Pharmacy PGY2 Infectious Diseases Residency

• Deadline for application – December 31
• Start Date – July or August
• Application materials must be submitted via PhORCAS™
• Onsite interview required (Mondays or Fridays in January or February)
• Annual Salary $55,000
• Benefits include 10 days of vacation, 80 hours of sick leave, medical insurance, on-site medical library and medical graphics department, office with your own computer and reference library
• Meetings funded include ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting, IDWeek Annual Meeting
• Numerous Board Certified Preceptors
• Diverse Infectious Diseases learning experiences with tailored instruction and electives for the individual resident based on interest(s) and career goals
• Research project required to be completed with presentation at a local or national meeting
• Additional professional writing opportunities as need arises
• Professional presentations: Pharmacy Grand Rounds (ACPE-accredited), Infectious Diseases Citywide case conference, Infectious Diseases case conference, Infectious Diseases Journal Club
• Precepting / mentoring opportunities – University of Houston and University of Texas College of Pharmacy student clerkship precepting, institutional PharmD Shared Student Instruction, PGY-1 Pharmacy Resident precepting
• Weekend coverage: approximately 12-14 weekends per year

Learning experiences are scheduled as monthly rotations or in a longitudinal format. Residents are required to meet with the preceptor(s) prior to starting each learning experience to review the goals/objectives and expectations of the learning experience. The resident’s daily responsibilities will be under the direction of the assigned preceptor. 

Required Experiences: Resident experiences are on a one month basis or in a longitudinal format. The resident is required to successfully complete all PGY2 Infectious Diseases residency learning experiences, including:

• Clinical Microbiology
• Antimicrobial Stewardship I
• Antimicrobial Stewardship II
• Hematologic Malignancy Oncology Service (Leukemia / Stem Cell Transplantation)
• Infectious Diseases Consultation  (Leukemia)
• Infectious Diseases Consultation (Stem Cell Transplantation / Lymphoma)
• Infectious Diseases Consultation II (Stem Cell Transplantation / Lymphoma)
• Infectious Diseases Consultation (Intensive Care Unit)
• Infectious Diseases Consultation (Solid Tumor)
• Infectious Diseases Clinic (longitudinal)
• Research (longitudinal)

Elective Learning Experiences: The resident is required to successfully complete two, one-month elective experiences. Elective experiences may include additional on-site experiences or an off-site rotation, allowing the resident to take advantage of the unique patient populations found across the Texas Medical Center. Resident interest and a specific elective experience should be discussed with the RPD at least 6 months in advance to ensure availability. Off-site experiences cannot always be guaranteed and are dependent on external availability.

• Pediatric Infectious Diseases (Texas Children’s Hospital or Children’s Memorial Hermann)
• General Inpatient Infectious Diseases (LBJ Hospital)
• Solid Organ Transplant Infectious Diseases (Houston Methodist Hospital)
• Cardiac Transplant / LVAD Infectious Diseases (Memorial Hermann Hospital)

Longitudinal Learning Experiences

• Outpatient Infectious Diseases Clinic
• Antimicrobial Stewardship Policy
• Drug Information
  • The MD Anderson Drug Information Service is designed to provide information to healthcare providers within MD Anderson and its associated facilities and to outside healthcare providers. This learning experience is completed on a longitudinal basis throughout the residency year. Orientation to the goals, objectives and learning experiences is typically completed during orientation. As a component of the Drug Information experience, residents will each complete a DI project and present the findings to the P&T(Pharmacy and Therapeutics) or other appropriate committee. Other responsibilities include:  taking minutes for a P&T meeting, contributing articles to the pharmacy e-newsletter, and participation in group discussions throughout the year. Each resident will also facilitate Journal Club during the year.

Presentations:

The PGY2 Infectious Diseases resident is responsible for completing the following presentations (at minimum):

• Case conference (minimum of 2)
• Journal club (1)
• Journal scan (monthly)
• ACPE-accredited Pharmacy Grand Rounds (1)
• Infectious Diseases Pharmacotherapy Citywide (1)
• Shared student instruction (minimum of 2)
• Drug monograph for the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee (1)
• Houston Infectious Diseases Network research platform presentation (1)

Longitudinal Research Project:

The resident is required to successfully complete one research project for successful completion of the residency program. The project is typically retrospective in nature and will be conducted in collaboration with infectious diseases pharmacists, physicians, and others from across the institution. At the beginning of the residency year, the resident will be provided a list of project ideas to choose from or may develop his/her own idea with approval from the RPD. A research project mentor will be identified to assist the resident with the project and ensure completion. The resident will be required to present their findings in a number of venues, including (but not limited to) local pharmacy groups, infectious diseases faculty meetings, and others. Successful completion of the research experience requires development of a publication-quality manuscript.

