Canadian Pharmacy Residency Board

Address:
30 Bond Street
Toronto, ON, M5B 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

Residency Program

Type: General

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

Established in: 1964

# Positions: 2

Application deadline: October 14, 2022

• All applications should be submitted through the PRAMS website following dates and procedures as outlined by the Canadian Pharmacy Residency Board (CPRB). Interviews at Unity Health Toronto will be offered to selected candidates with a minimum entry level (BScPhm or PharmD) degree from an accredited school of pharmacy after an internal screening process. In-person interviews will be conducted from October - December. Interviews utilizing video conferencing technology will be considered.

Starting date: August/September 2023

PRAMS (Additional PRAMS requirements to complete the Pharmacy Residency Application and Matching Service (PRAMS) application should be sent through PRAMS when applying to Unity Health program 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.

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 multiple 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. 

Extra-Rotational Activities:

• St Michael’s Hospital Inter-Professional Education Events (minimum of one)
• 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)

There are no mandatory drug distribution shifts required in this program.

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, critical appraisal/evidence-based medicine, and drug-use evaluation. 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.

Direct Patient Care – Clinical Rotations (Surgical Selective and Electives): The resident completes 1 clinical rotation in a surgical unit, plus 2 to 3 additional rotations selected from the following areas: general internal medicine, cardiology, respirology, critical care, trauma/neurosurgery, infectious diseases, haematology/oncology, nephrology, HIV, emergency medicine, 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.

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: longitudinal.

Research Project: The resident leads a research project that he or she develops 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, allocated based on needs of the project.

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 during rotations.The resident develops skills in the four teaching roles of direct instruction, facilitation, modeling and coaching. Duration: longitudinal.

Others (Conferences, seminars, site visits, etc.): 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 (winter) and/or ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting (December). Attendance is determined at the beginning of the year jointly between the resident and coordinators and depends on funding and other program priorities.

Assessment:  Resident is assessed at midpoint and end of each rotation, and prepares a self-reflection report after each rotation and an evaluation of the preceptor/rotation site. Resident self-assessment for each rotation is also required. Assessment of the resident’s overall progress will be conducted on a quarterly basis.

Vacation (time is allocated based on resident’s schedule and personal needs): 10 days

Minimum required credentials: Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy or Doctor of Pharmacy degree (from a Canadian or American accredited school of Pharmacy with didactic and experiential courses in the philosophy and practice of pharmaceutical care).

Organization

Type: Teaching hospital

Number of beds: 417

Sites: Single site - Bond Street

Affiliation: University of Toronto

Graduates

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