School of Pharmacy Welcomes New and Returning Residents and Fellows

Day-long orientation introduces new residents and fellows to the University of Maryland; offers returning residents and fellows opportunity to network with new peers.

By Malissa Carroll
July 12, 2013

Faculty, staff, and preceptors from institutional pharmacies across the state of Maryland welcomed new and returning pharmacy residents and fellows to the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy during a day-long orientation on July 2. This event, which provided residents and fellows with valuable information about curriculum and professional development and other available services, offered residents and fellows an opportunity to network with each other and establish expectations for the upcoming training year.

“It is always a pleasure to welcome residents and fellows to the School of Pharmacy,” says Magaly Rodriguez de Bittner, PharmD, BCPS, CDE, professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science (PPS). “These individuals bring a lot of energy to our program and contribute tremendously to the training of our Doctor of Pharmacy students, not only in the classroom, but also by serving as role models at our students’ rotation sites.”

A partnership between the School of Pharmacy and the University of Maryland Medical Center, the University of Maryland Residency and Fellowship Program offers residency and fellowship program in 15 different specialties. These programs provide innovative educational, research, and practice settings in which residents and fellows can gain the knowledge and skills they need to become successful practicing pharmacists.

“Pharmacists who are interested in pursuing careers as clinical pharmacists or careers in academia, particularly those who have a specialty practice interest such as oncology or hospital administration, are encouraged to pursue residency training as a way to refine and expand their skills,” says Kristin Watson, PharmD, BCPS, AQ Cardiology, associate professor in PPS and director of the University of Maryland Residency and Fellowship Program. “For most positions with clinical pharmacist responsibilities, many employers now require one or two years of residency training.”

Following two orientation sessions in the morning, residents and fellows were treated to lunch in Pharmacy Hall, where they had an opportunity to interact and network with faculty, staff, preceptors, and each other. Among the residents and fellows returning to the University of Maryland for a second year was Rachel Flurie, PharmD ’12, a PGY-2 pharmacotherapy resident whose combined two-year residency program focuses on internal medicine and critical care.

“After the many wonderful experiences I had during my first year of residency training at the University of Maryland, I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to continue training here for another year,” says Flurie. “Thanks to the guidance I have received from my preceptors and mentors, I truly believe that I have made an impact at both the Medical Center and the School, and plan to blaze new trails in the pharmacy profession as soon as my training is completed.”

Afternoon sessions were designed specifically for new residents and fellows, and offered an overview of the curriculum, available teaching opportunities, pharmacotherapy rounds and other professional development activities, and Blackboard, the School’s e-learning platform. As a new resident at the School of Pharmacy, Teresa Elsobky, PharmD, PGY-2 psychiatric resident, found these sessions particularly helpful.

“I decided to apply to a residency program at the University of Maryland after learning about the extensive professional experiences that it offered to residents,” says Elsobky. “I appreciate Dr. Watson’s efforts to make sure that the residents and fellows have access to the information that we need to be successful in our programs, and think it is great that we were provided with information about all of the services available to us as residents and fellows.”

Preceptors from more than a dozen institutional pharmacies across the state of Maryland also attended orientation to meet the residents and fellows with whom they would be working this year. Institutions represented at this event included Howard County General Hospital, Union Memorial Hospital, the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Frederick Memorial Hospital, Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, Holy Cross Hospital, Carroll Hospital Center, Hospice of the Chesapeake, Suburban Hospital, the University of Maryland Medical Center, and the Baltimore VA Medical Center.

The day concluded with a fun-filled scavenger hunt across campus and trivia games to help the new University of Maryland residents and fellows learn more about the School of Pharmacy and the University of Maryland Medical Center. For Allison Hollis, PharmD, PGY-1 pharmacy practice resident, these activities were an engaging way to learn more about her new environment.

“As a graduate of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, I knew that I wanted to pursue residency training out-of-state to gain a better understanding of how pharmacy is practiced in other states,” says Hollis. “The scavenger hunt and trivia games were a lot of fun and gave me an opportunity to interact with the other residents and fellows, as well as learn more about the School.”

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