PGY2 Pediatrics Residency Structure
PGY2 Pediatric residents who completed a PGY1 residency at University Health will only undergo orientation specifically for the PGY2 Pediatric residency during the first month of the residency year.
PGY2 Pediatric residents who did not complete a PGY1 residency at University Health will undergo orientation and training for the University of Texas College of Pharmacy, University Health, the PGY2 Pediatric Pharmacy Residency, and the Pharmacy Department during the first month of residency.
Departmental and residency training will include orientation to policies and procedures, University Health computers, the inpatient pharmacy, and pediatric units. All items on the Inpatient Pharmacy Training List should be covered during this training period, and the completed checklist should be submitted to the Residency Program Director (RPD) at the end of the training period. The resident will also be oriented to the ASHP Residency Accreditation Standards, Program Design and Conduct, and the required Competency Areas, Goals, and Objectives for PGY2 residency training.
In addition, the resident will be oriented to the evaluation process and the PharmAcademic online evaluation system (if not utilized during PGY1 residency).
Residents who are not previously certified will also be scheduled for training in Basic and Pediatric Advanced Cardiac Life Support (BLS/PALS) early in the residency.
The resident must become licensed in the State of Texas as a Registered Pharmacist by August 1, or the 1st day of the second month of residency.
The resident will provide clinical staffing for the pediatric areas as scheduled by the Residency Program Director (RPD) based on staffing needs, not to exceed 16 hours per 2-week period. During scheduled clinical staffing, the resident will have the opportunity to attend rounds, verify orders, and address clinical problems including reviewing and making clinical interventions on pediatric patients, and other duties as assigned.
The resident will maintain BLS and PALS certifications and participate in the management of pediatric medical emergencies. The resident will respond to pediatric “code blue” emergencies within University Hospital as feasible during scheduled weekday work hours and clinical staffing weekends.
The resident is required to attend and actively participate in scheduled monthly Residency Advisory Council (RAC) meetings, quarterly Pharmacy & Therapeutics (P&T) meetings, and Drug Utilization Evaluation (DUE) Committee meetings throughout the year. The resident will also attend other Pediatric Medicine meetings as directed by residency leadership.
The resident is expected to present pediatric-related topics when needed at these meetings. Learning opportunities include:
- Organizing and coordinating a P&T Subcommittee meeting
- Organizing and coordinating RAC meetings for a portion of the year designated by the RPD
- Conducting a pediatric-related DUE
- Preparing or revising a pediatric-related treatment guideline or protocol
- Presenting results of pediatric-related research projects at DUE, P&T, and/or pharmacy meetings
Examples of pediatric-related topics that may be addressed include:
- Formulary and fiscal management
- Pharmacy policies and procedures
- Medication-related guidelines/protocols
- Information technology and automation systems
- Medication-use system evaluation
- Adverse drug reaction reporting, trending, and interpretation
- Medication safety and medication error reporting, trending, and prevention
- Pharmacist intervention reporting and trending
- Investigational drugs
The resident will have the opportunity to attend and participate in local, state, and national professional association meetings including but not limited to the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and Alcalde Southwest Regional Residency Conference.
The resident will participate regularly in a pediatric medicine discussion group. This group will encompass disease state/topic discussions, journal clubs, and BCPPS review sessions.
The resident will participate in the University of Texas College of Pharmacy residents’ weekly Pharmacotherapy Seminar (residents’ discussion group) on Friday afternoons. This activity is optional but encouraged if the resident has not yet received board certification. The resident will be required to lead discussion on at least one topic, as assigned by the group coordinator.
The resident will also attend weekly Pharmacotherapy Rounds with fellow University of Texas College of Pharmacy residents on Friday afternoons. Attendance is strongly encouraged unless it interferes with urgent, necessary patient care obligations. The resident will also be required to present one formal Pharmacotherapy Rounds (“Resident Rounds”) during the year.
In addition, the resident will participate weekly in the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Pediatric Grand Rounds on Friday mornings when related to pharmacotherapy topics.
The resident is required to present a minimum of one ACPE-approved continuing education program to the pharmacy staff throughout the residency year.
Other required academic activities include facilitating labs (minimum number determined annually) for pharmacy students. The resident will assist the pediatric pharmacy preceptors with mentoring and precepting pharmacy students and PGY1 residents assigned to pediatric rotations. The resident will also have numerous opportunities to participate in and lead discussions on pediatric medicine-related patient cases, journal clubs, in-services, and continuing education programs.
The resident may elect to obtain an Academic Training Program Certificate if not completed during their PGY1 residency. The University of Texas College of Pharmacy Academic Training Program requirements will be completed throughout the year, including attendance at the UT Academic Training Conference.
Successful completion of at least one pediatric research project is required to fulfill the requirements and to obtain a certificate of graduation from the residency program. Research will focus on the evaluation of a pediatric pharmacotherapy-related issue. The resident must adhere to the established timeline for the project to assure successful completion during the one-year residency.
The research project topic may be an idea of the resident, from a suggested list, or individually assigned. The project will be directly supervised by the RPD, RPC and/or a preceptor with expertise in the selected discipline. The research project proposal must be approved by the RPD/RPC, and if applicable, must also be approved by the UT Health San Antonio Investigational Review Board and the University Health Research Committee.
The research project will be presented as an abstract and as a platform presentation at the regional Alcalde Southwest Residency Leadership Conference in the spring. The resident is strongly encouraged to submit an abstract of the research project at a regional or national pharmacy meeting.
The research project must also be submitted in manuscript form to the RPD/RPC, and the resident is strongly encouraged to publish results of the project in a peer-reviewed journal.
This longitudinal rotation is structured to provide the resident experience in self-evaluation of their strengths, goals, progress throughout the residency, and areas for improvement. Self-evaluations will be completed and discussed between the resident and residency leadership on a quarterly basis, then incorporated into each resident’s personal development plan.
The length of each rotation is usually four weeks, but may be flexible, depending on the needs and interests of the individual resident. The following rotations are required:
- Pediatric Acute Care I
- Pediatric Acute Care II
- Pediatric Intensive Care I
- Pediatric Intensive Care II
- Pediatric Congenital Cardiac Care
- Neonatal Intensive Care
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Other rotations available on an elective basis include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Pediatric Transplant
- Academia
A resident may choose to participate in no more than one off-site (i.e., outside University Health facilities) elective rotation per residency year.