PGY2 pharmacy residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) education and PGY1 pharmacy residency programs to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists in specialized areas of practice. PGY2 residencies provide residents with opportunities to function independently as practitioners by conceptualizing and integrating accumulated experience and knowledge and incorporating both into the provision of patient care or other advanced practice settings. Residents who successfully complete an accredited PGY2 pharmacy residency are prepared for advanced patient care, academic, or other specialized positions, along with board certification, if available.

Candidates interested in a career as a clinical coordinator, supervisor, manager or director in an integrated healthcare organization are encouraged to apply.

The PGY1 year is completed in the PGY1 Pharmacy – Aurora Health Care Metro, Inc. program. During the PGY1 year, residents spend the majority of their time at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center, with the opportunity to spend time at Aurora Sinai Medical Center.

During the PGY2 year, you’ll spend time at Mitchell Street – System Pharmacy Corporate Office and numerous sites within the system based on project, learning experience and service needs.

Additional learning experiences in hospitals, clinics and pharmacies throughout our service area in Wisconsin and Illinois are also offered.

Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center
Wisconsin’s largest private hospital, Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center is a premier destination for world-class patient care, treating patients from all 50 states and worldwide. It’s internationally known for expertise in heart care and oncology. Aurora St. Luke’s also offers exceptional specialty care in areas such as critical care, abdominal/cardiothoracic transplant and neurosciences, and houses the Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic.

Aurora Sinai Medical Center
A teaching hospital located in downtown Milwaukee, Aurora Sinai Medical Center offers unique experiences including neonatal/perinatal care, internal medicine and intensive care.

Mitchell Street – System Pharmacy Corporate Office
Numerous pharmacy teams, including Aesynt and Pyxis automation, drug use policy, supply chain, packaging center and system pharmacy operations are located at one office to provide centralized services and develop system-wide practices, protocols and processes.

The PGY1 year is completed in the PGY1 Pharmacy – Aurora Health Care Metro, Inc. program. During the PGY1 year, residents gain experience in drug policy, administration and direct patient care (including medicine, surgery, oncology and cardiology), and customize their residency by choosing elective experiences based on individual needs and interests.

During the PGY2 year, the format of the residency is tailored to the interest, experience, aptitude and career goals of the resident, including:

• Health system pharmacy leadership: Human resources, financial management, strategic planning, communication skills, accreditation, continuity of care, resource management, interfaces with medical staff and administration, corporate interfaces, managing issues and problems
• Ambulatory care management: Ambulatory clinical services, medication therapy management and reimbursement, business plan and return on investment, hospital discharge and clinic prescription services, customer service and performance improvement
• Clinical services (includes drug use policy and medication safety): Planning and management of clinical pharmacy services, including daily practice of pharmacists, medication safety initiatives, drug use policy decisions, P&T Committee operations, medication management regulatory compliance
• Retail pharmacy administration: Retail pharmacy operations, caregiver engagement, patient experience, financial performance and performance improvement
• Hospital pharmacy operations: Direct experience in the daily supervision of pharmacy operations including workflow, personnel management, problem solving and performance improvement
• Pharmacy informatics/automation and technology: Inpatient and ambulatory computer systems, project management, change management, database and application management, clinical documentation, billing systems and clinical/operational decision support
• Pharmacy supply chain purchasing/inventory control: Procurement, inventory management, contracting, market share rebates, negotiation, philanthropy, contract compliance, distributor relationships and vendor relationships
• Interviewing/recruiting: Lead the recruitment team to recruit, conduct interviews and hire personnel
• Orientation: Computer systems, drug distribution, personnel, policies, workflow and department structure
• Professional development: Year-long residency project, learning experience projects, in-services, staffing, visits to other institutions, professional organizations, teaching and precepting, current topic discussions, leadership development

For a list of learning experiences, see Program Graduation Requirements.

Each pharmacy resident also completes a residency project. Pharmacy residency projects are practice-based and align with the department’s strategic plan. Residents formally present their projects at a statewide conference and receive the opportunity to publish their work.

View the Year-Long Residency Projects

Requirements

You must complete general and program-specific requirements, including core and elective learning experiences, to graduate from your residency program.

Program Graduation Requirements

Resident Expectations & Requirements

On-Site Interview

All Pharmacy Residency Candidates must complete an on-site interview. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on-site interviews may be held virtually. Please check with program representatives for further details regarding virtual interviews. Interview dates cannot be rescheduled.

Our program’s most important assets are our people. Becoming a pharmacist requires two key ingredients: a motivated learner and a motivated teacher. Our preceptors, with diverse backgrounds in pharmacy, are excellent role models and teachers to our exceptional learners.

Meet the Preceptors

Meet the Residents