PGY2 Solid Organ Transplants Residency Structure
PGY2 solid organ transplant (SOT) residents who completed a PGY1 residency at University Health will only undergo orientation specifically for the PGY2 SOT residency during the first month of the residency year. PGY2 SOT residents who did not complete a PGY1 residency at University Health will undergo orientation and training for the University of Texas College of Pharmacy, University Health, the PGY2 Solid Organ Transplant Pharmacy Residency, and the Department of Pharmacotherapy and Pharmacy Services during the first month of residency.
Departmental and residency training will include orientation to policies and procedures, University Health computers, the inpatient pharmacy, the transplant unit, and the transplant clinic. All items on the Inpatient Pharmacy Training List should be covered during this training period, and the completed checklist should be submitted to the Residency Program Director (RPD) at the end of the training period.
The resident will also be oriented to the ASHP Residency Accreditation Standards, Program Design and Conduct, and the required Competency Areas, Goals, and Objectives for PGY2 residency training. In addition, the resident will be oriented to the evaluation process and the PharmAcademic online evaluation system (if not utilized during PGY1 residency).
Residents who are not previously certified will also be scheduled for training in Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (BLS/ACLS) early in the residency. The resident must become licensed in the State of Texas as a Registered Pharmacist by August 1, or the 1st day of the second month of residency.
The resident is required attend and actively participate in scheduled monthly Pharmacy & Therapeutics (P&T) and quarterly Drug Utilization Evaluation (DUE) Committee meetings throughout the year. The resident will also attend Transplant Clinical Management Team (CMT) meetings and Transplant Clinical Quality Assurance/Process Improvement (QAPI) meetings as scheduled.
Required learning opportunities include conducting a transplant-related DUE and/or leading the development or modification of a transplant-related guideline or protocol. The resident is strongly encouraged to present results of transplant-related research projects and/or DUEs at DUE, P&T, CMT, QAPI, and/or pharmacy meetings.
Examples of transplant-related topics that may be addressed include:
- Formulary and fiscal management
- Pharmacy policies and procedures
- Medication-related guidelines/protocols
- Information technology and automation systems
- Medication-use system evaluation
- Adverse drug reaction reporting, trending, and interpretation
- Medication safety and medication error reporting, trending, and prevention
- Pharmacist intervention reporting and trending
- Investigational drugs
The resident will have the opportunity to attend and participate in local, state, and national professional association meetings (required to attend 2 minimum with a formal presentation at 1 minimum), including but not limited to the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting, the Alcalde Southwest Regional Residency Conference, and the American Transplant Congress.
The resident will work with the transplant pharmacy team throughout the year to cover topics such as:
- Transplant prescription funding sources, problems, and solutions
- Improving medication adherence in Transplant
- Medication reconciliation in Transplant
- In addition, the resident will actively participate in the implementation, and revision of a Drug Therapy Management Protocol for transplant pharmacists at UTC.
Successful completion of at least one transplant research project is required to fulfill the requirements and to obtain a certificate of graduation from the residency program. Research will focus on the evaluation of a transplant pharmacotherapy-related issue. The resident must adhere to the established timeline for the project to assure successful completion during the one-year residency. The research project topic may be an idea of the resident, from a suggested list, or individually assigned. The project will be directly supervised by the RPD and/or a preceptor with expertise in the selected discipline. The research project proposal must be approved by the RPD, and if applicable, must also be approved by the UT Health San Antonio Investigational Review Board and the UHS Research Committee.
The research project will be presented as an abstract and as a platform presentation at the regional Alcalde Southwest Residency Leadership Conference in the spring. The resident is strongly encouraged to submit an abstract of the research project at a regional or national pharmacy or transplant meeting, specifically the American Transplant Congress. The research project must also be submitted in manuscript form to the RPD and the resident is strongly encouraged to submit the manuscript for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
The resident will attend weekly Transplant Grand Rounds on Friday mornings, and will be provided the opportunity to present at least one formal Transplant Grand Rounds during the year.
The resident will participate in the University of Texas College of Pharmacy residents’ weekly Pharmacotherapy Seminar (residents’ discussion group) on Friday afternoons. This activity is optional but encouraged if the resident has not yet received board certification. The resident will be required to lead discussion on at least one topic, as assigned by the group coordinator.
The resident will also attend weekly Pharmacotherapy Rounds with fellow University of Texas College of Pharmacy residents on Friday afternoons. Attendance is strongly encouraged unless it interferes with urgent, necessary patient care obligations; excused absence requires approval by RPD and communication by resident to course coordinator. The resident will also be required to present one formal Pharmacotherapy Rounds (“Resident Rounds”) during the year.
The resident is required to present a minimum of one ACPE-approved continuing education program to the pharmacy staff during the residency year.
Other required academic activities include presenting at least one transplant-related lecture to pharmacy students and medical students, and facilitating labs (minimum number determined annually) for pharmacy students. The resident will assist with mentoring and precepting pharmacy students assigned to the transplant rotation.
In addition, the resident will have the opportunity to teach about transplant medications in the Transplant Nursing Course. The resident will also have numerous opportunities to participate in and lead discussions on transplant-related topics, patient cases, journal clubs, and in-services.
The resident may elect to obtain an Academic Training Program Certificate if not completed during their PGY1 residency. The University of Texas College of Pharmacy Academic Training Program requirements will be completed throughout the year, including attendance at the UT Academic Training Conference.
The length of each patient care rotation is usually four weeks, but may be flexible, depending on the needs and interests of the individual resident. The following rotations are required:
- Inpatient Transplant Medicine/Transplant Surgery
- Pediatric Transplant
- Must have at least one rotation with a focus on each of the following organ transplants, for a minimum of 4 rotations total during the year:
- Kidney Transplant I & II
- Liver Transplant I & II
- Lung Transplant I & II
- Histocompatibility Laboratory
- Transplant Ambulatory Care
Other rotations available on an elective basis include but are not limited to the following:
- Kidney Transplant II
- Liver Transplant II
- Lung Transplant II
- Transplant Ambulatory Care II
- Transplant Medicine
- Transplant Medicine Academia
- Transplant Infectious Diseases
- Critical Care Advanced—Medical
- HIV-Opportunistic Infections (Inpatient)
A resident may choose to participate in no more than two off-site (i.e., outside University Health facilities) elective rotations per residency year.