Northwestern Memorial Hospital is recruiting for two positions for the 2025-2026 Residency Year:

• PGY1/PGY2 Combined Medication-Use Safety & Policy
• PGY2 Medication-Use Safety & Policy 

For the combined PGY1/PGY2 Medicaiton-Use Safety & Policy (MUSP) program, the rotation and entrance requirements for the MUSP PGY1 will be the same as the traditional NMH PGY1 program. Please refer to the Postgraduate Year One Residency Program information page for full details on requirements and PGY1 program components.

Medication-Use Safety and Policy

The Medication-Use Safety and Policy (MUSP) Residency at Northwestern Memorial Hospital is designed to ensure the resident will develop the knowledge, attitude, and skills necessary to become an advanced pharmaceutical care practitioner and organizational leader in the area of Medication-Use Safety and Policy. The learning experiences offered aim to provide the resident an advanced understanding and practical experience with medication-use safety and policy pharmacist responsibilities. The resident will actively participate in the medication-use process, including the Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee (P&T) and its subcommittees, formulary management, precepting, developing medication-related guidelines and policies, conducting research, and improving medication safety and quality.

Rotations

All rotations are 4 weeks unless otherwise noted.

PGY1 Rotations

Required Rotations

• Orientation (6 weeks)
• Administration/Leadership
• Critical Care
• Medication Use and Policy
• Internal Medicine
• Infectious Diseases
• Ambulatory Care

Elective Rotations

• Adult Critical Care: Medial, Surgical, Neuro-Spine, Cardiac, Cardio-thoracic
• Transplant (Solid Organ, Lung)
• Hematology, Oncology, BMT
• Cardiology, Heart Failure, Cardiac Surgery
• Emergency Medicine
• Psychiatry
• Informatics
• Nutrition
• Investigational Drug Services
• Research
• Clinics: Ambulatory Care (Internal Medicine), Oncology, Cardiology

PGY2 Rotations

Required Rotations

• Drug Information
• Advanced Drug Information
• Medication Safety
• Medication Safety & Quality
• Formulary Management
• Advanced Formulary Management
• Pharmacy Operations & Drug Shortages
• Pharmacy Informatics
• Medication Use Practice (longitudinal)
• Medication Safety Practice (longitudinal)

Elective Rotations

• Medical Writing
• Medication-Use Policy Administration
• Astellas Patient Centricity – Industry

Additional Elective Rotations will be developed on resident interest and preceptor availability in the future.

Additional PGY2 Activities

• Research Project: Each resident will complete an independent, longitudinal research project that will be presented at a local or national conference.
• Presentations: Each resident will complete two formal presentations to the pharmacy department throughout the year as well as one continuing education presentation for pharmacists. Additionally, the resident will be expected to present their research project defense and final research presentation.
• Committee Participation: The resident will be involved with the System Pharmacy & Therapeutics (P&T) Committee and Subcommittees as well as local P&T and Medication Safety committees.
• Precepting Experiences: PGY2 residents will be involved with precepting PGY1 residents and pharmacy students during their learning experiences.
• Teaching Certificate: Each resident may participate in a teaching certificate program and present didactic lectures based on available opportunities.

PGY2 Staffing

The resident will staff every third weekend. In addition, the resident will be expected to staff one winter holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s) and one summer holiday (Memorial Day, Fourth of July, or Labor Day).

How to Apply

Eligible applicants include:

• Graduate of a Doctor of Pharmacy program from an ACPE-accredited school or college of pharmacy.
• For PGY2 Applicants: Completion of an ASHP-accredited PGY1 pharmacy residency program.
• Eligible for Illinois licensure.
• Participation in an interview.

Application Requirements

All interested candidates must register with both PhORCAS and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Resident Matching Service:

• PGY1/2 MUSP: NMS Code - 319617
• PGY2 MUSP: NMS Code - 682377

All application materials must be submitted through the PhORCAS online portal. Additional requirements include:

• Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Letter of intent
• Three letters of recommendation (the Standard Reference Form in PhORCAS may be utilized for recommendations; a separate letter is not necessary)
• Pharmacy school transcripts
• Interview process (All candidates are required to participate in an interview during the month of January or February)

