On Call
The University of Kentucky Pharmacy Resident On-Call Program is one of the highlights as well as one of the challenges of being a UK resident. Twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week, 365 days per year, one of the pharmacy residents is on-call, in house at the medical center, providing continuity to our pharmaceutical care from one day to the next. The on call room is located within the Graduate Medical Education offices, among the rest of the call rooms for the hospital.
It is a fantastic experience to be faced with many challenges each day (and night) while on-call. The on-call resident is a member of the adult code blue team, the pediatric code blue team, and the stroke team. Additionally, the on-call resident is responsible for addressing after-hours pharmacokinetic issues, general drug-information questions, dosing recommendations, and responding to medical emergencies.
For more information, see Am J Health-Syst Pharm 2003; 60:2236-41.
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
Therapeutic drug monitoring (pharmacokinetics) is a fundamental part of pharmacy services at the University of Kentucky. All supratherapeutic drug levels at UK are called to the pharmacist rounding on the particular clinical service for interpretation. If the levels are collected after hours, the pharmacy resident on call assesses the levels.
Pharmacy Practice and Science Seminar
Every Friday the pharmacy department comes together to learn about a different topic. Presentations are given by faculty, residents, staff pharmacists, and graduate students. Topics vary weekly and cover a broad spectrum of practice areas. Continuing education credit is available for many of the presentations. In the fall, residents will present proposals for their research project. Results of resident research projects are typically presented during the spring. Residents are also required to present a one-hour continuing education session for pharmacists.
Teaching Certificate
The teaching certificate program at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy is offered free of charge to all Kentucky pharmacy residents. For more information, please visit the College of Pharmacy's Site.
Professional Development Experiences
Once a year, each residency class embarks on a trip to visit other residency programs and places of interest in another area of the country. These voyages, the Professional Development Experiences (PDEs), are designed to introduce residents to other programs and view the residency process from another perspective. The residents themselves get to pick the destinations and plan the trip. It is a very educational experience to see how other programs function and practice, adding to the resident’s experience. When the residents return, they share what they learned at Pharmacy Grand Rounds.
For more information, see Am J Healt-Syst Pharm 2006;63:953-5.
