Residency Programs

PGY1 Pharmacy residency program

Program Director: Jenifer Blasinsky, PharmD
Email: Jenifer.Blasinsky@ahn.org
Program length: 52 weeks
Residents per year: 4

History and Purpose

West Penn Hospital has offered training to pharmacy residents since 2017 as part of the ASHP-accredited Forbes and West Penn Hospitals multi-site residency, and was granted the 8 year “maximum” accreditation period on initial survey. Beginning with the 2024 residency class, West Penn Hospital offers a single-site residency program and maintains its ASHP-accreditation status.

Rotations

The 52-week postgraduate training experience is composed of a variety of required and elective rotations, as follows:

Core rotations:

  • Orientation
  • Inpatient internal medicine
  • Med/Surg point of care
  • Infectious disease
  • Critical care
  • Neonatal intensive care
  • Ambulatory care (selective required)
  • Pharmacy management
  • Longitudinal: Inpatient Pharmacy Staffing/ TPN Service/ Teaching and Precepting

Electives:

(Note: any of the rotations noted below “as Outpatient” or “Clinic,” will meet the ambulatory care requirement)

  • Acute Care Medicine (inpatient): IM or POC Med/ Surg
  • Addiction Medicine Clinic
  • Autoimmunity Clinic
  • Burn (inpatient)
  • Care Partners MTM Clinic
  • Emergency Medicine (at Jefferson Hospital)
  • Investigational Drug Service
  • Oncology/Hematology:
    • Outpatient Oncology
    • Outpatient Malignant Hematology
    • Inpatient Malignant Hematology
  • Outpatient Internal Medicine Clinic at WPMA
  • Other elective learning experiences may be available or developed based on resident interest and preceptor availability, including rotations at other AHN hospital sites

Our program prides itself on creating a learning experience that is tailored to the resident’s career goals. Each resident is encouraged to explore multiple facets of inpatient pharmacy practice, and given the opportunity to complete a second rotation in an area of their choice during the last quarter of the year in order to solidify their confidence and independence as a clinical practitioner.

Accreditation status

The PGY1 Pharmacy Residency conducted by West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA is accredited by ASHP.