PGY2 pharmacy residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) education and PGY1 pharmacy residency programs to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists in specialized areas of practice. Our PGY2 residency in psychiatry provides residents with the opportunities to function independently as practitioners by conceptualizing and integrating accumulated experience and knowledge and incorporating both into the provision of patient care for individuals with mental health diagnoses and in other advanced practice settings. Residents who successfully complete our accredited PGY2 pharmacy residency are prepared for advanced patient care, academic, or other specialized positions, along with board certification in psychiatric pharmacy.
Clinical Practice
Residents provide clinical services including: drug therapy monitoring, drug consultation to staff and patient education. Each resident also acts as primary therapist for a caseload of patients for the entire year. The residency’s major training sites include the LAC+USC Medical Center Psychiatric Hospital and Clinic, Keck Medical Center of USC and the VA West Los Angeles. LAC+USC psychiatric hospital has 50 adult beds and 10 adolescent beds. The LAC+USC adult psychiatry clinic (AOPC) has approximately 750 active cases and the PGY2 psychiatry resident’s caseload ranges between 20 to 30 patients. The PGY2 psychiatric pharmacy resident spends 6 weeks learning neurology pharmacy at the VA West Los Angeles.
Responsibilities of the resident include provision of clinical services (e.g. drug therapy monitoring, drug consultation to staff and patient education). Currently, the PGY2 resident provides CMM to a designated caseload of patients at LAC+USC AOPC throughout the year. The PGY2 resident collaborates with AOPC rehabilitation staff to lead a monthly Medication Education Series throughout the year on topics including managing medication side effects and incorporating healthy life habits (exercise, sleep, mindfulness) for good mental health. Residents contribute to promoting safe medication use in children and adolescents by participating in the development of the LAC Department of Mental Health’s Pediatric Psychotropic Guidelines.
Additional Requirements
Beyond the coursework provided to all pharmacy residents at USC, PGY2 psychiatric pharmacy residents attend didactic seminars and conferences offered by the Department of Psychiatry. In addition, residents participate in regularly scheduled psychiatric pharmacy business meetings for program planning. Residents also select from a range of selective options in psychiatric pharmacy- related areas, including:
- Acute Care Psychiatry
- Child/Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic
- Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatry
- Emergency Psychiatry
- Geriatric Psychiatry
- Pharmacogenomics
- Correctional Psychiatry
- Substance Use Disorders/Addiction Medicine
Teaching
Residents are actively involved in the Therapeutics curriculum for teaching PharmD students by providing didactic lectures and developing psychiatric case studies with preceptor supervision.
Dr. Lisa Goldstone, Associate Director of Residency Training in collaboration with Dr. William Gong, has designed a curriculum of teaching seminars to train residents on best practices in teaching and learning. Each resident is responsible for developing a case conference on a therapeutics topic for P2 pharmacy students during their CNS module. The PGY2 psychiatric pharmacy resident leads an interactive clinical case review for ~30 resident colleagues to teach them how best to lead the case conference for students. Residents receive peer review of their performance in case development and case delivery. Residents have the opportunity to achieve a teaching certificate at the end of residency training.
While at the clinical site, residents are responsible for student supervision, including pharmacy rounds, participation in teaching conferences and participation in oral examinations. PGY2 residents develop clinical teaching skills by serving in a supervisory role for fourth year PharmD students during one – 6-week block.
Residents are actively involved in providing education (lectures and discussions) to physicians, psychologists, social workers and other allied health care practitioners on the pharmacotherapy of psychiatric disorders.
Research
Residents may collaborate with any of the psychiatric pharmacy faculty in their ongoing research or choose another topic of interest. Psychiatric faculty research interests include:
- Psychiatric pharmacy services/expanded roles (Dr. Dadiomov, Dr. Goldstone and Dr. Dopheide)
- Adult and pediatric psychiatry (Dr. Dopheide)
- Substance use disorders (Dr. Dadiomov and Dr. Franson)
- Teaching and learning (Dr. Goldstone and Dr. Franson)
Residents work with USC’s senior biostatistician, Ms. Mimi Lou, for guidance on project development, implementation and data analysis. Residents are required to submit a poster for presentation at the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists Annual meeting.