The pharmacy residency programs are offered by the University of Southern California (USC) Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in conjunction with our partners including 986 Pharmacy, CliniCare Pharmacy and Advanced Practice Pharmacy Care Center, Huntington Hospital, Keck Hospital of USC, Keck Medicine of USC Specialty Pharmacy and Clinics, Los Angeles General Medical Center, Mercy Pharmacy Group, Ralph’s Pharmacy (Kroger), USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital, USC Pharmacies and Clinics, UCI Health SeniorHealth Center, Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Wynn Medical Center and various other sites throughout the Los Angeles metropolitan area. PGY1 and PGY2 programs offered by USC Mann for the 2024-2025 residency year include the following:
About USC Mann Residency Programs
The residency programs offered through USC Mann are designed to train residents in developing advanced skills in pharmacy practice, teaching, and research while increasing the resident’s knowledge base through direct exposure. Depending on the area and the resident’s focus, the resident will receive extensive clinical experience in primary, secondary, and tertiary care settings.
In the various practice setting learning experiences, the resident will refine their skills and develop expertise as a medication therapy specialist through the provision of patient care services. Teaching skills of the resident will be developed in both clinical and classroom settings.
A Teaching Certificate program is available for all residents who plan to work in settings which involve teaching (e.g., precepting student pharmacists/residents/other healthcare trainees, education of staff) or interested in a career in academia. Elective and assigned projects, including the required longitudinal residency research project, will enable the resident to develop administrative, analytical and research skills.
For an application to be considered by the USC Pharmacy Residency Programs, the following criteria, at minimum, must be met:
- Graduate or candidate for graduation from an ACPE accredited degree program or one in the process of pursuing accreditation
- Licensed or eligible for licensure in the state of California
- For PGY2 residencies, in process of completing or has completed an ASHP-accredited or candidate-status PGY1 pharmacy residency
Other broad criteria for selection to USC Mann residency program include leadership abilities, professional development, professional competence including in clinical situations, communication skills, scholastic achievements, and dependability and ability to work with others. The USC Mann Pharmacy Residency Programs aims to recruit a diverse group of residents each year and as such, encourages applications from candidates with unique life experiences.
Some of the benefits available to residents as full-time USC employees include the following:
- Annual salary of approximately $61,000 for PGY1 and $67,000 for PGY2 residents
- Vacation, sick, and professional leave
- Paid holidays
- Fringe benefits including health care insurance
- Adjunct voluntary faculty appointment
- Discounts associated with the USC identification card (e.g., bookstore, events)
- Reimbursement for some professional meeting expenses
There are multiple leadership opportunities for residents within the USC Pharmacy Residency Programs including the following:
- Resident Representatives
- Resident Social Chairs
- Resident Wellness Committee
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Liaisons
All residents are eligible to be nominated and selected for the following awards (PGY1 and PGY2) which are presented at the Residency Programs End-of-the-Year Celebration which occurs at the end of the residency year in June.
- Resident of the Year
- Excellence in Teaching
- Resident Project of the Year
USC Mann Pharmacy Residency Program Manual
The residency programs manual provides detailed information pertaining to all programs regarding recruitment and selection of the residents, program requirements and policies, use of PharmAcademicä, organization of the residency programs, resident class leadership opportunities, and residency program awards. A copy of the most recent version of the manual (updated June 2023) can be found below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely not. Our residency class tends to be a direct reflection of our applicant pool. For example, this past year 70% of our applicant pool and 72% of our 2023-2024 residency class graduated from a PharmD program in California. Based on our experiences, we anticipate that an increase in number of applications from out-of-state candidates would result in a corresponding increase in the number of residents in our class who attended non-California PharmD programs.
From May 2022-September 2022 (the time of the year when most residency candidates take the exam), the pass rate for the CPJE was 63.1% compared with a NAPLEX pass rate of 84.2%. The pass rate was higher for persons in California (66.8%) versus those from other states (55.5%). You can find more information about CPJE pass rates including pass rates per PharmD program at https://www.pharmacy.ca.gov/about/pass_rates.shtml. From our own programs experience, we see no difference in the pass rates between those who attended a PharmD program in California versus another state. The most important factor is how well you prepare for the CPJE.
Yes. However, it is true that the cost of living is much higher than some other parts of the country. Our residents often share living space with other pharmacy residents. We have also had pharmacy residents share living space with other healthcare professional residents. Our residents are experts on this topic and can provide you with practical tips for living in L.A. This would be a great question to ask them during our live and virtual recruitment events.