“After completing my PGY1 Pharmacy Residency with Providence Health
and Services at St. Vincent Medical Center, I was fortunate to obtain
a full-time cardiology and critical care pharmacist position. My PGY1
journey with Providence prepared me exceptionally well for my current
clinical practice areas and provided me with invaluable experience to
deliver the highest quality patient care. I now feel incredibly fortunate
to be able to work alongside my previous preceptors and to have the opportunity
to facilitate the pharmacy education of our residents and students.“
- James Watkins, Past PGY1 Resident, Current Preceptor
Our residents work closely with Providence pharmacy services in a variety of settings:
Acute care. Although residents are based in the Portland, Medford, and Newberg/Milwaukie areas, they benefit from the knowledge of more than 170 full-time pharmacists across eight acute-care facilities in Oregon. Together, residents and pharmacy teams provide a broad scope of progressive pharmacy services, including pharmacist-managed collaborative drug management.
Ambulatory care. Our primary care clinical pharmacy specialists provide disease management and collaborative drug therapy management to Providence Medical Group patients in the medical home setting. The department also supports clinical pharmacy involvement within anticoagulation clinics, medication assistance programs, and population health. Our ElderPlace clinical pharmacy specialists provide care for the frail elderly and collaborate across multiple clinic settings.
Home Services/Infusion. Our home services/infusion pharmacists provide both medication dispensing and clinical management of neonatal, pediatric, adult, and geriatric patients receiving infusion therapies such as antimicrobial therapy, TPN, and specialty medications.
Specialty Pharmacy (Credena Health). Our specialty pharmacists are engaged and proactive in the management of specialty medications across 49 states and serve as drug information specialists for both patients and providers. Pharmacists perform initial and on-going patient assessments to evaluate the appropriateness of drug therapy regimens, assess adherence, and address side effect concerns of patients on specialty drug regimens.
Providence Health Plan. Our pharmacists develop a solid foundation in population-based pharmaceutical care. Primary emphasis is placed on the development and implementation of medication use management initiatives and policies, formulary management, and quality and outcome assessment in collaboration with the health-system and the Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee. In addition, our medication therapy management pharmacists provide direct patient care to ensure safe and efficacious drug therapy for our elderly patients.
“This PGY-1 program provides strong clinical experiences that prepared
me to confidently staff a multitude of clinical areas following my residency
year. The overwhelming support and mentorship provided by the pharmacy
team created a great place to learn and somewhere I aspired to be even
after residency. Completing my residency here shaped me to be the clinician
I am today, helped me build lasting relationships, and opened up opportunities
I never thought were possible. If I were to decide all over again, I would
still choose Providence.”
- Linda Huynh, Past PGY1 Resident, Current Preceptor
In 2015, Providence’s Oregon pharmacy residency programs were recognized
with the ASHP Residency Excellence Award. This prestigious award recognizes
excellence and leadership in the training and mentoring of pharmacy residents.
The awards program honors leading practice facilities and mentors. The
program has two goals:
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacy (ASHP) has also granted “Best Practices in Health System Pharmacy Awards” to:
Providence Oregon hospitals have received national awards for overall excellence, patient safety, quality, and patient satisfaction. In addition, our specialty programs have earned recognition for stroke, cardiovascular, and orthopedic excellence. According to US News & World Report, Providence St. Vincent Medical Center and Providence Portland Medical Center are two of the top three hospitals in Oregon. These rankings recognize hospitals that excel in treating the most complex patients, and they also help guide patients who need a high level of care.
As a pharmacy resident, you’ll be working with medical residents who are also training with our award-winning programs across all of our practice areas and facilities.
At Providence, we are inspired by our founders and history. Providence caregivers share a deep, personal value to achieve the highest standards of professional excellence and compassionate care. It is part of our mission to be steadfast in serving all, especially those who are poor and vulnerable in our communities.
“As one of the largest nonprofit health-system and integrated delivery
network in the United States, Providence has given me incredibly unique
opportunities to provide and implement recommendations on a local, regional,
and system level. The caregivers of Providence have shaped my experience
as a new practitioner to provide professional excellence and compassionate
care for all patients. I am extremely grateful for the caregivers, opportunities,
and experiences I will carry forward in my career to shape our healthcare
landscape.”
– Hyesoo Chae, Past PGY1/PGY2 Health-System Administration Pharmacy Resident
Providence pharmacists play an integral role in a variety of practice settings as part of Providence’s patient-centered ambulatory and acute care.
Ambulatory care pharmacists within our 32 primary care clinics provide comprehensive medication management for chronic diseases across all ages. Residents are actively involved in medical home teams at these clinics, and they support Providence Medical Group’s quality and education initiatives.
Ambulatory geriatrics pharmacists are a part of Providence Elder Place and PACE (Program for All-inclusive Care of the Elderly) program which provides comprehensive care to geriatric patients.
Providence Home Services’ specialty pharmacy division cares for patients at home, in our infusion suites, or in long-term care facilities. Services also include reimbursement verification and authorization by our trained insurance specialists.
Pharmacy residents are encouraged to grow professional connections by interacting with other residents and preceptors throughout the Providence system, and also through professional organizations. Opportunities exist to be engaged with the Oregon Society of Health-System Pharmacists (OSHP), the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), and other professional groups. Pharmacy residents are also connected to faculty at the local schools of pharmacy: Oregon State University and Pacific University.
Residents can earn a teaching certificate through the Oregon Pharmacist Teaching Certificate Program, an arrangement between local residency programs, Oregon State University College of Pharmacy, and Pacific University School of Pharmacy.
Participants will attend workshops, provide didactic lectures, facilitate small groups and complete a teaching portfolio. Residents will receive a teaching certificate when they successfully complete all program requirements.
Providence is one of the largest nonprofit health-systems in the United States. The residency offers a unique experience to work and learn from Pharmacy leaders throughout the Providence Oregon Region. Residents work alongside leaders in a variety of settings to better understand health-system pharmacy administration and to lead projects that impact the region and system.
