Our PGY2 oncology pharmacy residency program started in 1999. Past residents are now working in oncology all across the United States and overseas along with some staying on at our institution after graduation. The residency is a comprehensive specialty pharmacy program that exposes the resident to all areas of cancer patient care. The resident will participate in the care of both inpatient and outpatient cancer patients as well as patients receiving investigational treatments. The program offers opportunities to learn the various roles of an oncology pharmacist. Under the guidance of experienced oncology pharmacists, the resident will learn in-depth about each cancer and its corresponding management by attending clinic with the physicians/nurses and working alongside other healthcare professionals within the multi-disciplinary team. In addition to learning appropriate cancer therapy, the resident will acquire skills in managing disease-related and/or treatment-related toxicities throughout the year. This program provides residents with opportunities to conceptualize, integrate, and transform accumulated experiences and knowledge into improved patient outcomes. The resident will work primarily in the Kellogg Cancer Center, an ambulatory adult cancer clinic, located at three different Chicago suburbs: Evanston, Glenview, and Highland Park. The resident will manage oncology patients admitted into the hospital longitudinally as well as during the Hematologic Cancers and Infection Prophylaxis & Management rotation.
- Orientation
- Breast Cancer
- Head Neck Lung Cancers
- Gastrointestinal Cancers
- Gynecologic Cancers
- Genitourinary Cancers
- Sarcomas and Skin Cancers
- Neuro-oncology
- Hematologic Cancers and Infection Prophylaxis & Management
Longitudinal Experiences
All experiences are 10 months in length, other than Pharmacogenomics, which is 6 months.
- Symptom Management
The resident will provide care to patients with cancer disease-related or treatment-related symptoms throughout the year. Direct instruction, modeling, and coaching will be provided in the beginning of the year. The resident will develop plans for patients then discuss plans/recommendations with the preceptors in the beginning of the year, then as needed, depending on resident progress. Suggestions and feedback will be provided by preceptors then resident will communicate with healthcare providers to implement plans for the patient. The goal is to allow the resident to function independently with preceptor facilitation once proficiency is established. The resident will have direct patient experiences with the required symptom management topics per ASHP for adult-focused pharmacy residency programs.
- Service Commitment
The resident will learn through staffing in the Kellogg Cancer Center pharmacy two days a week, which includes 1-2 days a month in the oral chemotherapy monitoring clinic. Establishing competency to function independently as an oncology pharmacist as well as acquiring general pharmacy practice skills is an important component of the residency training. While staffing the Kellogg Pharmacy, the resident will monitor and evaluate patient specific therapeutic regimens. The resident will review the appropriateness of therapy and understand the pharmacology of the various classifications of antineoplastic agents. The resident will also learn to provide dosage calculations, adjust doses based on patient-specific parameters and identify appropriate laboratory tests/clinical assessments used to monitor for drug toxicity and tumor response. The resident will learn clinical research through processing chemotherapy orders for patients on various clinical trials. The resident will also interact with other interdisciplinary healthcare members to provide comprehensive pharmaceutical care to the patients.
- Drug Use & Safety
This longitudinal rotation will enhance the resident's understanding of drug utilization and delivery system as well as help the resident learn how to optimize medication safety. The resident will engage in the following activities such as, but not limited to, investigate adverse drug events (ADEs), participate in the Kellogg Infusion Operation Committee, complete performance improvement (PI) project(s), participate in departmental meetings, complete formulary requests/reviews for Oncology Drug Evaluation Committee (ODEC) and/or Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) committee, complete assigned readings and discussions with preceptors. Meetings will be scheduled with the preceptor to discuss rotation progress and status of assigned projects.
- Teaching
This is a longitudinal rotation exposing the resident to teaching in the clinical practice and academic settings. The resident will participate in teaching engagements for pharmacists, PGY1 pharmacy residents, students, other healthcare professionals, and patients. The resident will provide topic discussions, journal clubs, case presentations, drug seminars, in-services and didactic lectures. The resident will assume the role of a preceptor throughout the year, initially with supervision, then ultimately independently. Teaching responsibilities will be introduced progressively depending on resident progress. If not completed previously, the resident will participate in the teaching certificate program offered through Rosalind Franklin University (RFU) College of Pharmacy. Opportunities will be provided for the resident to actively participate in professional organizations at the local, state, and national level. The resident will engage in teaching while balancing patient care and other responsibilities of a pharmacist in the oncology setting. Overall, the resident will learn to become a teacher, mentor, and leader in the pharmacy profession.
- Research
The resident will participate in quality improvement and research in the clinical practice setting through this longitudinal learning experience. The resident is required to complete a medication utilization evaluation (MUE) and a yearlong major project. The goals of these activities are to enhance patient care, advance the practice of pharmacy, increase the resident's professional growth, and benefit the organization.
- Pharmacogenomics and Precision Medicine in Oncology
In this longitudinal learning experience, the resident will differentiate and learn the application of precision medicine and pharmacogenomics in the field of cancer research and in cancer treatments. The resident will attend molecular tumor board meetings, participate in patient-centered care by reviewing genome information, review and assess pharmacogenomic and next generation sequencing panel results, and help educate pharmacists and other healthcare professionals on precision medicine and pharmacogenomics topics. For precision medicine, the resident will have opportunities to observe and present patients at the Molecular Tumor Board, review next generation sequencing reports with a midlevel practitioner, and learn how to translate results of next generation sequencing into treatment among solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. The resident will learn about pharmacogenomics and explore the various role of a pharmacist in this setting.
Resident Activities
To ensure a comprehensive understanding of oncology pharmacy practice, the resident will have the opportunity to participate in the following activities:
-
Complete a major project
-
Conduct drug utilization evaluation studies
-
Provide in-service training for nursing/pharmacy staff
-
Lead journal club discussions
-
Provide formal case presentations
-
Attend multidisciplinary tumor conferences
-
Lead cancer topic discussions
-
Provide drug information
-
Write newsletter articles
-
Precept pharmacy students and PGY1 pharmacy residents
-
Participate on multidisciplinary committees
To learn more about our program, please visit us at our residency booth at school residency fairs, Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists Annual Meeting, or at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting.
For the 2024 recruitment year, we will also be hosting virtual open house events via Go-To-Meeting in the fall:
- Thursday, November 16, 2023: 7-8pm Central Time (All programs, PGY2 focus)
- Tuesday, December 19, 2023: 4-5pm Central Time
Contact Wendy Ying Ci Hui, PharmD, BCOP via yhui@northshore.org to sign up and receive the login information.