Penrose Hospital & St. Francis Hospital
PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program
Pharmacists will develop professional responsibility, learn to promote their own professional growth and maturity, and develop leadership and practice skills they can apply to their chosen area of the pharmacy profession. This program will provide experience in a variety of clinical settings leading to an advanced level of knowledge and clinical practice. We have every confidence our program will provide you with many opportunities to achieve your career goals in the field of pharmacy practice.
Application information
Applicants must be a PharmD graduate of an ACPE accredited college of pharmacy and must be eligible for and obtain licensure in Colorado on or before September 30th of the residency year.
Please visit the ASHP Residency Directory for annual residency application deadlines. Applications are accepted only through the Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service. (PhORCAS).
Necessary application materials include:
- Letter of intent (max of 2 pages) addressing the following questions:
- Reason for doing an advanced post-graduate residency program
- Specifically, why CommonSpirit Health-Penrose St. Francis Health Services
- Long-term goals in pharmacy practice
- Strengths and weaknesses at this point in your pharmacy career and how a residency will help the applicant with career development
- Curriculum Vitae
- Letters of recommendation (three letters), one from each of the following:
- A pharmacy preceptor from an APPE clinical pharmacy rotation who can speak to the candidate’s clinical abilities
- An employer in the field of pharmacy
- A pharmacy professional contact, who has known the candidate and worked with them for more than half of their pharmacy education (i.e. professor, mentor, advisor, etc.)
- Official college of pharmacy transcript - preferred minimum GPA 3.4
Phone (or virtual) interviews are required. If selected, based both on standard scoring and a discussion of the Residency Advisory Council, candidates will be invited for a virtual or an on-site interview. A virtual or an on-site interview is required to be considered for inclusion to the candidate rank list for this program. The format of interview is decided yearly by pharmacy management.
Find more information about ASHP Resident Matching Program.
Residency certificate completion requirements
Residency Certificate Completion Requirements
- Earn Achieved for Residency (ACHR) status on all Patient Care educational objectives.
- Earn ACHR on at least 80% of required educational objectives.
- Earn a minimum of Satisfactory Progress on the last summative evaluation of the year for each required and elective educational objective.
- Complete all assigned evaluations in PharmAcademic.
- Complete a major research project, including a. Poster submission at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting
- Participation at a local residency conference
- Presentation at PSF Grand Rounds
- Completion of a manuscript suitable for publication
- Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) certification.
- Attend residency recruiting events, such as the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting residency showcase.
- Complete at least one Medication Use Evaluation.
- Complete a Residency Portfolio that includes:
- Pharmacy license and certifications (BLS, ACLS, CITI, etc.)
- Duty hours attestation logs
- Assignments including presentations, MUEs, and projects
Major project
Each resident must complete a project which meets the ASHP accreditation criteria. The residents are encouraged to choose a topic from a list compiled by the Residency Advisory Council, which besides being an area of interest to the resident, will also contribute to the advancement of pharmacy practice for CommonSpirit Health- Penrose-St. Francis Health Services.
One or more preceptors will serve as advisors for the project. All projects will be in compliance with any applicable CommonSpirit Health, IRB, and HIPAA regulations. Residency projects will be presented at a Regional Residency Research Conference and are strongly encouraged to be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
Pharmacy residency FAQs
The PGY1 pharmacy residency program is based out of both Penrose Hospital and St. Francis Hospital. The Inpatient Department of Pharmacy Services for both hospitals have approximately 81 professional staff (38 pharmacists and 43 technicians).
Each submitted application is reviewed by a group comprised of the residency director, administrative staff and preceptors. The group reviews and scores through an algorithm the letter of intent, curriculum vitae, and letters of recommendation in order to select candidates for a preliminary telephone (or virtual) interview. Based on the above criteria, as well as a discussion with members of the Residency Advisory Council, candidates are selected for an on-site (or virtual) interview.
The candidates have several individual interviews with program preceptors and administrative staff. Candidates will be required to present a 15 minute case presentation. Our goal is to assess communication skills and career goals to determine a good fit between candidates and our program.
Residents are required to work in pharmacy operations (2 days) every other weekend and will be assigned to work 1-3 holidays per year.
We strive to structure each resident’s rotation schedule to reflect the resident’s career goals and interests. Although residents have a core set of rotations for the residency program, with the resources available, we will work to adjust rotations to meet future career goals and aspirations.
Yes. We are able to offer PGY1 residents the opportunity to complete the teaching certificate program offered through our affiliation with Regis University and is completed through the University of Colorado School Skaggs School of Pharmacy.
