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 incoming 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: [3 elective rotations]

(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
• Surgical Oncology
• 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.