Regions Hospital PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency

Learning experiences include block rotations (4-5 weeks) for a total of 11 blocks and longitudinal experiences.  All clinical rotations, excluding Emergency Medicine, have interdisciplinary rounding incorporated.

Required rotations

Block (4-5 weeks)

• • Orientation
  • Internal medicine 1
  • Internal medicine 2
  • Trauma
  • Surgical ICU or Medical ICU
  • Pharmacy leadership and management
  • Special populations (choose at least 3)
    • Burn Care
    • Emergency Medicine
    • Infectious Disease
    • Psychiatry
    • Surgical ICU or Medical ICU

Longitudinal

• Oral and written presentations
• Research project
• Pharmacy practice (staffing)

Elective block rotations

• Cardiology
• Hematology/Oncology
• Surgical ICU with focus on neurocritical care
• Repeat any 1 rotation with a focus on practice independence and/or precepting pharmacy learners

Click here for our full benefits guide for Pharmacy Residents.

Benefits include:

• Competitive stipend
• 15 days of vacation which include holidays and sick days
• Travel allowance to local, regional, and national conferences
• Dedicated office space
• Eligibility for medical, dental, life insurance and long-term disability coverage
• Eligibility for Regions HSA and 401(k) plans
• Free parking
• Free access to onsite fitness center
• Free access to our Employee Assistance Program and “Be Well” program which provide a variety of resources to support health and well-being

What is your application deadline?

Our application deadline for the 2025-2026 residency year is January 3, 2025 by 11:59 p.m.

When will interviews take place?

Interviews will take place in January and February

What if I do not have two preceptors from an acute care clinical experience for my letters of recommendation?

Our program prefers that at least one letter of reference, ideally two, come from clinical pharmacy rotation preceptors in an acute care setting (e.g. inpatient or ambulatory clinical practice sites). This helps our candidate review committee best understand performance in a practice environment like our residency program.  If you do not have two preceptors that meet this goal, the second letter may come from a preceptor who is able to speak to your abilities in our focused areas of clinical problem-solving skills, scope of responsibility, level of autonomy, and time management skills.

Why is there an essay requirement for your program?

Due to high volumes of qualified candidates and only 3 positions available for our PGY-1 residency, our program has a supplemental essay requirement to help during our application review process. Our experience reviewing essay responses has been extremely valuable for our review committee to gain additional insight into a candidate’s clinical thought process and problem-solving skills.

Will your interviews be on-site or remote?

Currently we are planning to offer both remote and on-site interview options based on our candidate preferences and pending any hospital restrictions based on COVID-19 guidance. Candidates who are offered interviews will be provided additional information.

How many positions are available in your PGY-1 program?

3

When do residents need to be licensed by?

We highly encourage residents to be licensed as soon as possible, ideally prior to starting orientation. This helps facilitate the best training environment and ability to do hands-on learning/practice as a licensed pharmacist instead of observation.

Per our residency policy and ASHP requirements, residents must be licensed within 90 days of residency start date. Additional policy details will be shared with candidate invited for interviews.

What are your staffing requirements

Staffing requirements currently include one weeknight per week, every third weekend, and two holidays. Staffing experiences include inpatient and sterile product dispensing as well as decentralized clinical areas.

What precepting opportunities do you have

Precepting opportunities will be available as scheduling allows for both IPPE and APPE students during the year which may include layered learning, topic discussions, and formative feedback.

What other teaching opportunities are available to residents?

Formal and informal teaching opportunities for residents are available to both pharmacy staff and interdisciplinary audiences including non-pharmacy learners (e.g. medical students, residents, and fellows) and other members of the healthcare team.

What electronic medical record program do you use

EPIC

How do your residents select their research projects

Residency research project ideas are identified throughout the year by pharmacy leaders, staff, and preceptors. Project ideas are vetted through preceptors for feasibility of completion, alignment with departmental goals and benefit to the body of literature.  Projects are shared with residents in a discussion-based format.  Each resident will rank projects in order of interest and the residency program director or designee will review to determine project assignments.  Residents are welcome to present their own project ideas to our preceptor team and will go through a similar vetting process as described above.

Do pharmacy residents respond to code blue events or other emergency response?

