July 15th. Earlier or later start dates may be arranged based on individual circumstances. Ample time is given off to take the licensure exam if that is an issue. Pharmacist staffing experiences generally do not exceed 16 hours in a 3-week period (e.g. every third weekend). Fellows can expect to cover half of the designated holidays during the year. Two weeks of paid vacation are available during the year, and are given as additional pay if not used.
Tell me more about "staffing experiences".
We knew you'd ask. Staffing experiences means working as a decentralized clinical and critical care pharmacist here at St. Luke's on an every third weekend basis. The staffing is structured in that the experiences are discussed and assessed against learning objectives, assignments are made based on skill and experience needs of the resident, and many targeted drug monitoring and related DUE projects that can be performed concurrently.
It is our belief that meaningful staffing experiences are absolutely necessary in the infectious diseases fellowship. We are, after all, focused on training competent practitioners who will provide pharmaceutical care to acutely ill and critically ill patients. Staffing experiences gives the fellow the opportunity to function independently as a practitioner by conceptualizing and integrating accumulated experience and knowledge and transforming it into improved pharmaceutical care for patients who are acutely and critically ill. The absence of such experiences diminishes the fellow's growth and practice maturity in the program.
What is the stipend and what benefits are included?
The current stipend per year is $ 47,760. Residents are entitled to the same benefits as staff pharmacists. St. Luke's has a "choice plan" for insurance benefits, with many options available to fit the individual or family situation.
St. Luke's allocates "benefit dollars" to employees, who then can spend them on the benefits of their choice. The allocation covers the needs of the individual employee, with payroll deduction for increased individual coverage or family/dependent plans. Parking is provided for free at a remote lot with access to Metro Transit (Metrorail) and free, air-conditioned shuttle service at all hours.
Funded meetings are the ICAAC and the Texas Society of Health-System Pharmacists annual seminar and Alcalde Southwest Leadership Conference. Presentations of both projects are required to be given at each meeting attended.
The resident has dedicated desk space with access to a personal computer with all contemporary software and printing. Full internet access is provided, with e-mail services.
What other opportunities are available with the St. Luke's fellowship?
A major advantage in taking the residency program at St. Luke's is its location in the Texas Medical Center (TMC). The TMC is the largest medical center in the world, and is more than twice as large as the second largest medical center. It occupies over 500 acres, including twelve major hospitals representing over five thousand beds, and has a large central medical complex. It is home to nine academic institutions including two colleges of medicine, two colleges of pharmacy, several colleges of nursing, dentistry, and other medical disciplines. TMC is adjacent to the Rice University campus and the Hermann Park/Museum complex of the City of Houston. St. Luke's itself is home to the world renowned Texas Heart Institute®. The first human heart transplant in the United States was performed here; more open heart surgical procedures have been performed here than anywhere else in the world, and St. Luke's has the largest cardiac catheterization facility in the world.
Houston is the fourth largest city in the nation and has an abundance of recreational opportunities. Immediately to the south of the Medical Center is the large Reliant Park complex, featuring Reliant Stadium and the Astrodome Stadium. Evenings out can include events such as the Houston Astros, Texans, Rockets or Comets games. The beaches and attractions of Galveston Island are less than an hour away. Other activities include multi-cultural activities such as opera, the ballet, symphony or musicals. In addition, there are many places to eat and try new foods.
What about the Department of Pharmacy?
The Department of Pharmacy at St. Luke's consists of approximately 180 staff members, of which nearly 100 are pharmacists. All contemporary services are provided. We emphasize being a "pharmacist-centered pharmacy in a patient-centered hospital." Our distribution model uses unit based automation with decentralized clinical pharmacy services. We have automated carousels and automated repackaging in Central Pharmacy. Pharmacy Services are available 24/7 in Central Pharmacy. We have four pharmacy satellites in the operating room (OR), Cardiovascular OR, Outpatient OR Satellite, and Emergency Department Satellite.
The hospital itself has 864 available beds, of which 157 are intensive care. It has forty-four operating rooms and ten cardiac catheterization labs.
What is desired in an applicant for the St. Luke's fellowship?
We are looking for a mature individual who has made a career decision to become a leader in health-system or institutional pharmacy. The candidate must be prepared to make a serious commitment to satisfactorily complete all requirements of the program, as planned in advance. This commitment includes attendance at required meetings, programs, presentations and trips, and the availability and willingness to participate in any function of the Department of Pharmacy on a 24-hour basis. The fellowship is tailored to each individual, and regular evaluations of accomplishment must be satisfactory. This is a mature program for mature individuals who are serious about the profession as a lifelong career, and cardiology as a specialty practice. Applicants should hold the PharmD degree and complete and ASHP-Accredited PGY1 Residency in Pharmacy Practice prior to starting the Specialty Residency. Texas licensure is a mandatory requirement.
How does one apply and what about interviews?
Our application procedures are described on a separate document but include a curriculum vitae, college transcripts (if less than five years post-graduation), letters of recommendation along with the ASHP-developed recommendation form and completion of a professional and career assessment cover letter. A previous pharmacy practice residency, or comparable career experiences, is a prerequisite for the program. The application deadline is January 1st.
An on-site interview is considered very important and is required for a complete application. All applications will be screen by our Residency Advisory Council and all applicants chosen for interview will be contacted by the end of January. The on-site interview is generally a full day, and will include a fifteen minute presentation on an ID pharmacy/pharmaceutical topic of your choice to a agroup of pharmacists. You will interview with two groups of Clinical Coordinators, as well as Residents. The last date for interviews is normally one week before the ASHP match list submission date. FInancial assistance for the on-site interview is not available, but we will work with you in any way we can to reduce expenses.
