Community-Based Pharmacy

University of Michigan Health is recruiting applicants for a one-year PGY1 Community-Based Pharmacy Residency Program in the Specialty Pharmacy setting. There is one position available. Theis new program is being offered under ASHP pre-candidate status for 2025-2026. 

Residency Program Director: Melissa Pleva, PharmD, MBA

General Description & Program Purpose

The PGY1 Community-Based Pharmacy Residency is a one-year program designed to build knowledgeable, confident pharmacy practitioners equipped to deliver high quality patient care in the Health System Specialty Pharmacy setting. The program is built to adapt to the resident’s future plans and current needs.

The purpose of the program is to build upon the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and outcomes to develop community‐based Specialty pharmacist practitioners with diverse patient care, leadership, and education skills who are ready to enter Specialty Pharmacy practice and/or eligible to pursue advanced training opportunities including postgraduate year two (PGY2) residencies and professional certifications.

 

Recruitment Plan

We will be represented at ASHP Midyear Showcase in New Orleans, Louisiana on Tuesday, December 10th from 1:00-4:00 PM at booth 6004. Please stop by to connect with current residents & RPD! 

Can't make it to Midyear? No problem! Here the complete list of recruitment events we'll be attending this year:

Program Structure

The PGY1 Community-Based Specialty Pharmacy resident will experience a mix of required and elective rotations tailored to their interest. Rotations are a mix of longitudinal and block experiences.

Required Rotations

  • Block:
    • Orientation (July)
    • Inpatient Internal Medicine (1 month, tentatively February)
    • Autoimmune diseases (rheumatology, dermatology, IBD, Allergy/asthma) (1 month)
    • Non-autoimmune disease states (neurology, cardiovascular) (1 month)
    • Hem/onc (1 month)
  • Longitudinal:
    • Specialty Pharmacy Administration (1/2 day per week, 1 year)
    • Staffing (~4 days per month, 1 year)
    • Ambulatory/Specialty Medication Use Policy (1/2 day per week, 6 months)
    • Teaching Pharmacy Practice Skills I (1/2 day per week, 1 semester)
    • Writing project (1 year)
    • Research project (1 year)
    • Medication Safety (1/2 day per week, 3 months)

Elective Rotations

  • Bone Marrow Transplant (block or longitudinal)
  • Pediatrics (block or longitudinal)
  • CF Clinic (longitudinal)
  • Hep C/HIV (longitudinal)
  • Any other Specialty Pharmacy disease state area not covered by required rotations (i.e. could complete a rheumatology experience as an elective if a dermatology experience completed as required autoimmune rotation)
  • Primary Care Clinic (longitudinal)
  • Transitions of care (longitudinal)
  • Ambulatory Anticoagulation (longitudinal)
  • Medication Therapy Management (longitudinal)

 *Many experiences can be configured as either blocks or longitudinal experiences, depending on resident interest and other scheduling considerations. Therefore, rotations may be scheduled in terms of “units,” where a unit is either a 1-month block or equivalent (equivalent to approximately 20 days) completed longitudinally.

Staffing Responsibilities

Community-based residents will provide a service component of, on average, 4 days per month staffing with a mix of practice in a UMH Community Pharmacy and in the UMH Specialty Mail Order Fulfillment Pharmacy. All residents are expected to work one minor holiday (Labor Day, Friday after Thanksgiving, or Memorial Day) and one major holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day) during their residency year. If the pharmacy is not open on the day of the holiday the resident can be scheduled before and/or after the holiday as needed. 

On Call Responsibilities

Specialty Pharmacists provide after-hours and weekend on-call coverage for questions from patients as part of our service requirements to meet Specialty Pharmacy accreditation requirements. The PGY1 resident will take call during the second semester of residency, with a Specialty Pharmacist back-up.

Research and Publication Opportunities

Residents are required to complete a research project within the year. A poster for the project will be presented at the Vizient Pharmacy Council Meeting and American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Annual Meeting. The results of the project will also be presented at the Great Lakes Pharmacy Resident Conference. Residents are required to complete a writing project in collaboration with a chosen preceptor. Writing projects are comprehensive reviews that are suitable for publication and often qualify as continuing education programs.

Teaching Opportunities

Our residents receive an adjunct clinical instructor appointment with the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy. In this role, the resident serves as an instructor for a one-semester course either in the Fall or Winter semester. The resident also participates in precepting PharmD students on clinical rotation. An optional teaching certificate program is offered through the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy.

 

Residency Director Information

Melissa Pleva, PharmD, MBA

PGY1 Community-Based Pharmacy Residency Program Director

Assistant Director – Specialty Pharmacy Clinical Services

University of Michigan Health

[email protected] 

 

  

Please see the F.A.Q. for application requirements and deadlines.