PGY1 residents complete ACLS certification and participate in emergency response throughout the year.

Name: Alyssa Hippchen

Pharmacy school: University of Minnesota – Twin Cities campus

Clinical interest areas: Critical care, emergency medicine, internal medicine

Why I chose Regions: I chose Regions because I had the opportunity to complete my institutional & acute care rotations here and I really value the learning experience from the teaching-hospital environment, sparking my interest to continue my education with a PGY-1 residency at this institution. Having the opportunity to learn with the interdisciplinary teams and from the diverse patient population at Regions, illustrated the unique skills that pharmacists have here and I wanted to be part of it. The connections I made over my 10 weeks at Regions also showed the support the pharmacy team can provide.

Name: Samantha (Sami) Thorson

Pharmacy school: University of Minnesota – Duluth campus

Clinical interest areas: Emergency medicine, critical care, infectious disease

Why I chose Regions: I am beyond ecstatic to be completing my PGY-1 residency at Regions. I fell in love with Regions when I completed my community rotation in the outpatient/discharge pharmacy. Regions offers learning experiences in all of my areas of interest. Additionally, the high acuity patient population and diverse patient population will help me grow and learn immensely as a practitioner and continue to push me outside of my comfort zone. All of the staff have been so welcoming and there is such a great work atmosphere.

Name: Nolan Wilson

Pharmacy school: University of Minnesota – Twin Cities campus

Clinical interest areas: Emergency medicine, critical care, internal medicine

Why I chose Regions: During my 4th year rotations at Regions, I loved being challenged clinically in a fast-paced environment with complex patients. I saw how supportive and collaborative the pharmacy team is at Regions across the whole department including pharmacists, residents, technicians, and leadership. It was clear how valued pharmacists are as part of the care team and how our knowledge can make real differences in patient outcomes. Regions is a place where I knew I could be part of an amazing team and contribute to high quality patient care.

Established in 1872, Regions Hospital is a private, not-for-profit organization. The hospital provides health care services in St. Paul, MN and its surrounding communities, as well as for patients from broader Minnesota, western Wisconsin, and other midwestern states. Regions Hospital is a part of HealthPartners, the largest consumer-governed, nonprofit health care organization with a mission to improve health and well-being in partnership with members, patients and the community.

Regions Hospital is a Level I Trauma Center serving adults and children in Minnesota and western Wisconsin for more than 140 years. We are a teaching facility that offers strong critical and surgical care in tandem with excellent trauma, emergency, behavioral health and burn center programs. The health professionals at Regions Hospital are involved in teaching and research focused on improving health and medical care. For more information, visit regionshospital.com.

Sitting on the banks of the Mississippi River, the Twin Cities and surrounding suburbs is the thirteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States with a population of approximately 3.5 million.

St. Paul offers a variety of cultural and sporting opportunities, including: the Xcel Energy Center (a multi-purpose entertainment center and sports venue – home of the Minnesota Wild hockey team), Allianz Stadium (home of the Minnesota United soccer team), Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, the Minnesota Opera, Science Museum of Minnesota, and the Minnesota History Center. Minneapolis offers the following cultural and sporting opportunities: Target Center (home of the Minnesota Timberwolves), Target Field (home of the Minnesota Twins), US Bank Stadium (home of the Minnesota Vikings), Orpheum Theatre, Walker Art Center, and First Avenue (the epicenter of the Cities’ bustling music scene). Area recreational activities include: downhill and cross-country skiing, golfing, biking trails, hiking, shopping at the Mall of America, and numerous lakes with opportunities for boating, kayaking, paddle boarding, fishing, and swimming.

St. Paul and Minneapolis also both have many restaurants to explore. In St. Paul, the West 7th neighborhood is lined with Italian eateries and Irish pubs. Minneapolis’ Lake Street stretches for miles and boasts Midtown Global Market (an indoor international public market) and stand-alone food destinations ranging from Latin American to East African to Asian cuisines. All throughout the Cities you’ll find food trucks and over 100 breweries. In the warmer months, both cities host multiple farmers markets – you can find one almost every day of the week. And to top it off, there is always an ice cream shop right around the corner (open year-round, of course!).