General Information

The purpose of Reading Health System PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program is to provide a structured and advanced education and training experience that develops or enhances a pharmacist’s skills to provide pharmaceutical care to a diverse patient population in a health-system environment with the expectation that graduates of the Program would be prepared to successfully practice in patient care positions in a health-system environment or pursue entry into a PGY2 training program in the area of their choosing.

Our residency concept is best described in the introduction of the ASHP Accreditation Standard for PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Programs. A pharmacy residency provides “the opportunity to accelerate” professional “growth beyond entry-level professional competence in patient-centered care and in pharmacy operational services, and to further the development of leadership skills that can be applied in any position and in any practice setting. PGY1 residents acquire substantial knowledge required for skillful problem solving, refine their problem-solving strategies, strengthen their professional values and attitudes, and advance the growth of their clinical judgment. The instructional emphasis is on the progressive development of clinical judgment, a process begun in the advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPE or clerkships) of the professional school years but requiring further extensive practice, self-reflection, and shaping of decision-making skills fostered by feedback on performance. The residency year provides a fertile environment for accelerating growth beyond entry-level professional competence through supervised practice under the guidance of model practitioners.”