Pharmacy Residency Program FAQ

Residency Manual

What is the start date for the pharmacy residency program?
This year's PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency program begins the third week of June. The PGY-2 Critical Care and Infectious Diseases residencies begin July 1.

What is the application process for the pharmacy residency program?
Qualified candidates must have, or will have, completed a PharmD at an accredited College of Pharmacy or equivalent degree. All residents must be licensed by the Illinois Board of Pharmacy by August 1 and must have taken the NAPLEX and MPJE by July 15.

Additionally, the PGY-2 Critical Care and Infectious Diseases residents must have completed or be in enrolled an ASHP-accredited or ASHP pre-candidate PGY-1 pharmacy residency program.

Important Application Details:

• Interviews will begin shortly after the application deadline.
• Interviews will be conducted virtually unless otherwise notified.

Required Application Materials (to be completed in PhORCAS):

• Completed PhORCAS application
• Curriculum Vitae
• Official transcripts for pharmacy education
• Letter of intent
• Three letters of recommendation
• Answers to supplemental questions below (applies to PGY1 program only)

1. Outline your short-term (5 year) and long-term (10 year) career goals.
2. What about the Loyola PGY1 Residency program aligns with your goals in pursuing residency training?
3. What about the Loyola PGY1 Residency program is least consistent with your career goals?
4. Describe an intervention you made on a recent rotation. What did you learn from this experience?

For further information, please contact:

LUMC Pharmacy Residency
Loyola University Medical Center, Department of Pharmacy
2160 S. First Ave.
Maywood, IL 60153
Kevin.Chang001@luhs.org
Phone: 708-216-3875

Can candidates requiring a visa or graduating from a foreign school of pharmacy apply?
Due to timelines and competition within the pool of applicants, we do not sponsor visas for foreign pharmacy residency applications.

Applicants who completed their initial pharmacy degree from a foreign college of pharmacy need to submit proof of successfully passing the following tests: Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Exam, the Test of Spoken English, and the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language).

How many candidates will be interviewed?
We anticipate interviewing up to 6 candidates per residency position.

What does the interview process entail?
The PGY-1 interview day is based on a half-day schedule that includes interviews with the residency director and multiple residency preceptors, a group journal club/case, and a virtual tour of the medical center.

How is the individual resident’s progress tracked?
After the first month of the program, each resident will choose a resident advisor who will serve as a mentor to the resident throughout the year. The resident advisor will report to the Residency Advisory Committee on the resident’s progress throughout the year. Residents will be evaluated after each rotation and evaluated by the residency director on a quarterly basis.

How long are the rotations?
Rotations are four to five weeks long, with the exception of the longitudinal pharmacy operations, pharmacy improvement, and research rotations.

What is the pharmacy operations rotation?
This is a longitudinal staffing experience during which the resident will gain experience in the day-to-day operations of the central pharmacy. Residents will be responsible for staffing in central pharmacy every third weekend, both Saturday and Sunday. In addition to the weekend staffing requirement, residents (all but the PGY-2 SOT) will rotate through an ED on call shift Monday through Friday evenings, 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm.   In addition to the weekend staffing requirement, residents will rotate through an ED on call shift Monday through Friday evenings, 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm.” to “In addition to the weekend staffing requirement, residents (all but the PGY-2 ID resident) will rotate through an ED on call shift Monday through Friday evenings, 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm.

How many residents will be recruited?
Nine PGY-1 Pharmacy residents, two PGY-2 Critical Care residents, and one PGY-2 Infectious Diseases resident.

What projects and responsibilities are required?
PGY-1 Pharmacy resident requirements include the following:

• Present a formal journal club presentation on an article of your choosing in the summer.
• Prepare and deliver one original 45 to 50 minute ACPE-accredited CE seminar during the fall/winter on a topic of your choosing, provided it is approved by the residency director. 
• Complete one original research project including a manuscript suitable for publication before the conclusion of the residency year.
• Present the results of your research project at the Illinois Pharmacy Residency Conference (ILPRC) which occurs in May each year.
• Complete a medication use evaluation (MUE) and present the results as a poster presentation at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting in December.
• Present an informal case presentation on a topic of your choosing in the spring.
• The resident will serve on a hospital committee.
• The resident will co-precept students.

PGY-2 Critical Care and Infectious Diseases resident requirements include the following:

• Prepare and deliver one original 45- to 50- minute ACPE-accredited CE seminar during the winter on a topic of your choosing, provided it is approved by the residency director.
• Complete one original research project including a manuscript suitable for publication before the conclusion of the residency year.
• Present the results of your research project at the Great Lakes Pharmacy Residency Conference which occurs in April each year.
• The resident will co-precept/precept students and/or residents.
• The Critical Care residents will cover stroke codes and code blues.
• The resident will serve on a hospital committee.

Additional presentations and/or projects may include rotation based assignments, drug utilization reviews, and formulary monographs, among others.

Is there a teaching certificate available?
Yes, we offer a teaching certificate for PGY-1 residents (required) and PGY-2 residents who have not already completed a certificate.