| The purpose of the PGY2 Oncology Pharmacy Residency is to develop graduates of a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency into clinical specialists who can successfully care for adults with cancer, including solid tumor malignancies, hematologic malignancies, those undergoing a hematopoietic cell transplant, as well as patients with benign hematological diseases. Residents who complete this program will be well equipped to handle all aspects of pharmaceutical care for oncology patients. Residents will function as part of the multi-disciplinary team and work to ensure the safe and effective use of all chemotherapy/immunotherapy. During the residency year, the resident will be responsible for the completion of a research project, quality improvement project, teach by exercising a variety of presentation formats, and mentor. Multiple professional writing and research opportunities are available during the course of the year as well. Training Site The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) is world-renowned for its clinical and research excellence, forging the way for newer and better ways to diagnose and treat illnesses and disorders. HUP is an expanding, 739-bed-academic teaching hospital and tertiary referral center located in the heart of Philadelphia. Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center is a world leader in cancer research, patient care, and education. It is consistently ranked as one of the top healthcare systems and cancer centers in the nation. It is recognized as both a NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center and FACT-accredited bone marrow and tissue transplantation center. Our clinical program, compromised of a dedicated staff of physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, physical therapists, nutritionists, and patient care coordinators, currently sees over 100,000 outpatient visits, over 11,800 inpatient discharges, provides over 37,000 chemotherapy treatments, and more than 66,000 radiation treatments annually. Together, our faculty is committed to improving the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. Not only are we dedicated to providing state-of-the-art cancer care, the latest forms of cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment are available to our patients through clinical teams that developed in the relentless pursuit to eliminate the pain and suffering from cancer. HUP's reputation as a world leader in medical research and clinical care attracts the highest quality medical specialists from around the world. The supportive and collaborative environment encourages physicians and staff to keep reaching ahead to find new ways to improve the quality and length of life for everyone. Learning Experiences Required Rotations - Orientation – 1 month
- Typically consists of Hospital and department training in addition to pharmacokinetic training, rapid response training and an introduction to oncology learning series. BLS and ACLS will be scheduled during this time if not already certified. The resident will also be trained on the pharmacy teams covering the oncology care units, as this is where their primary weekend staffing responsibility will fall. Prior to beginning PGY2 rotations, the resident will become familiarized with chemotherapy policies, procedures and safe handling of hazardous agents.
- Inpatient Solid Tumor/Medical Oncology – 1 month
- Inpatient Malignant Hematology – 2 months
- Inpatient Allogeneic Transplantation and Cellular Therapy – 1 month
- Inpatient Autologous Transplantation – 1 month
- Inpatient Symptom Management and Palliative Care – 1 month
- Ambulatory Care – 3 months
- Research – 1 monthIn addition to the required residency rotations, elective rotations in several oncology-related areas are available to enhance the resident’s experience and knowledge. Any of the above listed rotations may be used as elective rotations. Listed below are some additional elective rotations available:
- Electives (1 month)
- Infectious Diseases in the Oncology Population
- Critical Care Management of the Oncology Population
- Gynecology/Oncology
- Benign Hematology
- Nutrition supportLongitudinal Experiences
- Pediatric Oncology
- Participate actively on a multi-disciplinary team caring for patients who have hematologic or solid tumor malignancies, those receiving immunotherapy, or those who have received or are receiving a hematopoietic stem cell transplant.
- Actively be involved in medication reconciliation at admission and discharge for all patients in the oncology setting
- Act as an oncology drug information resource for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and patients.
- Provide educational in-services to the nursing staff, house-staff, and pharmacy staff on oncology specific issues including but not limited to: new drug treatments, adverse effects, supportive care guidelines, and proper administration of chemotherapy.
- Work to improve the medication use policies relating to chemotherapy and ensure the safe use of all chemotherapy in both the inpatient and outpatient setting.
- Act as an integral part of the team taking care of patients in an outpatient clinic setting by providing education to nurses, physicians, and patients in that setting.
- Participate in department, hospital and clinical unit committees as assigned. Also serve as secretary of an assigned Pharmacy-led interdisciplinary committee (Pharmacy and Therapeutics, Medication Safety, etc.).
- Present an oncology disease state topic discussion at least once a month as part of the residency lecture series.
- Deliver a pharmacy continuing education presentation to members of the pharmacy department.
- Present journal clubs and patient case presentations as part of the Residency Program’s Therapeutics Conference.
- Participate in the clinical intervention program, adverse drug reaction reporting program and medication error program.
- Participate in formulary decisions regarding oncology specific agents such as new chemotherapy agents and supportive care medications for use in patients with cancer.
- Prepare drug monographs (2 required) for formulary review, drug or therapeutic guidelines and drug utilization reviews as needed.
- Completion of an oncology-focused PGY1-paired research project.
- Present a poster presentation of the methodology of the research project at Vizient University Health System Consrtium’s Pharmacy Network Meeting. The PGY1 resident will present the poster at ASHP The Midyear Clinical Meeting.
- Submission of research project manuscript to a peer-reviewed pharmacy or oncology journal.
- Submit an abstract for poster presentation (research project) to HOPA or other national meeting.
- Attend the ASHP Mid-year clinical meeting, Eastern States Residency Conference (optional), and HOPA Annual Meeting, as funding allows.
- Assist in the mentoring and act as a pharmacy role model to pharmacy students, PGY1 residents, and pharmacy staff.
- Provide weekend staffing coverage and pharmacokinetics service coverage to an oncology practice area.
- Be involved with investigational protocols for patients in the inpatient setting and to understand the processes involved in safely preparing and distributing investigational agents in the outpatient setting
- Certify in Basic Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Respond to Code Call, Anesthesia Stat and Rapid Response requests as assigned.
- Present HOPA journal club during residency year. (optional)
- Participate in writing a review article. (optional)
- Instruct pharmacy students in didactic coursework or other academic setting. (optional)
- Participate in the Teaching Certificate Program. (optional)
Program Director Colleen Timlin, PharmD, BCOP Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Hematology/Oncology Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania 3400 Spruce Street Ground Rhoads Philadelphia, PA 19104 colleen.timlin@uphs.upenn.edu |