Application Deadline: January 2, 2025

About Northwestern Memorial HealthCare

Pharmacy Department’s Mission The department's mission statement, goals and objectives are complimentary to the hospital’s goals. To deliver the safest, highest quality, most effective and efficient patient care while developing the best people, advancing research, and integrating pharmacy services to successfully coordinate care across the Northwestern Medicine enterprise. Department of Pharmacy Scope of Patient Care Services The Department of Pharmacy is an integrated department with a centralized structure that provides service to all patients requiring medication therapy, regardless of diagnosis or acuity within the NM Health System. All services are conducted in accordance with accepted ethical and professional standards of practice and meet all legal requirements. Clinical Services Pharmacist patient care services are provided to all patients in the NM Health System who receive medications. Pharmacists provide collaborative and interdisciplinary care in a cost-effective, evidence-based manner to improve patient outcomes. Clinical pharmacists bring extensive knowledge and experience to teams within the specialties of Solid Organ Transplantation, Internal M...edicine, Hematology/Oncology, Bone Marrow Transplant, Emergency Medicine, Critical Care, Infectious Diseases, Psychiatry, Nutrition, Cardiology, Anticoagulation, Specialty Pharmacy, as well as Ambulatory Care services. Upon admission, a pharmacist reviews each patient’s medical record and ascertains an accurate admission medication history through interviewing the patient or caregiver, or consulting other resources as necessary to obtain accurate, up-to-date information. All new medication orders are reviewed for appropriateness by a pharmacist to determine the presence of medication therapy problems in a patient’s current medication therapy. Pharmaceutical needs of the patient are reassessed on an as-needed basis as the patient's condition changes. Ongoing assessment of the individual patient’s needs through patient interviews, participation on medical rounds, review of the electronic medical record, review of medication profiles and laboratory data, and consultation with team members ensures optimum medication therapy is prescribed. In addition, pharmacists coordinate the ordering, timing, and evaluation of serum drug concentrations, adjust doses for altered renal function, intermittent dialysis, and continuous renal replacement therapy, convert routes of medication administration, modify therapy to standardized doses as needed, and provide recommendations for pharmacokinetic follow-up for appropriate drugs. Pharmacists direct appropriate medication use and administration through the development and maintenance of guidelines, protocols, and other references for clinical personnel. Pharmacists initiate (prescribe) drug therapy regimens as authorized by protocols, including the ordering of laboratory tests to monitor drug therapy for safety and efficacy. Pharmacists also adjust medication start times to reflect appropriate continuity of care based upon medication history information obtained from the patient or other sources. Patient progress and recommendations regarding medication use are communicated to the primary provider and documented in pharmacy monitoring notes and in progress notes in the permanent medical record. Pharmacists provide education to patients and their representatives as deemed necessary for new medication starts and upon discharge. Pharmacists assist in the monitoring, prevention, reporting and coordination of performance improvement activities across the continuum of care. Pharmacists especially provide oversight for adverse drug events, drug interactions, and medication errors. Pharmacists develop, maintain, monitor, and enforce medication use policies, guidelines, and formulary restrictions in order to decrease variability, improve quality, and decrease cost. Pharmacists assist in optimizing the use of automation and information technology to further enable the development of the professional role of the pharmacist and the clinical services they provide by promoting the efficient use of healthcare resources. Center for Medication Use Policy (CMUP) is involved in medication management efforts by supporting the Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) committees, managing the Formulary, and participating in therapeutic protocol development and medication use evaluations. The CMUP team provides drug information support to the pharmacy department and other NM staff. Distribution The Department of Pharmacy ensures that medications ordered for patients are available and packaged in a ready-to-administer form. In addition to dispensing unit dose medications, they also compound IV solutions and repackage medications that are not available in unit dose packaging. Satellite pharmacies are located in strategic locations to ensure proximal access to patient care areas. Two central pharmacies are open 24 hours per day 365 days a year. Policy and Guideline Development Medication use policies, treatment guidelines, and target drug monitoring programs are continuously developed, updated and implemented to ensure that medication use is safe, efficacious, and cost effective. The Department of Pharmacy provides background information, data, and recommendations to the System Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee and its subcommittees to support the development of guidelines and policies. Information Technology and Finance The Department of Pharmacy is responsible for multiple financial aspects of medication management including the contracting, purchasing, billing, budgeting and inventory management of drugs. Our informatics pharmacists play a vital role in the implementation, revision and ongoing maintenance of information technology to manage the medication use process. The Department assumes responsibility for the medication content within information systems and many of the clinical and decision support applications. Automated equipment used to dispense medications is managed by the Pharmacy as well. Clinical content of systems used to administer medications such as bedside bar-coding systems and smart pumps are developed and maintained by the informatics team as well. Education and Research Our department maintains American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) accredited PGY-1 and PGY-2 pharmacy residency programs. We currently have 11 PGY-1 residents and 12 PGY-2 residents in programs including Infectious Diseases, Critical Care, Cardiology, Solid Organ Transplantation, Oncology, Ambulatory Care, Emergency Medicine, Medication-Use Safety & Policy, and Health System Pharmacy Administration. We are currently contracted with area colleges of pharmacy and accept students at various levels in their pharmacy education for experiential education. Trainees and pharmacy staff also conduct research that investigates various aspects of the medication use process and clinical outcomes, either in conjunction with other providers or through the Institution Review Board at Northwestern University. Investigational drug pharmacies and pharmacists manage all investigational drugs utilized at NM Health system. Numerous accredited CE programs are offered to pharmacy staff throughout the year. In addition, formal and informal education is provided by our pharmacists and trainees to medical students, hospitalists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and medical residents.

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