PGY 1 Community-Based Residency program

 

 

Program Overview

The PGY 1 Community-Based Residency program at Aza Health provides a comprehensive training opportunity in an outpatient setting.

Aza Health’s PGY 1 Community-Based Residency program is accredited by ASHP-APHA. Additionally, Aza Health is accredited by the Accreditation Association of Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) and has Primary Care, Medical Home, and Dental Home certifications.

PGY1 Community-Based Pharmacy Residency Program Purpose: To build upon the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and outcomes to develop community-based pharmacist practitioners with diverse patient care, leadership, and education skills who are eligible to pursue advanced training opportunities including postgraduate year two (PGY2) residencies and professional certifications.

 

Learning Goals

 

Aza Health’s PGY 1 Community-Based Residency program is a 12-month program with multiple residents. During the year, residents will experience and train in the clinical care of patients in an outpatient setting. It serves as a valuable learning environment that will provide the resident with the opportunity to broaden their knowledge of asthma, diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, dyslipidemia and warfarin therapy, in addition to other disease states that are commonly encountered in primary care. Improved management of chronic disease states and appropriate medication therapy are expected to help improve the patient’s health status and reduce complications that lead to emergency room visits and hospital admissions. The residents have the opportunity to develop skills and techniques necessary to properly educate patients through patient interviews and obtaining medication histories.

 

Resident Learning Activities

During the first month of the residency, the resident will spend time becoming oriented to Aza Health. There are multiple pharmacist-managed clinics including Coumadin Clinic, ADCES accredited diabetes self-management education and support services and medication therapy management activities.

The residency program has 5 major rotations:

• Operations – once licensed, the resident acts as the pharmacist in charge in Aza Health’s 340B pharmacy. The resident performs final verifications; is in charge of counseling or directing the student to counsel all patients and speak with the providers about medication questions.
  1. Staffing is required between 5:00 and 7:00pm by a resident on a rotating schedule.
• Direct Patient Care- the resident oversees the students training and performance in the Coumadin Clinic; completes the ADCES accredited Diabetes Self-Monitoring Education and Support (DSMES), Chronic Care Management Clinic, and HIV screening/PrEP Clinic; assists with Hepatitis C treatment; and vaccinates patients.
  1. During the course of the program, the resident will have the opportunity to improve a current program develop and implement a new program, or expand clinics to other sites.
• Medication Therapy Management/ Transitions of Care- The resident will be imbedded in the care manager team to perform MTM outreach calls, medication adherence calls and medication reconciliation post discharge calls and various other tasks to increase our STAR rating and improve HEDIS scores.
• Precepting- The residents will have the opportunity to teach and interact with students during their APPE ambulatory care rotations. Residents are assigned a student on a rotating schedule. The resident oversees the students training, integration and grading while at Aza Health. Residents have the ability to participate in a teaching certificate program through the University of Florida or the University of South Florida.
• Projects- the residents will create a monthly newsletter on a rotating schedule. The resident also needs to complete a new (or evaluate/expand an existing) clinic protocol, create a business plan and write a manuscript by the end of the residency. The resident will also complete a safety project.

 

About the 340B Pharmacy

As a Federally Qualified Heath Center (FQHC), Aza Health operates in areas designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas and or Medically Underserved areas or populations. As a 340B healthcare organization, Aza Health is able to provide pharmaceutical help at a discounted rate to qualifying patients seen within the Aza Health system. Currently, Aza Health has been chosen as a best practice site by the Office of Pharmacy Affairs and as a Leading Practice site among other 340B programs.

 

Meet The Residency Program Director

 

Melissa Chruscinski is the Clinical Pharmacy Services Coordinator and PGY 1 Community-Based Residency program Director at Aza Health. She serves the University of Florida, Florida A&M University and LECOM as a Clinical Assistant Professor for APPE rotational students.

Dr. Chruscinski received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Florida and was the first resident to complete the residency at Aza Health. She received a teaching certificate from the University of Florida in 2011. She received board certification as an ambulatory care pharmacist in 2012. Dr. Chruscinski has served as a clinical pharmacist and pharmacy manager in 2 different locations since finishing her residency with Aza Health. Dr. Chruscinski’s current responsibilities include disease state management for anticoagulation, diabetes mellitus, hepatitis C and Medication Therapy Management clinic. Current professional memberships include Florida Pharmacy Association (FPA), American Pharmacist Association (APhA), American Society of Health—System Pharmacists (ASHP) and American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE).

 

Application Requirements

REQUIREMENTS

Pharmacy Residents must be:

• A graduate of an ACPE-Accredited college of pharmacy with a Pharm D or another advanced professional pharmacy degree.
• A U.S. citizen or eligible to work in the U.S.A.
• Eligible for Florida Licensure (this should be obtained by July 31, 2021)

BENEFITS

• Stipend – amount varies by year
• Positions: multiple
• Medical and Dental Insurance (beginning after 90 days probationary period)
• 12 Paid Holidays
• 12 Days Paid Vacation/Personal Time Off
• Professional Leave and Travel Allowance to Attend National and Regional Meetings

APPLICATION PROCESS

Please refer to the ASHP Residency Directory for current application information.