More information and questions?
Please contact the Program Director:
Kimberly Putney, PharmD, RPh
St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital
Department of Pharmacy
6720 Bertner Avenue (MC 2-230)
Houston, Texas 77030
Phone: (832) 355-3114
Fax: (832) 355-4794
Email: kputney@sleh.com
What is the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency?
ASHP accreditation standards for pharmacy practice residency expect programs to provide residents with "the opportunity to accelerate their growth beyond entry-level professional competence in patient-centered care and in pharmacy operational services, and to further the development of leadership skills that can be applied in any position and in any practice setting." At St. Luke's, this translates more simply to developing practice leaders in health-system pharmacy. The residency emphasizes the total pharmacy practice, focusing on the concepts and philosophies of contemporary pharmacist care. The residency program builds upon practice experience and academic education, and provides the foundation of practice competence. It also provides preparation for advanced and specialty residencies and fellowships. The residency will provide experiences and knowledge that cannot easily be achieved in a staff role, and will provide greater career opportunities upon completion. For the more seasoned pharmacist, the residency can accelerate a career move to a higher level of practice.
What is the goal of the residency at St. Luke's?
The overall goal of the St. Luke's residency is to provide the resident with practical training and experience that affords them the opportunity and stimulus to develop, to the highest degree attainable, professional expertise and competence as a health-system pharmacy practitioner. Other goals are to provide a foundation for, and stimulate an interest in the achievement of a leadership role in the profession. In addition, the goal of the residency is to support the attainment of professional self-realization and to prepare the resident for more advanced training or experiences if the resident desires.
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 residency structured at St. Luke's?
The residency is a full-time 52-week program which requires a commitment of a minimum of 40 hours per week. The residency is conducted through the accomplishment of formal, agreed upon learning objectives. The Program Director serves as the overall program coordinator for the resident. The start date of the residency is between late June to early July. Earlier or later start dates may be arranged based on individual circumstances. Time off will be provided to take licensure exams if necessary. Residents in the PGY1 program staff every other weekend beginning in August. Residents can expect to cover one major and two minor holidays during the year. Vacation is accrued throughout the residency program.
Residents will have six core rotations (Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Cardiology, Anticoagulation, Critical Care, and Pharmacy Administration) and two longitudinal rotations in Medication Safety and Practice Foundation and Management. Rotations begin in August and run through June. Each resident will have three electives. Electives include transplant (renal, liver, or cardiothoracic transplant), nutritional support/critical care, emergency medicine, neurosciences/neurosurgery, hematology/oncology, and pharmacy research services. You can also choose to do one of your core rotations again if you are applying for a PGY2 in that respective area. Rotations are evaluated based upon pre-defined residency objectives from ASHP and last approximately 4 – 5 weeks. Rotations are assigned in July and may change depending upon the resident's interests.
Tell me more about "staffing experiences".
We knew you'd ask. Staffing experiences mean that the resident will be dedicated to working as a pharmacist here at St. Luke's -- but, differently in at least three aspects. First, the work is almost exclusively as a decentralized pharmacist. Thus, clinical activities are integral in the job. Secondly, the work is structured in that 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 drug utilization evaluation projects can be performed concurrently. The resident is expected to work every other weekend (averages to 16 hours per pay period). We believe that such staffing experiences are a very important part of meeting practice residency goals and objectives and that the absence of such experiences diminishes the resident's growth and practice maturity in the program.
What are the residency requirements?
Residents are required to complete two research projects in addition to a medication use evaluation and drug monograph as well as complete manuscripts on each. Residents will perform Journal Clubs, Case Presentations and Seminars. Other requirements include staffing, code blue participation, on call responsibility along with other rotation requirements. Residents are required to teach Advanced Pharmacotherapy labs at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy (UHCOP) in the fall.
What teaching opportunities are available?
St. Luke's is a major clinical teaching site for medical, nursing and pharmacy students. Residents will have the opportunity to mentor, precept and teach a variety of students from multiple disciplines. We have an Affiliation agreement with the UHCOP and during your residency program, you will have the opportunity to receive a certificate in Academia. As mentioned previously, you will also have the opportunity to teach pharmacotherapy skills labs at UHCOP during the year as well.
What is the average cost for housing in Houston?
Residents can expect to pay approximately $600 to $1200 per month for a decent sized apartment very close to the Texas Medical Center area. Housing can vary based upon the geographical area that you may live in. However the majority of residents choose to live closer to the hospital.
What is the stipend, and what benefits are included?
The current stipend per year is $44,814. 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 ASHP Midyear meeting 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 associated with St. Luke's and Houston?
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 residency?
We are looking for mature individuals who have 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 residency is tailored to each individual, and regular evaluations of accomplishment must be satisfactory. This is a program for mature individuals who are serious about the profession as a lifelong career.
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. completion of a professional and career assessment cover letter and a passport size photo. The application deadline is January 1st. The MS Residency program has a separate application process through the University of Houston.
An on-site interview is considered very important and is required for a complete application. All applications will be screened 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 a pharmacy/disease state management topic of your choice to a group of pharmacists. You will interview with two groups of Clinical Coordinators and Managers 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.
