Pharmacy Residency & Fellowship Programs

All of the college's postgraduate training programs share common elements. First, residents/fellows in these programs spend approximately one day each week on campus (usually Friday). While on campus, residents have the opportunity to participate in Midwestern University Curricula longitudinal learning experience, which includes the Teaching and Learning Curriculum (TLC), the Pharmacy Management and Leadership Curriculum (PMLC) and Research Curriculum, each detailed in the sections below. In addition, all residents/fellows are required to complete a research project and deliver a grand rounds presentation. Finally, all residents/fellows receive an appointment as a Visiting Instructor within the Department of Pharmacy Practice and are provided dedicated space at the College.

The Teaching and Learning Curriculum (TLC) is embedded in all of the college's residency and fellowship programs. It is delivered through mini-seminars, applied activities, and formative assessments throughout the year. Didactic teaching is evaluated by both content and delivery experts through use of standardized evaluation forms; both written and verbal feedback are provided to the resident. The goal of the TLC is to provide opportunities for the residents/fellows to gain the knowledge, attitudes, and skills they need to be effective teachers. Residents/fellows are required to submit a teaching portfolio as part of the TLC and will ultimately earn a TLC certificate of completion if they meet attendance, and complete or satisfy project and participation standards.

Specific units in the TLC include:

• The New Science of Learning
• Understanding the Curriculum
• Developing Learning Objectives
• Didactic Teaching and Learning
• Applied Teaching and Learning
• Selection-type Items
• Supply-type items and Rubrics
• Experiential Teaching and Learning
• Evaluating Experiential Learning & Managing Conflict
• Preparing and Delivering High Quality CE Presentations
• Academic Culture
• Accreditation and Affiliation Agreements
• Course Development and Course Directing
• Quarterly Educational Journal Clubs

Teaching and Learning Activities

Residents/fellows implement what they have learned from the TLC program by teaching in the classroom and in the clinical setting. Residents/fellows provide instruction in small group workshops and large group didactic settings (i.e., lectures). Residents/fellows serve as preceptors for an Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience rotation in which residents/fellows precept one group of students for one day per week for 10 weeks. Later in the postgraduate training program, residents/fellows serve as a preceptor or co-preceptor for 1-2 students on an Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (i.e., clerkship rotation).

This Pharmacy Management and Leadership Curriculum (PMLC) is designed to support the residents'/fellows' activities in pharmacy practice. Delivered through a series of seminars and applied activities, residents/fellows gain an awareness of personal strengths and strategize on ways to capitalize on their strengths. Management topics include comparing and contrasting management and leadership styles. Contemporary issues in pharmacy practice, health care systems and professional advocacy are highlighted.

Specific units in the PMLC include:

• Exploring Strengths: StrengthsFinder and Values in Action (VIA)
• E-professionalism
• Self-Assessment and Reflective Writing
• Facilitating Effective Meetings
• Cultural Competency
• Clinical Quality Improvement
• Ethics
• Developing a Personal Mission Statement
• Professional Organizations/Advocacy
• Developing/Evaluating a Clinical Service
• Styles and Models of Management and Leadership
• Revisiting StrengthsFinder and the Personal Mission Statement
• Quarterly Management/Leadership Case Studies

The Research Curriculum is designed to augment research skills and other research-related skills of the residents/fellows. These are non-clinical topics that provide the resident/fellow with exposure to issues in research and practice. Seminars are provided at key times throughout the year to provide residents/fellows "just in time" refreshers.

Specific units in the Research Curriculum include:

• Research Methods & the IRB Proposal
• Statistics 101: A Review
• Surveys & Questionnaires
• Collecting and Organizing Data
• Data Analysis: SPSS
• Peer Review/Responding to Reviewer Feedback
• Preparing/Submitting Manuscripts
• Other units may be added as interesting or timely topics arise.