Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center PGY2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Residency

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About our PGY2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Residency

This PGY-2 residency provides the resident with advanced clinical training in ambulatory care pharmacy practice, as well as numerous opportunities for research, teaching, and scholarship.

Overview

Upon completion of the residency, the pharmacist will be a competent clinical pharmacy practitioner in ambulatory care that engages in multidisciplinary collaboration, demonstrates advanced critical thinking skills, and is able to design and implement complex medication recommendations in this fast-paced environment. Graduates of this program will be adequately prepared to practice as an ambulatory care specialist or in academia.

Program Description

PGY2 pharmacy residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and PGY1 pharmacy residency programs to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists in specialized areas of practice. PGY2 residencies provide residents with opportunities to function independently as practitioners by conceptualizing and integrating accumulated experience and knowledge and incorporating both into the provision of patient care or other advanced practice settings. Residents who successfully complete an accredited PGY2 pharmacy residency are prepared for advanced patient care, academic, or other specialized positions, along with board certification, if available.

This PGY2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy residency program is unique in that the resident will play an integral role in the promotion of population health services at Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center. Learning experiences will begin with short blocks for introduction to primary practice sites, with the majority of the 12 month residency year being longitudinal in nature. Residents will provide care for adult, pediatric, and geriatric populations via multidisciplinary patient-centered, team-based approaches and using collaborative drug therapy management protocols. Residents will develop skills in patient care, leadership, teaching, and research. Residents will be able to take advantage of the strengths of the UGA College of Pharmacy, Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center and Medical College of Georgia programs and gain experience in a variety of interprofessional teaching activities. Activities may include didactic, small group/laboratory, medical resident/physician faculty lectures, and experiential teaching with both pharmacy and medical students. UGA residents are classified as graduate students and will receive a Graduate Certificate in Clinical Pharmacy in addition to the Residency Certificate upon successful completion of the program.

Learn More About Us

Photo of Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center

About Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center

Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center offers the most advanced comprehensive care to the people of Augusta and the surrounding areas. Our highly trained physicians, nurses and staff provide patient-centered, collaborative care from diagnosis through recovery. We provide cutting-edge technology and extensive expertise to create an unparalleled healthcare experience that delivers high-quality care for your medical, surgical, rehabilitative or emergency needs. Wellstar MCG Health has a Kidney Transplant Program and is designated as a Level I Trauma Center and Comprehensive Stroke Center.

About Wellstar Health System

At Wellstar Health System, we make a difference every day by improving quality and access to healthcare in communities, big and small. With locations across metro Atlanta and beyond, Wellstar is one of the largest health systems in Georgia. Learn more about us.

Required Experiences

Anticoagulation (4 wk block)
Primary Care - Family Medicine (3 days/wk x 2-3 mo)
Primary Care - Internal Medicine (3 days/wk x 2-3 mo)
Population Health (2 wk + 1 day/wk x 10 mo)
Ambulatory Care Service Development (1 day/wk x 6-12 mo)
Project Management (Project Management/Time Management) (4 wk block)
Precepting Patient Care (5 wk block - primary preceptor)

* NOTE: Any required or longitudinal experience can be expanded for an elective. Precepting emphasis can be added to both core & elective(s).

Elective Experiences (Block)

Antimicrobial Stewardship/Cystic Fibrosis (3 days/wk x 1 mo)
Cardiology (3 days/wk x 1 mo)
Digestive Health (3 days/wk x 1 mo)
Geriatrics (3 days/wk x 1 mo)
Infectious Disease/HIV (3 days/wk x 1 mo)
International Medical Mission (10-day block)
Oncology – Bone Marrow Transplant (3 days/wk x 1 mo)
Oncology – Solid Tumors (3 days/wk x 1 mo)
Solid Organ Transplant (Kidney & Pancreas) (3 days/wk x 1 mo)

* NOTE: Resident will be able to choose 2-4 electives during residency year, depending on progress within core learning experiences.

Longitudinal Experiences

Staffing – Anticoagulation (greater than or equal to 16 hrs/mo)
Teaching & Academia (12 mo)
Pharmacy Management & Leadership (12 mo)
Research (Research project, Medication Use Evaluation (MUE)/Quality Improvement) (12 mo)
UGA Graduate Certificate Program (includes Teaching in Pharmacy Practice & “Teaching Portfolio”)

Program Materials

Program Director

Kate O'Connor, PharmD, BCACP, BC-ADM
PGY2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Residency Program Director
Internal Medicine Ambulatory Care Pharmacist
Kate.O’[email protected]

Kate received her PharmD at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana in 2015. After graduation, she completed an ASHP-accredited PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System in Little Rock, Arkansas. During her residency, she received a teaching certificate through the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy, where she served as a Clinical Instructor of Pharmacy Practice. She then stayed on at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System and completed an ASHP-accredited PGY2 Ambulatory Care Residency, during which she served as an APPE preceptor and co-preceptor for PGY1 residents. During her residency, she volunteered at an interdisciplinary, student run free clinic, which encouraged her to work with learners and the underserved. She joined the pharmacy team at Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center in August of 2017 and established a pharmacist presence in the Internal Medicine Clinic. She loves working in a team-based, academic environment to improve patient care while simultaneously teaching medical residents, medical students, and pharmacy learners. She also practices via a Collaborative Drug Therapy Management (CDTM) protocol to provide chronic disease state management in a more autonomous manner.

Kate has been involved in revamping the WMCG Health Ambulatory Clerkship for 4th year medical students to include more didactic, interdisciplinary activities and has started participating in and leading such activities as of May 2018. She is currently working on an IRB-approved research project with Internal Medicine faculty and a publication with Internal Medicine and Psychiatry faculty. Her clinical interests include: diabetes, hyperlipidemia, mental health, anticoagulation, and transitions of care. Kate is a member of American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP), Georgia Society of Health System Pharmacists (GSHP), and the American Pharmacists Association (APhA).

Program Coordinator

Mary Carpenter, PharmD, BCACP
PGY2 Ambulatory Care Residency Program Coordinator
Ambulatory Care Pharmacist, Family Medicine
[email protected]

Mary received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from South University in 2014 and completed a PGY1 Pharmacy residency at St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System in Savannah, GA, where she completed the Clinical Pharmacy Graduate Certificate Program through the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy. She went on to complete a PGY2 in Ambulatory Care at Novant Health in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and joined the pharmacy team at Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center in August of 2016. During her time at Augusta University, she has established clinical pharmacy services in the Family Medicine Center (FMC), developed the first Collaborative Drug Therapy Management (CDTM) protocol, and has assisted in expansion of CDTM use to other clinics at the medical center. Mary is a Board-Certified Ambulatory Care Pharmacist and was the inaugural Residency Program Director for our ASHP-Accredited PGY2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Residency. After successfully leading the residency program preceptors through the accreditation process and graduating the first two PGY2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy residents, Mary switched roles with Kate O’Connor and is continuing to support program improvement as the residency program coordinator.

Mary has collaborated with Family Medicine faculty as well as ambulatory care pharmacists on publications in pharmacy and medical journals and is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG). Mary enjoys working in an interdisciplinary, academic environment to promote team-based, patient-centered care.

Wellstar MCG Health Medical CenterPGY2 Ambulatory CarePharmacy Residency