Canadian Pharmacy Residency Board

Address:
30 Bond Street
Toronto, ON, M5W 1W8

Director:
Dr. Clarence Chant, PharmD, FCCP, FCSHP
Director of Pharmacy
Tel: 416-864-5130

Coordinator/Contact:
Dr. Henry Halapy, BScPhm, PharmD, ACPR
Clinical Pharmacy Specialist/Leader
Phone: 416-867-7460 ext. 48123

Program Website: Please see our website for more detailed residency program information.

Program

Type: General

Focus: Provision of pharmaceutical care to inpatients as well as to selected ambulatory clinics

Established In: 1964

Number of Positions: 2

Application Deadline: As per PRAMS

Starting Date: August 2025

Estimated Stipend: Approximately $45,000

Additional PRAMS Requirements: (Additional PRAMS requirements to complete the Pharmacy Residency Application and Matching Service (PRAMS) application should be sent through PRAMS when applying to Unity Health Toronto - St. Michael's Hospital by the application deadline): 

1. Please describe (maximum 500 word count) your reasons for applying to St. Michael's Hospital residency program. What about our residency program appeals to you and how do you see yourself fitting within our organization?
2. Your most up-to-date resume/curriculum vitae.

Benefits Included: Not applicable for temporary full-time staff

Vacation/Holiday Leave: Time is allocated based on resident's schedule and personal needs - about 10 days.

Education/Conference Leave: The resident typically attends selected events deemed to be of strong learning value. Potential conferences might include the Ontario Residents’ Clinical Conference (September) and CSHP Professional Practice Conference.

Program Affiliation: Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto

Program Highlights: This is a general pharmacy residency program designed to prepare the candidate for clinical leadership in hospital practice. The emphasis is on enhancing the understanding of and developing skills in the provision of pharmaceutical care on both the individual patient and greater system levels. The resident has opportunities to develop presentation, teaching, project management, research, and leadership skills. The residency provides opportunities for interaction with undergraduate and post-graduate students in pharmacy and other health disciplines. Structured assessments are completed throughout the residency utilizing a competency-based framework. A certificate in Hospital Pharmacy Residency will be granted upon successful completion of the program. There are no mandatory drug distribution shifts required in this program. 

Core/Required Rotations: 

• Foundations I: This rotation provides the basic knowledge and skills for hospital pharmacy practice. It incorporates learning and project work in medication systems, patient safety/quality improvement, informatics, drug information, and critical appraisal/evidence-based medicine. The resident is fully trained on the pharmacy computer and electronic health record system. Duration: 8 - 10 weeks.
• Foundations II: The resident remains in one clinical area for the duration of the rotation, providing care to a defined subset of patients. The longer duration allows for enhanced independence and consolidation of knowledge and skills. Integration of the medication systems and institutional operations knowledge coupled with skills acquired in Foundations I into daily activities while managing patient care is a key component of the rotation. Activities include provision of pharmaceutical care, drug information, participation in medical rounds, medication reconciliation, in-services to nurses and/or physicians and case presentations to pharmacy staff. Schedule permitting, in the latter part of the rotation, the resident assumes co-precepting responsibility for a junior student. Duration: 8 -10 weeks.
• Administration / Leadership: The resident is exposed to essential principles of pharmacy administration and practice management. Topics covered include: leadership, change management, human resources, budget and financial planning, strategy, etc. The resident attends and participates in select committees with the Pharmacy Director and completes assigned tasks and projects.  Duration: 3 weeks/longitudinal.
• Research Project: The resident leads a research project that they develop from inception to completion. The resident learns about protocol design, implementation, data collection and analysis, and publications and poster presentation. The project will be written in a thesis format by the end of the program, and also written in a format suitable for submission for the CSHP National and Ontario Branch Awards Program. Duration: up to 10 weeks.
• Teaching: The resident learns about adult education theory and related education topics, and actively teaches staff and pharmacy students through presentations, workshops, and co-precepting a pharmacy student during rotations.  The resident develops skills in the four teaching roles of direct instruction, facilitation, modeling and coaching. Duration: longitudinal.
• Surgical Rotation:  The resident completes one clinical rotation in a surgical unit.

Direct Patient Care – Clinical Rotations (Electives): The resident completes 2 to 3 elective rotations selected from the following areas: critical care, trauma/neurosurgery, infectious diseases, haematology/oncology, nephrology, HIV, or family medicine. The resident continues developing and integrating their clinical skills and knowledge base. Activities include provision of pharmaceutical care, drug information, participation in medical rounds, medication reconciliation, in-services to nurses and/or physicians and case presentations to pharmacy staff. Typical rotation duration is 4 weeks. Service area offerings might vary year to year based on staffing pool and other priorities. In selecting the rotation sites for the resident, consideration is given to the resident’s past experiences, interests and preceptor matching.

Extra-Rotational Activities:
• St Michael’s Hospital Inter-Professional Education Events
• Medical and other specialty Grand Rounds (weekly)
• Pharmacy CE Seminars (attendance and participation)
• Residency Information Nights and Residency Open House
• Pharmacy & Therapeutic Committee and Pharmacy & Nursing Committee Meetings
• Pharmacist Council Meetings (monthly)
• Residency Advisory Committee Meeting (twice per year)

Required Credentials: Completion of entry-to-practice pharmacy degree.

Other Eligibility Requirements: Eligibility for licensing as a pharmacist with the Ontario College of Pharmacists; eligibility to work in Canada.

Organization

Type: Academic tertiary teaching hospital in downtown Toronto

Number of Beds: 460

Sites: Single site - St. Michael's Hospital although some rotations may be conducted at our St. Joseph's site.

Graduates

2023-2024	Nancy Xu Yvette Zhang
2022-2023	Samantha Cesario Meg Qirkollari
2021-2022	Gabrielle Busque
2020-2021	Laura Flynn Robert Nunn
2019-2020	Andrew Attia
2018-2019	Joseph Blommesteyn
2017-2018	Tianna Tilli
2016-2017	Matthew Richler
2015-2016	Lindsay Dryden