Nova Scotia Health Advanced (Year 2) Pharmacy Residency in Oncology Program

*Accreditation-Pending*

Note - Once accreditation is gained by a program, it becomes retroactive to the date that the application seeking accreditation was filed with CPRB. Therefore, programs with Accredited or Accreditation-Pending status may confer a credential such as “Accredited Canadian Pharmacy Resident/ACPR” upon their graduates.

Address:
1276 South Park Street
Halifax, NS, B3H 2Y9

Director:
Kent Toombs, BSc (Pharm), ACPR
Residency Program Director
Phone: 902-440-6689

Coordinators:
Laura Minard, (she/her), BSc, BSc(Pharm), PhD, ACPR
Clinical Pharmacy Coordinator (Oncology & Hematology)
Year 2 Oncology Residency Program Co-Coordinator
Phone: 902-473-7685

William Nevers, (he/him), BSc(Pharm), ACPR, PharmD
Residency Program Coordinator
Phone: 250-300-9469

Program

Type: General

Focus: Oncology

Established in: 2025

Number of Positions: 1

Application Deadline: January 15, 2025

Start Date: September 2, 2025

Stipend: $50,000 per annum + benefits

Vacation/Holiday Leave: 10 paid days

Education/Conference Leave: Financial support and time are provided to support residents to attend an oncology pharmacy conference during the residency year. The amount is reviewed each year.

Program Highlights:

The Nova Scotia Health Advanced (Year 2) Pharmacy Residency in Oncology is a 52-week specialty training program. The purpose of the program is to develop and refine the resident's skills as an advanced practitioner, researcher, educator and leader in Oncology pharmacy. The program builds upon the competencies established through completion of an accredited year one pharmacy residency and/or a post-graduate clinical pharmacy degree. The program is designed to comply with the accreditation standards of the Canadian Pharmacy Residency Board for Advanced (Year 2) Residency programs.

The Year 2 program in Oncology is offered through the Nova Scotia Health Central Zone and is based primarily at the Victoria General Hospital in Halifax. Rotations also occur at the IWK Health Centre with additional options for elective rotations at external sites. The program has an established core of learning activities, but may be tailored to each resident’s background, experiences, and personal goals for the program.

Candidates for the Advanced (Year 2) Pharmacy Residency in Oncology program shall be individuals who hold to high professional ideals, are highly motivated, committed to continued learning, and who wish to become experts and clinical leaders in oncology pharmacy.

The Nova Scotia Health Advanced (Year 2) Pharmacy Residency in Oncology program is pending CPRB Accreditation. Program accreditation is retroactive to prior program graduates and all successful graduates may use the ACPR2 designation.

Core/Required Rotations:

Core/Required Rotations:

Orientation (1 week)
Ambulatory Solid Tumour Oncology (4 weeks)
Adult Inpatient Malignant Hematology (4 weeks)
Pediatric Oncology (4 weeks)
Gynecology Oncology Clinic (4 weeks)
Medical Oncology Clinic (4 weeks)
Hematology Oncology Clinic (4 weeks)
Oncology Investigational Drugs (1 week upfront then longitudinal)
Provincial Oncology Drug Funding, Medication Safety and Quality Improvement (4 weeks)
Oncology Pharmacy Teaching (4 weeks)
Oncology Pharmacy Leadership
Research (8 weeks)

Other Experiences:

Professional Oncology Pharmacy Conference Attendance
Clinical Discussion Topics
Duty Roster

Elective Rotations (6 weeks total; pending preceptor/site availability):

Inpatient Adult Solid Tumour Oncology
Community Oncology Pharmacy (External)
Adult Cell Therapy and Transplant
Tumour Site-Specific Adult Ambulatory Elective
Infectious Disease

May add-on additional weeks from previous direct patient care rotations

Application Requirements:

Letter of Intent (maximum 500 words)
Curriculum Vitae (include a list of clinical rotations from residency and/or advanced clinical pharmacy degree)
Three Letters of Reference (professional)
Reference and Performance Summary from Coordinator of past Residency Program (if completed within the past 3 years) OR Academic Transcripts (if no residency completed)

Minimum Required Credentials: Candidates will have successfully completed an advanced clinical pharmacy degree (Doctor of Pharmacy as a second professional degree or Master's degree in advanced pharmacotherapy) OR an accredited pharmacy residency (CPRB or ASHP Commission on Credentialing) prior to starting the Advanced (Year 2) Pharmacy Residency in Oncology. Candidates must be eligible for licensure or licensed with the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists.

Organization

Type: Nova Scotia Health Central Zone (Tertiary Academic Health Centre)

Number of Beds: Variable by site

Name of Site(s) Residents Attend for Rotations:

Victoria General Hospital (QEII Health Sciences Centre)
IWK Health Centre
Community Hospital Site (Nova Scotia Health, Western Zone; elective)

Affiliation: Dalhousie University College of Pharmacy