Curriculum

Mapping out your education

As a College of Pharmacy resident, you’ll benefit from a comprehensive curriculum that has been designed to give you the skills you need to become a great hospital pharmacist. Whether you’re participating in patient care rotations, attending an in-service or critically evaluating published research, this residency will give you the experience you need to provide exceptional care.

The curriculum includes:

Clinical rotations: An important aspect of the residency program, clinical rotations in various patient care areas prepare residents to provide direct patient care using pharmaceutical care principles. During each rotation, the resident works with patients, physicians, nurses, other pharmacists and additional members of the health care team to optimize patient outcomes.

Drug information: Completing a rotation at a Drug Information Centre gives residents the skills they need to:

• document drug information requests
• perform literature searches
• critically evaluate published research
• formulate client responses and communicate them effectively
• prepare an article suitable for internal or external publication

Drug distribution: Residents develop an understanding of each area of the drug distribution system, including:

• medication order review
• intravenous admixture service, including total parenteral nutrition and chemotherapy

Residents are also given the opportunity to develop a better understanding of:

• the pharmacist’s role in providing medications safely and efficiently
• how the distributive role of the pharmacy department relates to the hospital as a whole and to patient care

Pharmacy management and leadership: Through projects, committee involvement, readings and discussions with persons involved in management, residents will develop a better understanding of:

• the principles of management as they apply to pharmacy services
• the role of the pharmacy management team
• the role of the pharmacy department within an institution

Residency project: Residents undertake and complete a research-oriented project related to healthcare organization pharmacy practice. The resident is involved in:

• protocol development
• data collection
• analysis
• interpretation

In-service and education: Residents are provided with opportunities for active participation in:

• case presentations
  
• conferences
• staff meetings
• lectures
• seminars
• continuing education courses
• teaching functions
• journal club
• grand rounds

Each resident is also required to give four formal presentations on pharmacy related issues. One of these presentations demonstrates the results of the residency project. Residents must attend one pharmacy conference.