The PGY-2 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency Program at UT Southwestern is a one-year post-graduate training program designed to prepare critical care specialists.

Residents will gain experience and training in the following clinical service areas:

• Cardiac ICU
• Cardiovascular ICU
• Medical ICU
• Neurocritical Care
• Surgical ICU
• Infectious diseases

Additionally, residents will be involved in the academic, administrative, formulary management, quality improvement, and clinical research activities of the department.

Purpose

The PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency Program will build upon Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and the PGY1 pharmacy residency program to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists in critical care. The critical care residency provides the resident with opportunities to function independently as a practitioner by conceptualizing and integrating accumulated experience and knowledge and incorporating both into the provision of patient care or other advanced practice settings. The resident who successfully completes an accredited PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency Program is prepared for advanced patient care, academic, or other specialized positions, along with board certification.

Program Structure

The ASHP Required Competency Areas, Goals, and Objectives for PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency Programs will guide the residency training structure. A core set of required rotations will be completed. In addition, each PGY2 Critical Care resident will have an individual customized training plan based on prior skill level and particular areas of interest.

Required Concentrated Learning Experiences

• Orientation (2-4 weeks)
• Cardiac ICU (4-6 weeks)
• Cardiovascular ICU (4-6 weeks)
• Medical ICU (4-6 weeks)
• Neurocritical Care (4-6 weeks)
• Surgical ICU (4-6 weeks)
• Infectious Diseases (4 weeks)

Required Longitudinal Experiences

• Pharmacy Staffing (52 weeks with 2, 8.5 hour shifts every 3rd weekend)
• Medical Emergencies (52 weeks)
• Practice Management (52 weeks)
• Research (52 weeks with 4-6 weeks of dedicated research time)

Elective Concentrated Learning Experiences

• Repeat of a required ICU Rotation (4 weeks)
• Trauma ICU – Off-site (4 weeks)
• Emergency Medicine (4 weeks)
• Critical Care Precepting (4-6 weeks)
• Nutrition Support (2-4 weeks)
• Palliative Care (2-4 weeks)
• Toxicology (2 weeks)
• Transplant Infectious Diseases (4 weeks)
• Bone Marrow Transplant (4 weeks)
• Solid Organ Transplant (4 weeks)
• Transfusion Medicine (1-2 weeks)
• Other elective experiences may be developed based on resident interest and preceptor availability

Optional Longitudinal Learning Experience

• Teaching Certificate (available if not completed as PGY1)

All other requirements and information can be found on the UTSW Pharmacy Residency Manual.

Program Expectations

• Lecture to CVICU/SICU service every other month
• Completion of 1-hour ACPE-accredited CE presentation
• Completion of Medication Use Evaluation
• Completion of one of the following: drug monograph, drug class review, treatment guideline/protocol or proposal for medication safety/technology improvement
• Completion of all of the following at least one time (any of these items may be repeated if competency not achieved): patient case presentation, journal club, drug information response, and in-service to pharmacy staff or other healthcare professionals
• Platform presentation or poster presentation of residency project at PGY2 Critical Care RAC AND local, regional or national conference
• Completion of resident major research project and submission of manuscript in publication format
• Participation in residency recruitment, as requested

Current Resident

Rachel Ou, Pharm.D.

Rachel Ou is the current PGY-2 Critical Care Resident at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Rutgers University Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy and completed her PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency at Houston Methodist Hospital. Her current practice interests include medical ICU and academia. She is a member of American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and Society of Critical Care Medicine. In her free time, Dr. Ou enjoys crafting, baking, and watching musicals.