UK HEALTHCARE Ambulatory Care Residency

PGY2 residency programs build upon Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and PGY1 pharmacy residency training to develop pharmacist practitioners with knowledge, skills, and abilities as defined in the educational competency areas, goals, and objectives for advanced practice areas. Residents who successfully complete PGY2 residency programs are prepared for advanced patient care or other specialized positions, and board certification in the advanced practice area, if available.  

Our PGY2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy residents are an integral part of our ambulatory pharmacy team. UK Healthcare has 59 pharmacists practicing in 27 outpatient clinics across the health system.  These clinics include a pharmacist-led anticoagulation clinic, and multiple primary care and specialty clinics. Ambulatory clinic pharmacists are credentialed and privileged by UK Healthcare and serve as key members of interdisciplinary patient care as well as provide pharmacist-led services including medication management, chronic care management, and transitional care management.

The UK HealthCare PGY2 Ambulatory Care Residency is a one year, ASHP accredited specialty residency program. Our program structure consists of longitudinal learning experiences. Longitudinal experiences are structured by quarters of the residency program, allowing the resident to have in-depth experiences as well as provide continuity in care for the ambulatory population. Learning experience structure includes:

Primary care experiences (2) may be selected from the following sites: Internal Medicine Group, Women's Health Clinic, Turfland Family Community Medicine, Bluegrass Care Clinic, Polk Dalton Clinic, Fountain Court Primary Care, Georgetown Family & Community Medicine

Clinic based transitions of care experience may be selected from the following sites: cardiology transitional care clinic, diabetes transition of care clinic, post-ICU clinic, or primary care transition of care programs

Elective Experiences

One elective will be done at site of new service development which will align with resident interests.

Elective opportunities include: academia, behavioral health, bone & mineral metabolism, cystic fibrosis, neurology, cardiology specialties, anticoagulation, nephrology, oncology, pulmonology, specialty pharmacy, transplant, outpatient antimicrobial stewardship/infectious diseases. Other elective learning experiences may be developed based on resident interest and preceptor availability. Additional opportunities are available through the Lexington VA and Bluegrass Community Health Center

*All rotation experiences may be adjusted depending on preceptor/clinic schedules or availability during the specific residency year 

Research: Our program utilizes a flipped research model, allowing for the resident to be a part of two research projects relevant to ambulatory care pharmacy practice during their residency year.  The resident will be expected to complete a major research project including presentation and manuscript completion for a project, as well as creation and development of an additional project specific to their ambulatory care interests. The resident will have dedicated time for research to support the research requirements and will be supported through a research committee, including a research advisor and associate investigators. 

Teaching: Each resident participates in a longitudinal teaching experience with the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy including being the primary preceptor for at least 2 experiential students, facilitation of the Patient-Centered Care Experience laboratory for at least 16 contact hours, and delivering a minimum of 2 contact hours of lecture. Additional teaching requirements include presenting at pharmacy Grand Rounds, presenting to at least one interprofessional group during the program, and leading at least 3 topic discussions/journal clubs for other ambulatory residents and students. Additional teaching opportunities are available if the resident is interested. The resident is encouraged to complete the UK Teaching and Learning Program.

Practice management and development: Every resident will develop a new ambulatory clinical pharmacy service or enhance a current service. They will work with residency program leadership and department leadership to identify a new service project that fits their interests and health system needs. Examples of past new service projects include creation of a polypharmacy clinic, establishing diabetes management services in a primary care clinic, development of a transitions of care service within a specialty clinic, and justification of a new ambulatory clinic pharmacist positions in clinics that have not previously had this service. Residents will participate in ambulatory practice management topic discussions and create a business plan for their new service.

Staffing: All UK HealthCare pharmacy residents are required to provide support to the department and institution through staffing. Residents in our program provide staffing support through the Meds-to-Beds transitions of care program and 24/7 hospital-based retail pharmacy.