Pharmacy Residency Program at CHI Health Immanuel

CHI Health is part of CommonSpirit Health, a nonprofit, Catholic health system dedicated to advancing health for all people. Located in North Omaha just off of I-680 on 72nd Street, CHI Health Immanuel is a full-service hospital, Cancer Center, Rehabilitation Institute and Specialty Spine Hospital. The hospital’s rather geographically isolated location within the metro area contributes to its steady medical and behavioral emergency department censuses. As a part of our organization’s Neurological Institute, Immanuel has been designated a Level 4 (highest level) Epilepsy Center and has achieved certification as an Advanced Thrombectomy Capable Center.

PGY1 pharmacy residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) education and outcomes to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists responsible for medication-related care of patients with a wide range of conditions, eligible for board certification, and eligible for postgraduate year two (PGY2) pharmacy residency training. This program will center on developing a core skill set in medication therapy management, teaching, team functioning, communication, clinical research, literature evaluation, time management, presentation development and delivery, and direct patient interaction in a community hospital setting. This program offers the resident the opportunity and stimulus to develop, to the highest degree obtainable, his/her professional expertise as a practitioner. Graduates of this program will be highly qualified to practice as pharmacist clinicians in patient care positions, adjunct faculty positions, or for PGY2 training in their area of choice.

1. Provision of drug information related to patient care and prospective therapeutic drug monitoring to ensure provision of safe, efficacious, and cost-effective pharmacotherapy to patients.
2. Decentralized clinical pharmacy service: Medical/Surgical, Adult ICU, Hematology/ Oncology, Psychiatry, Peri- and Post- operative Care, Medical and Behavioral Emergency Medicine and Multidisciplinary Care Team Rounds.
3. Staffing as a clinical pharmacist in the Inpatient Pharmacy.
4. The resident is required to prepare and present two grand rounds presentations. Other teaching opportunities, if interested, include staff education, didactic lectures, assisting with Pharmacotherapeutics Cases Studies for P2 and P3 students and precepting PharmD students on clinical rotations. The resident also has the opportunity to complete the teaching certificate program offered through Creighton University.

PGY1 residents will receive a salary of $50,000/year with comprehensive medical, dental and vision care coverage. Life insurance, short and long term disability coverage are also available.

CHI Health Immanuel residency is a one-year program consisting of 12 one-month blocks. The schedule offers rotations in core areas of patient care while allowing the resident up to three months of elective rotations.  The program is structured to provide the resident with diverse experiences in the provision of direct patient care and achievement of residency goals including medication therapy management. 

Required Rotations Include:

• Orientation & Training
• Adult Medicine
• Adult Medicine 2
• Adult Psychiatry
• Critical Care
• Emergency Medicine
• Infectious Diseases
• Management
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Required Longitudinal Rotations Include:

• Residency Project and Drug Information
• Staffing

Elective Rotations Offered:

• Critical Care 2
• Nephrology
• Neurology
• Psychiatry 2

All residents are strongly encouraged to pursue licensure in Nebraska prior to beginning the residency training program. The process must be initiated with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and continued with the Profession and Occupational Licensure Division, Nebraska Department of Health.

As a minimum requirement for employment the resident must obtain licensure as a pharmacist with the state of Nebraska within 90 days from the start of the residency. Failure to obtain licensure within 90 days from the start date will result in termination from the program.

The goal of the operational pharmacy practice experience is to ensure that each resident can function independently as a pharmacist. Each resident will train with a preceptor(s) as assigned. Orientation and training will take place during the first month of the residency. Once the resident is deemed competent, he/she will be assigned to patient care units or central pharmacy for the remainder of the residency. Residents will be evaluated on their staffing experiences on a quarterly basis.

Required Staffing Commitment: Each resident will be expected to staff in the pharmacy every fourth weekend during the year as a patient care pharmacist. Weekend staffing will be scheduled for Saturday and Sunday from 0700 to 1530.

Holidays: Residents are expected to work one designated holiday. Recognized holidays include: Labor Day (typically we have resident work Labor day), Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Years Day, and Memorial Day. Holiday assignments will be determined at the beginning of the residency year.

Each PGY1 resident will be provided up to approximately $1500 for professional development funds. Residents are encouraged to use these funds to cover registration fee/airfare/hotel to attend the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting, registration fee for Midwest Pharmacy Residents Conference (MPRC), and any other educational endeavors the resident may wish to pursue (i.e. ACLS, PALS, other professional meeting, professional reference book(s), lab coats, etc.).

The primary emphasis of the residency program is to develop the resident’s practitioner expertise. An integral part in the development of the resident is an appreciation of research methodology. Provisions will be made for the resident’s participation in a clinical research project activity or a self-directed investigation in an appropriate pharmacotherapeutic area. The project undertaken, by mutual agreement of the resident, primary preceptor, residency director, and participating co-investigators, will be of suitable quality for publication in a peer-reviewed journal and presentation at a major scientific meeting and the MPRC.

The residency research project should provide an experience and/or appreciation of clinically oriented research. This will include the following:

• IRB training
• Study design and protocol development
• IRB submission of protocol
• Data collection and organization
• Statistical analysis
• Summary of results
• Conclusions
• Project written in manuscript format
• Formal presentation of work