PGY1/PGY2 Pharmacy Informatics Residency

PAST EVENTS

Residency Purpose Statements 
PGY1: PGY1 residency programs build upon Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and outcomes to develop pharmacist practitioners with knowledge, skills, and abilities as defined in the educational competency areas, goals, and objectives. Residents who successfully complete PGY1 residency programs will be skilled in diverse patient care, practice management, leadership, and education, and be prepared to provide patient care, seek board certification in pharmacotherapy (i.e., BCPS), and pursue advanced education and training opportunities including postgraduate year two (PGY2) residencies.

PGY2: PGY2 residency programs build upon 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 PGY2 residency programs are prepared for advanced patient care or other specialized positions, and board certification in the advanced practice area, if available.

The combined PGY1/2 Pharmacy Informatics Residency program at Houston Methodist provides candidates with training in administrative pharmacy, clinical pharmacy and informatics pharmacy over the course of 24 months.

In this unique program, the resident supports existing pharmacy informatics services and dedicate time to informatics-related quality improvement projects and research with a focus on safety, efficiency, and state-of-the-art pharmacy-related technologies. The resident spends significant time learning clinical decision support systems, medication lifecycle technologies from ordering to administration, pharmacy financial excellence and compliance through technologies, and data mining skills.  The program includes core clinical and operational pharmacy rotations to ensure the necessary foundation to build upon for the informatics focus.  In addition, Pharmacy Informatics residents get the opportunity to be certified as Epic Willow Inpatient analysts during the course of their residency.  Residents will train in the various hospitals in the Houston Methodist system, ranging in size from the flagship 1100-bed facility to those with as few as 150 beds. This structured feature positions graduates for success in both large and small facilities.

Graduates of this program find employment opportunities in the field of pharmacy informatics as Pharmacist Informaticists, Pharmacy IT Specialists, System Analysts, Program Managers, and other elite and specialized positions that are in high demand.  Being trained by Houston Methodist’s pharmacy informatics preceptors and experts and holding the Epic Willow Inpatient certification upon graduation both provide the pharmacy informatics graduate a sharper market edge and competitive advantage when heading to join the practice workforce. Graduates can work in various settings including but not limited to hospital and healthcare, industry, academia, and research.