This might be an option in future years, but at this time, we are unable to sponsor visas for residents who are not U.S. Citizens.
For more information about our residency program, contact our PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program Director, Joanie Cook, PharmD, BCPS, CPPS:
- Phone: 719-571-2339
This postgraduate year one (PGY1) program is based out of Penrose Hospital and St. Francis Hospital in Colorado Springs. This multisite program hosts three residents who rotate through both hospitals with access to a wide variety of clinical opportunities for developing into a well-rounded clinical pharmacist.
Penrose Hospital is a Level II Trauma Center with a leading-edge MD Anderson Cancer Network® center, acclaimed cardiovascular services, robotic surgery, orthopedics, trauma, oncology, acute care, and neurology. St. Francis Hospital is a Level III Trauma Center that offers a total joint and spine center, birthing center, rehabilitation unit, neurology and Level IIIA NICU. The inpatient pharmacy department is made up of 45 staff members at Penrose Hospital (19 pharmacists and 23 technicians) and 32 staff members at St. Francis Hospital (16 pharmacists and 16 technicians).
The residency program is affiliated with Regis University School of Pharmacy and serves as a teaching site for APPE students from both Regis University School of Pharmacy and the University of Colorado School of Pharmacy. PGY1 residents at the Penrose-St. Francis PGY1 residency program can be considered for early commitment to the PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency Program at CommonSpirit St Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, CO.
Pharmacists will develop professional responsibility, be prepared to train and teach future pharmacy providers, learn to promote their own professional growth and maturity, and develop leadership practice skills they can apply to their chosen area of the pharmacy profession.
- Duration / Type: 12 months / PGY1
- Number of Positions: 3
- Application Deadline: Please see the ASHP Residency Directory
- Start Date: July 1st of the academic year (or 1st Monday prior to this date)
- Interview Required: Yes
- Stipend: Yes, $54,000/year
Required learning experiences:
- General Medicine (6 weeks)
- Critical Care (5 weeks)
- PEN Cardiology (5 weeks)
- Leadership Development (4 weeks)
- Oncology/Infusion (5 weeks)
- Antimicrobial Stewardship (6 weeks)
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (5 weeks)
Longitudinal rotations:
- Pharmacy Operations
- Project Management
Elective rotations(may select a maximum of 3 electives):
- Medication Safety (3-5 weeks)
- Neurology/Trauma (3-5 weeks)
- Outpatient/Transitions of Care (4 weeks)
- Emergency Medicine (3-5 weeks)
- Geriatrics (4 weeks)
- Academia (3 weeks) – Residents will obtain their Teaching Certificate upon successful completion.
- Preceptor Development (longitudinal over 53 weeks in conjunction with Academia elective)
Preceptors are available with board certifications such as Pediatrics, Cardiology, Pharmacotherapy, Nutrition Support, Infectious Disease, Critical Care, as well as certification in Med Safety to provide residents with a diversified, highly educated and experienced staff. Penrose & St. Francis' pharmacies prides themselves on collaboration and team work.
It is required that the resident become a licensed pharmacist. Licensure in the State of Colorado will need to be completed by September 30th of the incoming year. It is recommended residents apply and take this exam as soon as possible, to gain the maximum benefit from the residency.
Learn more about becoming licensed in Colorado at the State Board of Pharmacy.
CommonSpirit Health and Pharmacy Department policies on family, medical, or other types of leave will apply to PGY 1 residents.
Paid time off (PTO)
Residents accumulate personal time off at the hospital exempt employee rate. PTO is used for vacation, holidays, personal days off and sick days not covered under short term disability. PTO hours must be accrued prior to taking it. Un-used days at the end of the residency year, may be used if continuing in employment, or paid out at the percentage determined by the hospital policy (subject to future policy changes). Further detail provided in Residency Handbook.
Administrative leave is provided in addition to PTO days, for attendance at a national professional meeting (Mid-Year) (up to 4 days) and the regional residency conference (up to 3 days), without the use of vacation (PTO).
- ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting: 3-4 days
- Regional Residency Conference Meeting in May / June: 2-3 days
Benefits
- Two Medical Plan Options
- Wellness Programs
- Dental Plan Options
- Vision Plan
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Short Term Disability (up to 26 weeks)
- Long Term Disability (6 month waiting period)
- Basic Life Insurance
- Paid Time Off
- 401 (k) Retirement Plan (eligible after 1st 1000 eligible hours in first employment year)
- Employee Assistance Program
- Stipend to assist in expense of travel to ASHP Midyear and a Regional Residency Conference