Pharmacy Residency Curriculum
Our comprehensive, flexible learning experiences prepare you for pharmacy practice across a diversity of care settings and roles.
Training curriculum and schedule
All residents participate in 6 required patient care rotations that you can extend or repeat. You’ll also complete 4 longitudinally integrated rotations throughout the program. During these experiences, you’ll provide safe and effective patient care to a diverse range of patients, including those with multiple co-morbidities, high-risk medication regimens and multiple medications.
Rotations and durations
Core (required) experiences
Core patient care experiences can be repeated as an elective learning experience (after completion of the initial required block), with exception of Infectious Disease - Antimicrobial Stewardship.
- Cardiology: 4 weeks
- Chronic Care - Ambulatory: Longitudinal
- Critical Care: 4 weeks
- General Medicine 1 (inpatient): 4 weeks
- General Medicine 2 (inpatient): 4 weeks
- Hospital Pharmacy Service: Longitudinal
- Infectious Disease - Antimicrobial Stewardship: 4 weeks
- Orientation: 3-4 weeks
- Pediatrics - NICU: 4 weeks
- Pharmacy Practice Management (PPM): Longitudinal
- Project: Longitudinal
Elective experiences
We can tailor your elective experience to fit your career goals, or you can rotate through:
- Behavioral Health - Inpatient: 4 weeks
- Emergency Services: 2-4 weeks
- Informatics: 2-4 weeks
- Infusion Services - Oncology: 2-4 weeks
- Rural Practice – Critical Access Hospital: 2-4 weeks
- Surgery: 4 weeks
Longitudinal experiences
Pharmacy Practice Management (PPM)
Over the course of the longitudinal PPM experience, you'll fulfill obligations and complete assignments that offer a breadth of exposure to medication use processes within a healthcare system. These components include year-long tenure on the Therapeutic Review subcommittee of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics committee, concentrated 2-month rotations through Medication Safety and Operations-Change Management and participation in monthly colloquiums about personal and professional leadership.
Project
As part of the program's requirements, you’ll design and execute a formal investigational project during the year. The focus of your project may center on clinical research, quality assurance, practice advancement or a combination. Residents are aligned with at least 1 pharmacist project advisor and have additional research support from Gundersen Medical Foundation. Formal presentation of the project structure and results are required at regional and national professional conferences. Additionally, you’ll complete a manuscript or reach another comparable endpoint by the conclusion of the program year.
Hospital Pharmacy Service (staffing)
You won’t have staffing obligations during orientation. During a four-week "run-in" period that is concurrent with the first rotation, you'll staff for 28 hours. This primarily consists of weekday shifts from 5 to 9 p.m., with days rotated so you don't staff the same day of the week. There are some weekend day and evening hours. After your "run-in" period, we'll schedule you to staff every fifth week (Monday through Friday) on a rotating, staggered basis. Additionally, you'll be scheduled to staff weekends (Saturday through Sunday) on a rotating basis. Residents share responsibility for emergency response pager coverage 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
Gundersen Pharmacy Residency virtual tour
Why Gundersen
Call La Crosse Home
We have it all in La Crosse, Wis. Our vibrant city and region support your dream lifestyle with a welcoming community, culture and outdoor adventure.
Housing
Steps from our flagship medical center in La Crosse, our housing options allow you to enjoy the company of your family and the comradery of your colleagues.
Prioritizing Your Wellness
As you learn how to become the clinician you aspire to be, we’ll provide space to prioritize your mind and body wellness, and reach the work-life balance you need.