Pharmacy Residency Programs (Hershey)

Pharmacy residents in both the postgraduate year one (PGY-1) program and postgraduate year two (PGY-2) program are immersed in patient care pharmacotherapy opportunities consisting of several different practice areas.

• Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is a large, tertiary care acute adult teaching hospital.

• Penn State Health Children’s Hospital features the region’s highest level neonatal and pediatric intensive care units including a Level I trauma center. Penn State Health Children’s Heart Group offers comprehensive congenital heart care including surgery as well as support with ECMO.

• Penn State Cancer Institute promotes multidisciplinary approaches to cancer care.

• Each year, the emergency department provides services for more than 75,000 visits. Nearly 30,000 patients are admitted to the hospital, and 1 million outpatient clinic visits occur.

Pharmacy residents at Penn State Health are immersed in a supportive and academically rich environment. Our Department of Pharmacy, staffed by over 200 dedicated professionals, delivers comprehensive, patient-centered medication management across a diverse health system. Key highlights include:

• Interdisciplinary Learning

  Pharmacists are embedded in unit-based teams across medicine, surgery, cardiology, pediatrics, and other specialties, working side-by-side with physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers.

• Advanced Pharmacy Services

  The department features decentralized pediatric and adult pharmacy services, outpatient clinics, emergency services with 24/7 pharmacist presence, investigational drug services, and outpatient pharmacy locations.

• Clinical Integration

  Our team of more than two dozen clinical pharmacists and specialists provides services such as therapeutic drug monitoring, disease state management, medication reconciliation, and discharge counseling—all with a strong emphasis on patient-facing care.

• Education and Precepting

  Each year, pharmacy preceptors oversee over 85 pharmacy student rotations, contributing to a culture of teaching and continuous professional development.

• Technology-Driven Practice

  Residents benefit from a state-of-the-art automated drug distribution and medication management system, supporting efficient and safe medication use.

General Application Information

Interested applicants must register with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Residency Matching Program and apply through the Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service (PhORCAS).

To be considered for the Pharmacy Residency, a PhORCAS application and online application must be completed by early January. Exact deadline each year can be found on the ASHP Residency Directory.

Applicants must submit all of the following through PhORCAS:

• PGY-1 candidates:

  • A letter of interest, including a statement on diversity, equity and inclusion

  • Copy of curriculum vitae

  • Official copy of college transcript

  • Three (3) letters of recommendation

• PGY-2 candidates:

  • Letter of intent addressing the following:

    • Interests and reasons for pursuing advanced training

    • Strengths and areas for improvement

    • Career goals for the next 5 years

  • Copy of curriculum vitae

  • Official, finalized copy of college transcript (including degree(s) conferred)

  • Three (3) letters of recommendation

Application Review
Each residency program reviews all complete applications submitted by the deadline. Selected candidates will be contacted directly to schedule an interview.

Interview Invitations
Interviews are offered by invitation only and are typically held from mid-January through February. Invitations will be sent via email, and prompt responses are appreciated.

Interview Format
The PGY-1 program generally interviews up to four candidates per day, while tailoring the schedule to provide a personalized experience. A portion of the day is conducted in a group format (including a program overview, presentation, and lunch with current residents), but most interview components are individualized. Interviews may be conducted in person or virtually, depending on availability and candidate preference.

Interview days typically begin between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. and conclude by 3:00 p.m. Activities include:

• Interviews with the Residency Program Director and preceptors

• Lunch and tour with current residents (in-person interviews)

• Break and separate resident session (virtual interviews)

• Pharmacotherapy competency assessment

• “About Me” slide presentation prepared by each candidate to help preceptors get to know you

Questions?
For questions about the application or interview process, please contact the appropriate Program Director.

Pharmacy residents at Hershey Medical Center engage in a wide variety of educational, clinical, and professional development experiences designed to support the growth of clinical pharmacists prepared for advanced practice in diverse settings.

• Participation in patient case presentations and topic discussions.

• 24/7 clinical on-call (in-house from 7 a.m. - 9 p.m.)

  • After orientation, residents serve as first-call clinical consultants approximately once per week (7 a.m. – 9 p.m. in-house; from home overnight), with an assigned clinical preceptor available as second-call.

  • The on-call program includes responding to adult code blue alerts and participating in ACLS response while on-site.

  • Residents are the first point of contact for positive blood cultures with organisms carrying resistance genes (e.g., ESBL, CRE, MRSA, VRE). Using a protocol-driven algorithm, residents may order the first dose of an active antimicrobial agent when appropriate.

  • Consults for a wide variety of drug information questions, occasional pharmacokinetic consults, and evaluation of non-formulary requests are examples of other activities completed while on-call.

• Hospital pharmacy staffing

  • Residents staff every third weekend (Saturday and Sunday, 8-hour shifts), including one on-call day per weekend.

  • One weekday evening shift is scheduled every three weeks.

  • Four additional 8-hour shifts are required during the residency year.

  • Staffing is primarily in the central pharmacy or IV room alongside technician and pharmacist colleagues.

• Longitudinal Ambulatory Clinics

  • Anticoagulation Clinic: Assigned half-day each week for two-thirds of the year at a nearby outpatient location. Residents provide point-of-care management in direct patient care visits.

