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Pharmacy Informatics

Pharmacy Informatics Virtual Open House

Overview of the program, followed by the opportunity to ask questions,
and meet with current and past residents, the program director, and program coordinators.

November 11th 11:30 - 1:30 PM (MST)
November 21st 2:30 - 4:30 PM (MST)
December 14th 10:30 - 12:30 PM (MST)

Pharmacy Informatics

About this PGY2 Pharmacy Residency Program

Purpose

Our PGY2 pharmacy residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and PGY1 pharmacy residency training to develop pharmacist practitioners with knowledge, skills, and abilities as defined in the educational competency areas, goals, and objectives for advanced practice areas. Residents who successfully complete our PGY2 residency programs are prepared for advanced patient care or other specialized positions, and board certification in the advanced practice area, if available.

Description

The pharmacy informatics residency program offers a one-year PGY2 certificate. The resident receives informatics training in a variety of clinical applications that impact patient care. The purpose of the residency is to develop pharmacy practitioners with marketable job skills in clinical informatics and automation. They also develop a working knowledge of medication information systems and their design, development, and integration into clinical practice. The resident will gain first-hand experience building and maintaining an Epic pharmacy system including accreditation in the Epic Willow Inpatient module.

Program Goals and Resident Outcomes

After successful completion of this pharmacy informatics residency program, the resident will be able to:

  • Train leaders in pharmacy informatics with specialized knowledge in both clinical informatics and automation.
  • Develop expertise in technology assessment, implementation, and workflow integration.
  • Gain a comprehensive understanding of Epic pharmacy systems, both build and maintenance aspects.
  • Develop critical thinking skills as they apply to clinical informatics and anticipate downstream system implications.
  • Effectively communicate informatics-related issues to both clinical and non-clinical personnel.
  • Independently identify pharmacy technology issues and optimization (patient care, safety, etc.), develop an action plan, and communicate with stakeholders.

Highlights

Rotation opportunities are available in a wide variety of clinical areas, IT technical operations, automation experiences, clinical decision support, and more. The resident benefits from the collaborative relationship between pharmacy, nursing, and hospital informatics as well as the flexibility in rotation scheduling. The resident will have the opportunity to obtain accreditation in multiple Epic modules as well as attend the spring Epic XGM conference in Madison, Wisconsin.
 

Rotation Experiences

Required Foundational Experiences

Rotation Preceptor(s) Duration
Orientation to Informatics
*Epic Willow Accreditation
Nicholas Link 4 weeks
Pharmacy Order Integration Derrick Shepherd 6 weeks
Clinical Decision Support David ElHalta 4 weeks
Data Analytics and Reporting Dawnyle Kelley 4 weeks
Automation Technology Bryce Knight 4 weeks
Barcode Medication Administration (BCMA) Brian Johnson 4 weeks
Pharmacy IT Leadership and Management Alyssa Ferrie 4 weeks
Project Management Bryan Edvalson 4 weeks
Pharmacy Informatics Capstone Suzie Chen 4 weeks

Required Longitudinal Rotations

Rotation Preceptor(s) Duration
Residency Project TBD Longitudinal
Staffing Commitment Shea Kinsey
Amanda Woods
Longitudinal

Elective Experiences

Rotation Preceptor(s) Duration
Pharmacy Informatics Oncology
*Epic Beacon Accreditation
Nicholas Link 4 weeks
Healthcare Analytics Heidi Cozart 2-4 weeks
Ambulatory Pharmacy
*Epic Willow Ambulatory Accreditation
Bryce Knight 4 weeks
Advanced Reporting and Data Analytics
*Epic Cogito Accreditation
Shea Kinsey 2-4 weeks

Electives are arranged based on the resident's interests. This may include experiences in other areas not listed, or extending a rotation already scheduled.

Requirements

Staffing Commitment

The resident will split their staffing commitment between order verification in the Main Hospital pharmacy and IT on-call. The resident will be scheduled in the central pharmacy at least one weekend (Saturday and Sunday) and one weekday per month. Starting in October, the resident will staff an average of 2 IT on-call shifts per month. During IT on-call, the resident will respond first to any high priority pharmacy-related trouble tickets between 9am and 9am the following day. The resident will also be responsible for low-medium ticket triage on scheduled call days.

Presentations

Residents are required to do at least 4 presentations including the following:

  • ACPE Accredited C.E. Presentation
  • College of Pharmacy Health Informatics Elective Lecture
  • Epic XGM Conference Presentation (if accepted), OR
  • Mountain States Conference Presentation

Meetings

  • Epic XGM Conference, Madison, Wisconsin (Spring)

  • Mountain States Resident Conference, Salt Lake City (Spring)

Optional Teaching Experience

An optional Teaching Certificate program offered through a partnership with the University of Utah College of Pharmacy is available if interested.

 
Qualifications

  • Candidates must graduate from an ACPE-accredited pharmacy program with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree.
  • Candidates must have successfully completed an accredited PGY1 pharmacy residency program.
  • Candidates must be eligible for Utah licensure and are expected to obtain licensure as a pharmacist in Utah by September 30th of each program year. (The University of Utah pharmacy residency programs do not sponsor visas.)

Recruitment & Selection

The following information must be submitted by the date specified (typically the first Friday in January) in the Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service (PhORCAS) for the applicant to be considered for an on-site interview:

  • Completed PhORCAS registration
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Letter of intent
  • College of pharmacy transcripts
  • Three recommendations using the PhORCAS standard form

All residency programs at University of Utah Health use the Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service (PhORCAS). No paper applications will be accepted. Completed applications in PhORCAS are reviewed and competitive applicants will be interviewed. The program participates in the National Matching Service through ASHP

Benefits

  • Pharmacy residents are classified as regular, full-time, exempt employees of University of Utah Health.
  • The benefits package includes health, dental, and life insurance, and staff discounts.
  • Residents accrue 18 days of paid time off (PTO) and 10 paid holidays per year, but are asked to limit vacation and interview days to 10 total per year.
  • Depending on the residency program, registration and travel is paid for the Epic XGM Conference and the Mountain States Resident Conference.

Contact Information

Shea Kinsey, PharmD, MBA, MHA, MS, BCPS

Program Director

Contact Information

Shea Kinsey, PharmD, MBA, MHA, MS, BCPS
Shea.Kinsey@hsc.utah.edu
 

Bio
My name is Shea Kinsey and I am the Director of the PGY2 Pharmacy Informatics residency program. I started at University of Utah Health as a PGY1/2 Health System Pharmacy Administration resident, then completed the PGY2 Pharmacy Informatics residency program.

Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my husband and our three dogs, running, and playing piano.

Nicholas Link, PharmD, MS

Program Coordinator

Contact Information

Nicholas Link, PharmD, MS
Nicholas.Link@hci.utah.edu
 

Bio
My name is Nick Link and I am the PGY2 Pharmacy Informatics Residency Program Coordinator. I have been a pharmacist at University of Utah Health since 2008, enjoying the first six years as a clinical pharmacist at Huntsman Cancer Hospital before making the switch to our Pharmacy Informatics team in 2014.

Outside of work, I love attending concerts and sporting events with my family, spending time outdoors in the mountains and Southern Utah, and rooting on my favorite sports teams including the Utah Utes, Liverpool Football Club, and Denver Broncos.