Pharmacy residency program

Our 12-month, PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program at Chippenham and Johnston-Willis Hospitals offers personalized instruction in all aspects of medication management. In our program, you'll have opportunities to teach, travel, network, and learn advanced automated pharmaceutical dispensing technology.

Flexible, individualized rotations are based at Chippenham Hospital or Johnston-Willis Hospital, but electives may be taken at other facilities in the HCA Virginia Health System. You will complete core training and be able to pursue your interests.

The PGY1 Pharmacy Residency is a one-year training program for pharmacists designed to provide personalized instruction in all aspects of medication management. Through rigorous training in all aspects of medication usage, as well as verbal and written communication, this residency offers the opportunity to apply patient management skills in an environment that allows graduates to practice pharmacy with the highest integrity and service to their patients.

The residency also follows the CJW Medical Center’s Mission Statement: to provide high-quality and compassionate patient-centered healthcare.

Our pharmacy preceptors are your guides through a rigorous curriculum and challenging clinical experience. Whether it's a rotation, research project or professional conference, you'll benefit from our highly skilled pharmacy preceptors and their advanced specialty backgrounds.

We participate in the Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service, or PhORCAS. Applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Completed application submitted to PhORCAS prior to January 2, and including:
  • Letter of intent
  • Copy of pharmacy school transcripts
  • Three professional references submitted via PhORCAS (letters of recommendation not required)
    • At least one reference from preceptor, preferably from a clinical rotation
    • At least one reference from an employer (if not employed then an additional reference from a preceptor)
  • Curriculum vitae

Here, we provide information gathered from some of the most common questions about our program.

What is the selection process?

• Chippenham and Johnston-Willis Hospitals participate in and adhere to the rules set for by the ASHP Resident Matching Program via National Matching Services, Inc.
• The following are considered during the selection process:
  • Professional competence based on clinical APPE rotations, as well as work, presentation, research, biomedical writing/publishing and practical experience
  • Collegiate achievements
  • Communication skills represented in the letter of intent, professional references, APPE, academic, and interview performance
  • Leadership potential as indicated by the nature and extent of participation in professional societies, community or public services, and social activities
  • Ability to work cooperatively with others

What are the program requirements for successful completion of the CJW PGY1 Pharmacy Residency?

The following are requirements of the program:

• Completion of a major research/service project, including but not limited to:
  • Manuscript of project, which must be eligible for journal publishing
  • Presentation at a regional residency conference
  • Presentation at HCA ACPE webinar
• Presentation of a pharmacist continuing education seminar
• Completion of a medication use evaluation including poster presentation at ASHP Midyear Meeting
• Completion of a minimum of four formal presentations of journal clubs/case presentations (typically divided as one per quarter; at least two of the presentations must be a journal club)
• Successfully obtained “Achieved for Residency” for a minimum of 80% of all required taught goals/objectives
• Successfully obtained “Achieved for Residency” for 7 out of 8 for R1.1 (patient care) on required ASHP PGY1 residency objectives

What are the rotation requirements?

Standard rotation lengths are five weeks but can be extended upon request and approval.

Required rotations

• Critical care rotation (resident to choose from general ICU, med/surg/trauma ICU, or cardiology)
• Infectious diseases
• Internal medicine
• Pediatrics
• Practice management
• Specialty service rotation (resident to choose from adult psychiatry, hematology/oncology, or emergency medicine)

Longitudinal rotations

• Clinical management/drug information
• Code blue emergencies
• Operational pharmacy practice
• Teaching certificate (elective)

Elective rotations

• Antimicrobial stewardship
• APPE teaching rotation
• Cardiology critical care
• Cardiothoracic surgery critical care
• Emergency medicine
• Medical/surgical/trauma critical care
• Neonatal critical care
• Neuroscience critical care
• Oncology/hematology
• Psychiatry: pediatric/adolescent, adults, and geriatrics

What are the pay, benefits and working conditions?

Detailed information about salary, benefits and amenities will be provided to pharmacy residents by human resources.

• Salary — PGY1: at least $47,000
• Duration of appointment — One year, beginning on July 1st of the program year.
• Vacation and holiday leave — 20 days of paid time off (PTO) accrue during the residency year. Sick leave is deducted from paid time off (PTO) if available. Residents are required to work some holidays.
• Sick and family leave — Sick leave is deducted from PTO. Residents are expected to notify co-workers and their respective preceptor or supervisor as early as possible when illness requires absence.
• Educational and professional leave — Residents at Chippenham and Johnston-Willis Hospitals attend the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear Clinical Meeting as well as a regional residency conference. Financial assistance is provided for travel, meals, and lodging expenses for these meetings.
• Health benefits — Residents are eligible for health benefits as full-time pharmacist employees.
• Other benefits — Residents are eligible for other benefits such as the Employee Assistance Program, Health Reimbursement Account, Daycare Flexible Spending Account, student load reimbursement, 401K matched contributions, life insurance, short- and long-term disability.
• Office space and resources — Office space for use by pharmacy residents is provided at each site.
• Discounts and amenities — Residents are eligible to receive a wide variety of entertainment, health and other discounts.
• Parking— Pharmacy residents park free in approved locations at each hospital.
• Certifications — BLS, ACLS, and PALS certification offered at no cost.

Who are the residency preceptors?

Residency preceptors are preceptor practicing pharmacists who provide advice and guidance to our residents throughout the program. You can view the current preceptors here.

To help resident graduates prepare for educator roles in didactic and experiential settings, residents may choose to complete our Teaching and Learning Certificate Program alongside the PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program. We offer this program in conjunction with the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Pharmacy and Virginia Commonwealth University Health System.