St. Joseph’s/Candler offers both a Postgraduate Year One (PGY1) and Postgraduate Year Two (PGY2) clinical pharmacy residency program. 

The PGY1 program was initiated in 1999 and is accredited by the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists (ASHP) with five resident positions available each year.

The PGY2 program in Critical Care Medicine with an emphasis on critical care and emergency medicine is new in 2011, offers one position, and is accredited by the ASHP. 

In addition to our traditional programs, we offer a non-traditional PGY1 program to our current pharmacist employees, with up to two positions available during a three year period.

Residency Program Mission

To provide quality, compassionate, cost-effective pharmaceutical care to patients treated at St. Joseph’s/Candler and to provide leadership on medication use and drug policy for patients and members of the health professions.

Residency Program Vision

To develop competent and confident clinical pharmacy practitioners and to instill in them a philosophy of excellence in practice leadership and management.

Residency Program Purpose

The residency programs are designed to train selected, highly motivated, highly qualified pharmacists and focus on development of the knowledge, attitude, and skills needed to provide quality, compassionate and cost-effective pharmaceutical care.  It is expected that the resident will acquire a well-rounded, in-depth, diversified, clinical training experience, applicable to the various areas of pharmacy practice.

The PGY1 program is a broad-based experience in general pharmacy practice to include nutritional support, internal medicine, critical care, cardiology, infectious diseases, hematology/oncology, emergency medicine, pharmacokinetics, ambulatory care, clinical research, performance improvement, medication safety and administration. Residents develop, present, and submit for publication a major research project. They also participate in the Teaching and Learning Development Series (Teaching Certificate) and serve as preceptors for PharmD students completing clinical clerkship training on site.  Upon completion of the program, the PGY1 resident will be prepared for successful entry into a pharmacy career focused on direct patient care and will be qualified to provide pharmacist-managed medication therapy, rational utilization of medication, healthcare-related education, leadership and participation in interdisciplinary activities.

The PGY2 program in Critical Care Medicine is focused on mastering the skills necessary to become a practice leader in critical care pharmacy. The practice setting includes the medical, neuro, and cardiac critical care units, and emergency medicineThe resident develops, presents, and submits for publication a major research project impacting one of these clinical service areas focused  in the area of critical care.  The resident will also complete a Graduate Certificate Program through University of Georgia College of Pharmacy and participate in formal lecture of University of Georgia pharmacy students. The resident serves as a mentor for PGY1 residents and preceptor for PharmD students completing clinical clerkship training on site.  The purpose of this method of training  in Critical Care Medicine will be to develop an advanced practitioner able to succeed in medication management, nutrition support, and the disease state management of patient populations in the adult critical care setting. The residency will also prepare a practitioner, via didactic and experiential teaching, to succeed in mentoring PharmD students, and Pharmacy Practice Residents. 

Clinical Pharmacy Department

St. Joseph’s/Candler is a 636-bed, community-based, regional-referral, tertiary-teaching, comprehensive health delivery system. The St. Joseph’s/Candler pharmacy department, functioning across both campuses, is highly automated and is comprised of approximately 100 staff members. Clinical pharmacist practitioners provide extensive services in several areas, including, but not limited to: internal medicine, critical care, infectious diseases, emergency medicine, oncology, cardiology, nutrition, anticoagulation and administration.  The Center for Clinical Research maintains an active clinical research program that provides the resident with an opportunity to participate in both ongoing and new protocols.

Interviews

Interviews are an integral part of our evaluation of potential residents. We expect that serious applicants will want to evaluate us and our clinical site as well. Therefore,, an on-site interview in Savannah will be required for candidates selected to move forward in the application process.  Deadline for receipt of completed application materials is January 10th.   All application materials must be complete and received by the deadline in order to be considered for an interview.

For More Information

We are very excited about our residency programs and all that they offer.  If you require further information or have questions please email us at dalyd@sjchs.org for the PGY1 programs or richardsh@sjchs.org for the PGY2 program.