Virginia Licensure
Candidates are strongly encouraged to obtain pharmacist licensure in the state of Virginia by July 1 of the incoming residency year.
Orientation
All new residents are expected to attend a formal orientation program during the first 8 weeks of the new residency year. The resident receives orientation to the health system, hospital, and residency program. The orientation program also covers computer and automation training, introduction to clinical services, and pharmacy operations training.
Clinical Rotations (typically 5 weeks in duration)
Core Rotations
- Antimicrobial Stewardship
- Critical Care I (Medical/Surgical ICU)
- Emergency Medicine
- Internal Medicine
- Leadership
- Medication Safety
Elective Rotations
5-Week Electives
- Ambulatory Care: HIV & LGBTQ Clinics, Anticoagulation Clinic, or Population Health (off-site)
- Critical Care II
- Infectious Disease
- Informatics
- Internal Medicine II
- Psychiatry (off-site)
Longitudinal Rotations
- Educational Longitudinal: Continuing Education (CE) 1 hour lecture presented to Inova Health System pharmacists, formulary monograph presented to System Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, and precepting students
- Research project: Medication Use Evaluation presented as a poster at ASHP Midyear Conference, platform presentation at a regional residency conference, and manuscript submission to a peer-reviewed journal
- Staffing Longitudinal: At the beginning of the residency year, residents staff every other weekend to build confidence through repetition. Following midyear, the resident staffing schedule changes to every third weekend.
Other elective learning experiences may be developed based on resident interest and preceptor availability.
Wellness program
Residents greatly enjoy meeting with other Inova residents to focus on wellness while doing fun activities together. Inova Alexandria and Inova Mount Vernon PGY1 residents and meet monthly for combined activities, and all PGY1 and PGY2 residents at Inova Health System meet quarterly for team wellness activities. Residents appreciate getting to know their preceptors and co-residents better in a more relaxed setting. Residents also benefit from sharing their experiences, learning from each other, and recognizing that they are not alone in facing challenges of residency. This helps them to bond as a regional and system residency class and to better support each other as co-residents. Additionally, each resident creates a personalized wellness plan which is shared with the residency program director (RPD). Wellness and how the resident is doing with their personalized wellness plan are then consistently included during check-ins with the RPD throughout the residency year.
Additional Activities for PGY1 Program
I. Presentations/projects
In addition to the projects and presentations included within the education and research longitudinal, the residents also present a variety of other presentations including a formal journal club and patient case.
II. Teaching opportunities
- Precept advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs)
- Participation in VCU School of Pharmacy Foundations Course (i.e. skills lab)
- Enrollment in a Teaching and Learning Certificate Program (optional)
III. Conferences
- ASHP Mid-Year Clinical Meeting (December)
- Regional residency conference (April-May)
- Site visitation to ASHP headquarters (if available)
How to apply
Application deadline January 2
Apply to the PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program at Inova Alexandria Hospital