Candidate
Program Director: Courtney Sweet, PharmD, BCPPS
Email: Sweetc@wvumedicine.org
Positions: 1
Application Due: January 2, 2025
Starting Date: June 30, 2025
Estimated Stipend: $49,800 + benefits
Purpose Statement
PGY1 residency programs build upon Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and outcomes to develop pharmacist practitioners with knowledge, skills, and abilities as defined in the educational competency areas, goals, and objectives. Residents who successfully complete PGY1 residency programs will be skilled in diverse patient care, practice management, leadership, and education, and be prepared to provide patient care, seek board certification in pharmacotherapy (i.e., BCPS), and pursue advanced education and training opportunities including postgraduate year two (PGY2) residencies.
Program Overview
PGY1 Pharmacy at WVU Medicine Children’s residents 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.
Rotational Learning Experiences
Required Rotational Experiences:
- Hospital Pharmacy Orientation
- General Pediatrics
- Pediatric Critical Care: Resident selects one of the following
⸰ Pediatric Intensive Care
⸰ Neonatal Intensive Care - Ambulatory Care: Resident selects one of the following
⸰ Pediatric Infectious Diseases
⸰ Cystic Fibrosis
⸰ Pediatric Specialty Clinics - Adult Internal Medicine
- Adult Critical Care
- Administration with Children's Hospital Leadership
All residents receive an orientation to the pharmacy department prior to starting their 5-week rotational experiences and the longitudinal practice component.
Elective Experiences:
- Pediatric Intensive Care - Cardiology/Cardiothoracic Focused
- Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (Inpatient & Ambulatory)
- Additional Non-Selected Pediatric Critical Care
- Additional Non-Selected Pediatric Ambulatory Care
Longitudinal Learning Experiences
Required Experiences:
- Quality Improvement/ Practice Related Research Project
- Medication Use Evaluation
- Pediatric Pharmacy Education at the WVU School of Pharmacy
- Continuing Education (CE) Presentations
- Teaching Certificate (Optional)
- Pediatric Pharmacy Practice "Staffing"
Pharmacy Practice Component:
- PGY1 Pharmacy at WVU Medicine Children’s residents practice every other weekend. The resident will be granted one compensation day following a weekend.
- All residents work one summer (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 Pharmacy at WVU Medicine Children’s Residency Program Director
Courtney Sweet, PharmD, BCPPS, graduated from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, College of Pharmacy in 2007. She completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at WVU Hospitals and a PGY2 in Pediatrics at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Upon returning to Morgantown, Dr. Sweet served as the clinical pharmacy specialist for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at WVU Medicine for seven years. She is currently the Director of Pharmacy at WVU Medicine Children's Hospital. She is also an active member of the Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group, working with the Research Committee.
PGY1 Pharmacy at WVU Medicine Children’s Residency Program Coordinator
Kayla Dilcher, PharmD, BCPPS is a neonatal clinical pharmacy specialist at WVU Medicine Children’s – WVU Hospitals in Morgantown, West Virginia. She serves as the Residency Program Coordinator for the PGY1 pediatric pharmacy program for WVU Medicine Children’s. Dr. Dilcher received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from West Virginia University (WVU) School of Pharmacy. She completed a PGY1 Residency at WVU Medicine- WVU Hospitals Morgantown, West Virginia. Her professional interests include pediatric pharmacy education, medication safety, and mentorship. Dr. Dilcher is actively involved in the Pediatric Pharmacy Association student organization.