Residency

Graduates of Doctor of Pharmacy Programs have been given fundamental knowledge, skills, attitudes and abilities to provide medication-related patient care. However, most graduates have somewhat limited practice experience. Pharmacy residencies enable graduates to apply the knowledge and skills learned in school to a wide range of patients and situations and, thus, further prepares them for professional practice.

The purpose of a pharmacy residency is to prepare pharmacists for practice. Residency training is designed to provide residents experience working with a wide range of patients. Residency training also offers other advantage

  • A competitive advantage in the job market – More and more employers recognize the value of residency training. A pharmacist who has completed a residency will have a clear advantage over applicants who have not.
     
  • Networking opportunities – Many opportunities arise for residents to establish or expand their network of professional acquaintances and contacts including preceptors and other residents.
     
  • Career planning – During the course of training, most residents gain a clearer picture of what type of practice best suits them. Residency preceptors are committed to providing personal attention to assist each resident in further defining professional goals.
     
  • Professional vision Many programs also offer the opportunity to see how pharmacy is practiced in different parts of the country, by arranging for residents to visit other residency programs or by allowing residents to complete a portion of the residency at another site (e.g., acute care, community care, home care, long-term care, managed care, etc.).

The ASHP accreditation standard provides criteria that every program must meet in order to receive and maintain accreditation. Although the standard requires experiences in certain core areas, there is room for concentration in a practice area and for additional experiences. Programs vary in their strengths, but each program is flexible and can be tailored to meet the needs of the individual resident. 

*The information above is taken directly from the ASHP Residency Info page external website