Pediatrics

Indiana University Health offers a one-year PGY2 Pediatric Residency. This PGY2 residency provides rotation experience opportunities at Riley Hospital for Children and Riley Hospital at IU Health Methodist Hospital with sixteen different pediatric clinical pharmacists serving as specialty preceptors in this program.  The resident will gain knowledge in pharmacotherapy, pharmacokinetics, drug utilization, and pathophysiology while improving their problem solving skills and expertise in caring for infants, children, and adolescents.  Rotations include 3 months from intensive care core rotations, 2 months from general pediatric core rotations, and 6 elective months based on the resident’s areas of interest. Specialized pediatric experience can be gained through rotations in the burn unit, cardiology, cardiovascular surgery, gastroenterology, general surgery, general pediatrics, hematology/oncology, HIV, infant development, infectious diseases, neonatal intensive care, nephrology, neurology, nutritional support, pediatric critical care, physical medicine and rehabilitation, pulmonary, solid organ transplant, and stem cell transplant.  Opportunities to participate in both didactic and experiential education of Doctor of Pharmacy students as well as participation in the training of PGY1 Pharmacy Residents are available.  Completion of a major residency project is expected. 

Indiana University Health has an inpatient base of over 1,110 patients. Riley Hospital is a freestanding pediatric teaching hospital and is the primary pediatric referral hospital for the State of Indiana.  Methodist Hospital is a private facility that offers both pediatric and adult services.  Both serve as teaching sites for Butler and Purdue Universities Colleges of Pharmacy as well as Indiana University School of Medicine.

Overview

Indiana University Health’s Pediatric Pharmacy Residency fosters the knowledge of pediatric pharmacotherapy and promotes the provision of high quality pediatric patient care. The program develops the resident to be an independent practitioner providing high level pharmaceutical care to acute general and subspecialty pediatric patients.

The PGY2 pharmacy residency in pediatrics is designed to transition PGY1 residency graduates from generalist practice to specialized practice focused on the care of pediatric patients. Residency graduates are equipped to participate as integral members of interdisciplinary teams caring for pediatric patients, assuming responsibility for pharmaceutical care. These residents acquire the capacity to deliver evidence-based care to pediatric patients within the limitations presented by the shortage of research in the use of medications in this patient population.

The PGY2 resident is expected to demonstrate an advanced understanding and practice level for the care of the pediatric patient.  This will be demonstrated through the resident’s self-initiative to thoroughly investigate all aspects of pharmaceutical care.  Beyond the basic care needs for the patient, examples of this are as follows (but are not limited to): appropriately challenging the rationale of drug therapy (primary team or consult recommendations), directing appropriate documentation of therapy plans and ensuring appropriate follow through, pursing advanced literature searches to validate or refute patient therapies, demonstrate an advanced ability to appropriately prioritize patient care triaging with higher workloads, demonstrate an advanced ability to respond to all patient care needs and assignments in a timely manner with minimal back up support from preceptor. Additionally, the resident will demonstrate self-directed learning and evaluation to advance his/her understanding of all aspects of pediatric pharmaceutical care.

Pediatric pharmacy residency graduates will serve health care organizations successfully as the ultimate resource for information about medications used in the care of children and for decision-making affecting the care of these patients. This includes leadership in decision-making related to the use or modification of guidelines for the care of individual patients and for participation in organizational planning for, implementation of, and maintenance of technology and automation systems.

Exiting residents have been trained to assume responsibility for identifying and implementing opportunities to improve the medication-use system in pediatric practice areas. Groomed for practice leadership, pediatric pharmacy residency graduates can be expected to continue their pursuit of expertise in practice; to possess advanced skills to identify the pharmacotherapy and medication-use training needs of other health care professionals caring for pediatric patients; to deliver effective training to those health care professionals; and to contribute to public health efforts for health improvement, wellness, and disease prevention.

Rotations

Required Longitudinal Experiences & Activities:

• Pharmacokinetic Clinical Weekend service 
• Pediatric or Academic Workgroup Committee
• Pharmacy Operations
• Research project with manuscript and/or poster
• Grand Rounds Presentation (1)
• Practice management

Required One-Month Experiences:   

• Critical Care Core – 3 months    
• Pediatric Intensive Care (1 month)  
• Neonatal Intensive Care (1 month) 
• Resident Choice (1 month)     
• General Pediatric Core – 2 months   
• Pediatric Hospitalist (1 month)   
• Resident Choice (1 month)      

Critical Care Core Rotations:

• Neonatal Intensive Care
• Pediatric Intensive Care
• Combined ICU/Specialty Services:
  • Cardiovascular Surgery/Cardiology
  • Transplant Intensive Care/Solid Organ Transplant
  • Pediatric Critical Care/Multiservice Management – Methodist Hospital

General Pediatric Core Rotations:

• Burn/Plastics
• Complex care
• Gastroenterology/ Nutritional Support
• General surgery
• Hematology/Oncology/ Stem Cell Transplant
• Neurology
• Pediatric Hospitalist
• Pulmonary

Ambulatory Care Rotations: (one-month concentrated or 6-month longitudinal)

• Hematology/Oncology
• Pediatric HIV
• Pediatric Ambulatory Care

Combined Acute Care/Ambulatory Care Rotations: (one-month concentrated or 6-month longitudinal)

• Emergency Medicine

Consultant Service Rotations:

• Infectious Disease
• Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship
• Nephrology

Residency Completion

To complete the PGY2 Pediatric Residency, the resident must:

1. “Achieve” pre-identified required objectives for the correlating residency goals
2. Successfully complete a research project with manuscript and/or poster
3. Successfully complete a Grand Rounds presentation
4. Successfully serve on the Pediatric or Academic Workgroup Committee
5. Successfully participate in at least one practice management initiative affecting the pediatric population at Indiana University Health
6. Complete 12 months of training including one learning experience in all core areas:
   • Critical Care Core (3 months)
   • General Pediatric Core (2 months)
   • Pharmacokinetic Clinical Weekend service
   • Pharmacy Operations

How to Apply

The qualified applicant will possess a doctor of pharmacy or Master of Science degree from an accredited college of pharmacy, be eligible for Indiana licensure and completed a previous PGY1 Residency training program. 

Deadline for PhORCAS Application: January 5
Application Requirements (Submitted via PhORCAS)

• Letter of Intent
• Current Curriculum Vitae
• Three ASHP Recommendation Forms

If Selected for an On-site Interview:

• Personal Interview
• Presentation

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jennifer Morris, PharmD, BCPS
Department of Pharmacy Services
Riley Hospital for Children
705 Riley Hospital Drive
SFT W6111
Indianapolis, IN 46202
317.948.3140