  • Elective Clinics: One half-day per week for one-third of the year in an elective setting, such as:

    • Primary Care Clinic (Cocoa Avenue)

    • Rheumatology Clinic (Middletown)

    • Oncology Specialty Pharmacy (Hershey Medical Center)

    • Pulmonology Specialty Pharmacy

    • Additional options may be available based on interest and preceptor availability.

• Research and Scholarly Activities

  • Minor Project or Medication Use Evaluation: Each resident completes an minor project during the first half of the year and presents findings at a national residency showcase, typically just prior to the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting.

  • Major Project: Residents develop an IRB-approved project with preceptor mentorship, build a data collection tool, and complete analysis. Projects are presented at an annual Pharmacy Residency Conference.

• Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee

  • Residents will serve as secretary for at least two meetings (System P&T or Formulary) during the program year.

  • Each resident will complete at least two deliverables in the form of class review, monograph, guideline, protocol, utilization management criteria or orderset.

• Teaching and Precepting Opportunities

  • Lecture to the Penn State College of Medicine Physician Assistant Program on a pharmacotherapy topic (early in the year).

  • Provide an ACPE-accredited continuing education session to the pharmacy department (January–March).

  • Precept pharmacy students during clinical rotations.

  • Facilitate journal clubs for residents and students.

  • Optional teaching certificate through Shenandoah University.

Each of the following learning experiences have a minimum of one rotation each:

• Critical Care (Medical ICU, Surgical/Anesthesia ICU, or Heart & Vascular ICU)

• Medicine (Adult Internal Medicine or Family and Community Medicine Service)

• Advanced Adult Medicine or Advanced Pediatric Medicine

• General Pediatrics (if the resident is a previous pediatric APPE, the possibility exists to substitute NICU, PICU or pediatric hematology/oncology)

• Infectious Diseases

• Pharmacy Administration & Leadership

Each of the following required experiences or training areas continues throughout the program.

• Ambulatory Care

  • Oncology Specialty Pharmacy

  • Primary Care Clinic

  • Pulmonology Specialty Pharmacy

  • Rheumatology Clinic

• Ambulatory Care Anticoag Clinic (two-thirds of the year)

• Pharmacy & Therapeutics

• Hospital Pharmacy Practice

• Major Project

• Medication Safety

• Minor Project

• Teaching, Education, and Dissemination of Knowledge

A number of electives are available in the Pharmacy Residency, including:

• Adult Bone Marrow Transplant

• Adult Hematology/Oncology

• Advanced Pediatric Medicine

• Antimicrobial Stewardship

• Cardiology

• Emergency Medicine

• Family and Community Medicine

• HVICU

• Immunocompromised Infectious Diseases

• Inpatient Psychiatry

• Investigational Drug Service

• Medical Intensive Care Unit

• Neonatal Intensive Care

• Neuroscience Critical Care (NCCU)

• Pediatric Hematology/Oncology

• Pediatric ICU

• Specialty Pharmacy

• Surgical/Anesthesia Intensive Care Unit

• Required rotations:

  • Emergency Medicine

  • Heart and Vascular Intensive Care Unit

  • ICU Float

  • Medical Intensive Care Unit

  • Medical Intensive Care Unit II

  • Neurocritical Care Unit

  • Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

  • Surgical Intensive Care - Anesthesia

  • Surgical Intensive Care - Trauma

  • Surgical Intensive Care - Advanced Anesthesia & Trauma

• Elective rotations:

  • Adult Hematology/Oncology

  • Heart and Vascular Intensive Care Unit II

  • Infectious Disease

  • Medical Intensive Care Unit III

  • Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

  • Neurocritical Care Unit II

• Longitudinal Rotations:

  • Education

  • Hospital Pharmacy Practice

  • Major Project

  • Medication Safety

  • Medication Use Evaluation

• Required rotations:

  • Adult Hematology

  • Adult Stem Cell Transplant/Cellular

  • Inpatient Oncology/Transitions of Care

  • Oncology Practice Management

  • Oncology/Investigational Drug Service

  • Oncology/Sterile Products

  • Outpatient Oncology

  • Pediatric Hematology/Oncology

  • Specialty Oncology

• Elective rotations:

  • Immunocompromised Infectious Diseases

  • MICU/Critical Care Oncology

  • Pain/Palliative Care

  • Pediatric Hematology/Oncology - II

• Longitudinal Rotations:

  • ACPE/Fellow Lectures

  • Drug Use Policy

  • Hospital Pharmacy Practice

  • Medication Safety

  • MUE/Research Project

  • Oncology P&T Subcommittee

• Core rotations:

  • General Pediatrics

  • General Pediatrics II (focus on teaching)

  • Neonatal Intensive Care

  • Pediatric Hematology/Oncology

  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases/Antimicrobial Stewardship

  • Pediatric Intensive Care

• Elective rotations:

  • Medication Safety

  • Neonatal Intensive Care II

  • Pediatric Emergency medicine

  • Pediatric Hematology/Oncology II

  • Pediatric Intensive Care II

  • Pediatric Palliative Care/Hummingbird

  • Pediatric Specialty Services (Pulmonology, Cardiology, Nephrology, Neurology)

• Longitudinal rotations:

  • ACPE Presentation/PA Lecture

  • Clinical On-Call Component (Code response)

  • Hospital Pharmacy Practice

  • Medication Safety

  • Pediatric P&T Subcommittee

  • Project/Research

  • Teaching Certificate (optional)