Longitudinal Drug Information and Drug Use Policy:

Drug information is a longitudinal learning for the PGY2 Infectious Diseases pharmacy resident and other residents at MD Anderson. The PGY2 resident is required to complete the following activities: provide coverage of the non-formulary pager for a minimum of 5 weekends, develop one formulary monograph or class review for an infectious diseases-related topic and present findings to the P&T committee, and take minutes for one P&T meeting. Other activities may be assigned at the discretion of the RPD.

Committee Involvement:

The resident is required to serve as a member of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee. Expectations include timely attendance at all meetings, active involvement in the committee as assigned by the RPD, adherence to set deadlines, and taking minutes for the meetings. Additional committees, including Infection Control, may also be available.

Experiential Precepting:

The resident is required to become a licensed preceptor with the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, which necessitates completion of 3 hours of preceptor CE. Residents will participate in precepting opportunities for students from the University of Texas College of Pharmacy, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, and PGY1 pharmacy residents as they become available and based on the interest of the PGY2 infectious diseases resident.

Weekend / Holiday Coverage:

The resident will work approximately 12–15 weekends throughout the year, potentially including one to two institutionally-recognized holidays. Weekend responsibilities include staffing in the ICU satellite pharmacy and antimicrobial therapeutic drug monitoring.

The weekend / holiday schedule is made in advance and will occur during the 7 a.m.–3:30 p.m. shift. If a resident needs a particular weekend off that he/she is schedule to work, arrangements to switch with a co-resident should be made. All changes must be approved by the RPD in advance.

Conference / Seminar Attendance:

Funding will be provided for the resident to attend the following conferences: IDWeek / SIDP, ASHP Midyear Meeting. The resident may attend other local/national conferences (e.g., MAD-ID, ACCP) as designated by the RPD. Travel outside of the continental United States is handled on a case-by-case basis and may not be approved or financially supported.

See answers to our most frequently asked questions.

Application Instructions:

• Contact Residency Program Director prior to starting the application process.
• ASHP Midyear PPS or telephone interview is required prior to application submission
• Applications must be submitted via the Phorcas system™
• Application(s) must be submitted no later than December 31
• Participation in ASHP Resident Matching Program is required for all Residency Programs
• No temporary United States visa sponsorship
  • Immigration visa sponsorship for this program is NOT offered by MD Anderson.  Individuals admitted to this program will be required to demonstrate a valid immigration status prior to the PGY2 residency appointment and it must be for the full period of the PGY2 residency program.

The following application materials must be submitted via the PhORCAS™ online application system by December 31:

• A Statement of Intent (not to exceed one typewritten page) describing your career goals and reasons for pursuing the residency program
• Curriculum Vitae
• Official Transcript from Pharmacy College/University  indicating date of graduation and degree earned (originals required via PhORCAS™)
• Reference Form in PhORCAS™ completed by THREE references

In addition to the Reference Form in PhORCAS™, MD Anderson also requires that your THREE references each submit a Formal Letter of Reference

• Directions for Letters of Reference
  • All letters must be on institutional letterhead and must be dated AND contain an original signature
  • Completed letters can be submitted as follows:
    • Scan and email the letter (PDF document) directly to slaitken@mdanderson.org
  • The PhORCAS™ “Standardized Reference Form” does not meet our institution/program requirements and cannot be accepted in lieu of reference letters.

On-site Interview Requirements and Scheduling:

• An on-site interview is required.
• All candidates will be notified of their interview status by January 15
• Interviews will be conducted in January and February, after receipt of all application materials.

Upon release of the match results, candidates that match with our institution will need to complete an institution specific application and requirements for appointment via the MD Anderson DISCOVER™ online application system.  The DISCOVER System™ is a web based database utilized to streamline the application selection and appointment process.  More information about this process will be provided at the time of onsite interviews.

For questions regarding the application process, please contact Samuel Aitken, Director PGY2 Infectious Diseases Pharmacy Residency program, via email at slaitken@mdanderson.org or by phone at 713-745-3968.