ASHP Accredited 

Program Director: Ashlee McMillan, PharmD, BCACP
Email: ashlee.mcmillan@wvumedicine.org
Positions: 7
Application Due: January 2, 2024
Starting Date: July 1, 2024
Estimated Stipend: $49,800 + benefits

Purpose Statement

Postgraduate Year One (PGY1) pharmacy residency programs build upon residents’ Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) 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.

Program Overview

PGY1 Residents at WVU Hospitals will be provided the opportunity to accelerate their growth beyond entry-level professional competence in patient-centered care and in pharmacy operational services, and to further the development of leadership skills that can be applied in any position and in any practice setting. PGY1 Residents will acquire substantial knowledge required for skillful problem solving, refine their problem-solving strategies, strengthen their professional values and attitudes, and advance the growth of their clinical judgment. The instructional emphasis is on the progressive development of clinical judgment, a process begun in the advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPE) of the professional school years but requiring further extensive practice, self-reflection, and shaping of decision-making skills fostered by feedback on performance. Their residency year provides a fertile environment for accelerating growth beyond entry-level professional competence through supervised practice under the guidance of model practitioners. Residents will exhibit a commitment to the profession of pharmacy and be able to develop their own personal plan for professional development. Residents completing this program will have the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are highly marketable. 

The program is a twelve-month, postgraduate training experience composed of six major elements:

  • Inpatient Care
  • Ambulatory Patient Care
  • Medication Management
  • Practice Management
  • Practice-Related Education/Training
  • Practice-Related Research

The program varies for each resident based upon his or her goals, interests, and previous experiences. In accordance with current ASHP standards, all residents are required to complete learning experiences in core subject areas considered to be essential to the practice of pharmacy. Additional requirements include the development and completion of practice-related research, the development of oral/written communication skills, the completion of a Medication Use Evaluation, the presentation of ACPE Accredited Continuing Education seminars, the participation in various hospital committees, operational practice in various pharmacy satellites, and teaching components. Elective learning experiences are available to permit the resident flexibility in pursuing individual goals. Upon successful completion of the requirements, PGY1 Residents are awarded a residency certificate.

PGY1 Learning Experiences

The program consists of required elective block and longitudinal rotations. The block rotations are generally five weeks in duration, and the elective rotations are based on the resident’s professional interests.

Required Rotational Experiences:

  • Hospital Pharmacy Orientation
  • Internal Medicine
  • Critical Care
  • Ambulatory Care
  • Practice Management

Selective Rotational Experiences:

  • Pediatrics or Oncology

Elective Rotational Experiences:

  • Academia
  • Ambulatory Care
  • Antithrombotic Stewardship
  • Cardiology
  • Critical Care 
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Internal Medicine
  • Neurology
  • Oncology
  • Pediatrics
  • Precepting
  • Solid Organ Transplant
  • Trauma

Longitudinal Learning Experiences:

  • Administrator-On-Call
  • Code Response On-Call
  • Formulary Management
  • Hospital Pharmacy Practice (Staffing)
  • Medication Use Evaluation
  • Practice-Related Research Project
  • Teaching and Precepting
  • WVU Teaching Certificate (optional)

Pharmacy Practice Component:

  • PGY1 Pharmacy Residents practice every third weekend (two 8-hour shifts) and one evening shift every other week (8-hour shift).
  • All residents work one summer holiday (Memorial Day, Labor Day) and one winter holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s).
  • Residents may opt to work additional pharmacist shifts and will be compensated at the standard pharmacist rate, including shift differential. Residents are reminded that the primary objective of the residency year relates to the residency program objectives, and other activities should not hinder the achievement of these objectives.

PGY1 Residency Program Director

Ashlee McMillan, PharmD, BCACP is the Manager of Residency and Education at WVU Medicine – WVU Hospitals in Morgantown, West Virginia. She also serves as an Adjunct Associate Profession for the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy and is the Pharmacy Residency Program Coordinator for WVU Hospitals. Dr. McMillan received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from West Virginia University (WVU) School of Pharmacy. She completed a PGY1 Residency at the Shenandoah University’s Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy and Amherst Family Practice in Winchester, Virginia. Her professional interests include pharmacy education, well-being initiatives, and ambulatory care. Dr. McMillan is actively involved in several organizations, including the American Association of College of Pharmacy and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.