Residents in this program will be trained in acute care pharmacy practice and teaching, while increasing their clinical skills through direct patient exposure. Residents receive extensive clinical experience in primary, secondary, and tertiary care settings. Through various rotations, residents refine their clinical skills, develop expertise as drug therapy specialists, and become proficient in running a de-centralized pharmacy operation. Residents will develop their teaching skills in both a clinical setting as well as in the classroom. Supplemental projects will aid in developing administrative, research, and analytical skills, in addition to improving the residents understanding of pharmacy practice in the hospital setting.
Clinical Practice at Keck Hospital of USC
Opened in May 1991, Keck Hospital of USC is a modern academic center owned and operated by USC; staffed by the faculty of the USC School of pharmacy, and the Keck School of Medicine at USC. Keck Hospital of USC is a quaternary medical facility, ranked as the 21st best hospital in the nation by U.S. News & Report magazine in July 2010. Additionally, the hospital ranks in the top 50 in the nation for ophthalmology, pulmonology, orthopedics, neurology and neurosurgery, and gynecology. The hospital offers expertise and sophisticated medical technology, combined with a personalized approach to health care in a comfortable, caring environment.
Clinical-Based Practice
The residency consists of eight 6-week long rotations. The program consists of the following rotations:
- Pharmacy Operations management, with the opportunity to choose a variety of preceptors who work in different management roles.
- Ambulatory care: Variety of options, including but not limited to, HIV clinic, cystic fibrosis clinic, primary care clinic, anticoagulation clinic, etc.
- Introduction to Hospital Practice
Rotations at the hospital sites may include, but are not limited to, infectious disease, medical ICU, cardiac ICU, liver disease and transplantation, neurology and neurosurgery, psychiatry, cardiothoracic surgery, pulmonary medicine, and oncology. The program allows the resident to be flexible when setting their rotation schedule for the program year. Residents will work in close contact with the residency director, primary preceptors, and pharmacy staff to establish a schedule individualized to each resident’s interest.
Teaching
Residents will serve as adjunct professors and are required to lead weekly Therapeutic Modules for second and third year students through the school of pharmacy. Each resident is given the opportunity to take an active participatory role in the case conference process by designing a case conference scenario, and providing a general overview of the topic to co-residents. Residents will also have the opportunity to earn their teaching certificate through providing classroom lectures, such as over-the-counter drugs, and ACLS training. Additionally, residents will act as co-preceptors for the fourth year pharmacy students while on their clinical clerkships. These opportunities will not only be beneficial for the students, as they seek out the residents’ expertise, but it will provide the necessary training for residents to hone their education skills in a teaching scenario, as well as clinical educators.
Research
Research classes and seminars are provided to residents. During the year, residents are required to:
- Complete a residency project
- Present the project’s findings at the Western States Conference for Pharmacy Residents, Fellows and Preceptors.
- Submit a manuscript for publication prior to the end of the residency