Every year Aspirus Wausau Hospital (AWH) offers new pharmacists the opportunity to participate in the Aspirus Postgraduate Year One (PGY1) pharmacy residency program, accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (AHSP).
Since 1999, this program has supported the careers of many pharmacists by offering extended training and practical knowledge.
AWH provides residents with a broad range of clinical experiences with a focus on inpatient acute care, drug information and practice management. Through pharmacist-directed protocols, residents gain experience managing parenteral nutrition, insulin, antibiotics and anticoagulation.
“This program is a great opportunity for recent pharmacy graduates to apply the knowledge they gained in school to real world scenarios while having guidance from an experienced pharmacist. Throughout rotations, the residents are introduced to complex patients and are allowed the opportunity to explore different areas of pharmacy that are not necessarily discussed in school,” said Aspirus Pharmacy Residency Program Director Stacy Schoepke.
The progressive and clinically oriented pharmacy at AWH consists of an inpatient pharmacy, a clinic pharmacy, and an ambulatory oncology center pharmacy. In addition, Aspirus utilizes a state-of-the-art clean room, compounding robot, automated dispensing cabinets and smart infusion pumps.
Pharmacists work collaboratively and round with the health care team in a variety of patient care areas where they practice at the top of their license. The pharmacy preceptor team includes board certified and residency trained pharmacists, with many having over 10 years of experience. In the past five years, Aspirus has been able to retain 65% of its resident graduates within the Aspirus System due to the expanding pharmacy department and progressive patient care services offered by pharmacists.
Those eligible for the Aspirus PGY1 pharmacy residency program must have all the following:
- Enrollment in the ASHP Residency Match Program.
- Doctor of Pharmacy degree from an accredited school or college of pharmacy.
- Eligible for pharmacist licensure in the state of Wisconsin.