Critical Care Pharmacy Residency 

Inova Fairfax Medical Campus (IFMC) offers an ASHP-accredited PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency Program that uniquely combines the academic rigor of a university-based hospital, the complexities of critical care subspecialty, and the family atmosphere of a community program. Residents who successfully complete an accredited PGY2 critical care pharmacy residency are prepared for advanced patient care, academic, or other specialized positions. 

The experience will position the resident to be eligible to attain board certification in critical care. Graduates of Inova Fairfax Medical Campus’s PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency program will be empowered to treat a wide range of patients with critical illnesses, function as an integrated member of the interdisciplinary critical care team, exercise leadership in critical care pharmacy practice at a local and healthcare system level, and provide experiential and didactic education to a variety of healthcare professionals and individuals training to be healthcare professionals The residency program will also provide teaching opportunities that will develop pedagogical skills in the context of adjunct faculty appointment with affiliated pharmacy schools. 

Curriculum

I. Orientation & pharmacist training

  • Approximately 1 month (July)
  • Comprehensive overview of distributive and clinical services provided by the Department of Pharmacy
  • Electronic Medical Record (i.e., EPIC) training
  • Resident lecture series
  • ACLS and PALS certification if not obtained previously; ATLS (audit) and ENLS scheduled to complete in the fall

II. Clinical rotations

Residents will be exposed to a wide variety of required and elective experiences as well as longitudinal experiences that last the duration of residency. The schedule will be determined by the resident and the residency program director during the orientation period but can always change according to resident interests.

Required (5 weeks each)Elective (4-5 weeks each)
Cardiac ICU (CICU)Emergency Medicine or Toxicology (National Capitol Poison Center)
Cardiovascular ICU (CVICU)Heart and Lung Transplantation, Abdominal Transplant, or Hematology/oncology
Medical Surgical ICU (MSICU)Infectious Disease
Neuroscience ICU (NSICU)Pediatric ICU (PICU)
Surgical Trauma ICU (STICU) Advanced Heart Failure

Advanced ICU*

* Choose two advanced rotation experiences in the Adult ICUs listed above based on resident areas of interest.
 

 

III. Pharmacy practice experience (~45 weeks) 

  • Starting in late August (2) 8-hour shifts every 3rd weekend in various roles 
  • (1) 8-hour shift on one major and one minor holiday (additional 16 hours) 

IV. Practice management (~50 weeks)

  • Committee membership and participation
  • Policy and protocol development and revision
  • Quality improvement projects

V. Project and teaching requirements

  • Research project
    • IRB submission and approval process
    • Poster presentation at national conference(s) (e.g., ASHP Midyear, SCCM)
    • Formal write-up of project suitable for submission to journal for publication
  • Formulary management opportunities (based on need)
    • Medication use evaluation
    • Formulary monograph
    • Drug class review
  • Staff development
    • Participation in weekly pharmacy conference, including formal case presentations, clinical controversy journal clubs, and an ACPE-accredited seminar for pharmacists
    • Participation in critical care nursing education and training for new hires
  • Student and resident training
    • Co-preceptorship of pharmacy students and PGY-1 residents
    • Faculty appointment at VCU School of Pharmacy - IFMC Campus
    • Participation in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning Certificate Program (optional)
    • Didactic lecture with VCU School of Pharmacy Critical Care elective

How to apply

  • Applications will be accepted through PhORCAS, the Web-based pharmacy residency application system. Visit the PhORCAS Website

    Deadline and requirements

  • Applicants for the PGY-2 Emergency Medicine Pharmacy Residency program must meet the following eligibility requirements:
  • Doctor of Pharmacy degree from an ACPE accredited school of pharmacy
  • Completion of or current enrollment in an ASHP-accredited or candidate-status PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency program
  • Currently licensed or eligible for licensure in Virginia (candidates must be licensed in the state of Virginia as pharmacists by July 1 of the incoming residency year)
  • Interested candidates should submit the following information through PhORCAS by January 2, 2025:
  • Letter of intent
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Transcript from an accredited school of pharmacy
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Qualified applicants will be invited to complete a virtual or onsite interview in early to mid February. Candidates for our residency program are selected in conjunction with the ASHP Resident Matching Program (the "Match"). Our NMS code is 619352.

Salary and benefits

Find all information here.

Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) Award

Inova's pharmacy medication team has been recognized for successful implementation of error-reduction strategies around insulin administration. The ISMP Cheers Awards honor work that is setting a standard of excellence in the prevention of medication errors and adverse drug events.

The pharmacy medication team collaborated with other disciplines to implement error-reduction strategies, including restricting regular insulin to the IV route, requiring regular insulin prescribing via order sets with dosing limits, linking orders for IV push regular insulin to ensure dispensing of an appropriate needleless luer lock insulin syringe, and including an image of the appropriate syringe to be used for administration in the medication administration record. Learn More