PGY1/PGY2/MS Health-System Pharmacy Administration and Leadership Program Design

Successful graduates join a network of over 200 alumni whose careers span pharmacy directorships, hospital and health-system executive roles, informatics leadership, clinical and academic leadership, pharmaceutical industry positions, and many other paths, both in the U.S. and internationally. Pharmacists completing the two-year MS/Health-System Pharmacy Administration and Leadership (MS/HSPAL) residency at UNC Medical Center are well-prepared to become future leaders in health-system pharmacy. Through comprehensive training across the department, they develop expertise in managing systems and people in both acute and ambulatory care settings, while gaining the confidence and critical thinking skills needed to address complex challenges in practice.

Program Goals and Competencies

The UNC Medical Center HSPAL residency program is complemented by a Masters of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences with a specialization in Health-System Pharmacy Administration and Leadership. The combination of the two will provide residents with the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary to assume a variety of leadership roles and responsibilities, serving as vibrant, committed professionals with a focus on improving patients’ health, health-care delivery and the profession of pharmacy.

At UNC Medical Center, our team works with the HSPAL residents to develop them through both personal and professional challenges. During the training, residents gain competence in the following:

Developing a vision for pharmacy practice and the skills to bring it to life
Learning from world-class pharmacists and engaging with clinical leaders to achieve clinical excellence across diverse patient care settings
Planning, implementing, and managing pharmaceutical care and operational services
Assuming managerial, financial, and human resource responsibilities, including staffing, mentoring, and performance evaluation
Thinking strategically, adapting to change, and turning challenges into opportunities to improve health care delivery
Practicing consistent professionalism and ethical standards
Participating in innovation, including layered learning models, pilot programs, and patient care transitions
Gaining exposure to multiple health-system settings, from teaching hospitals to community and critical access sites, through the MS component
Collaborating with leadership on strategic partnerships, new service development, and operational initiatives
Contributing to teaching and academic activities at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy

Program Structure

Year One

See PGY1 Pharmacy - Acute Care Track for required and elective learning experiences. Details on the three required PGY1 administrative rotations can be found in the MS/HSPAL Rotation Opportunities document below.

Year Two

See the link below for required and elective learning experiences as well as longitudinal management opportunities:

MS/HSPAL Rotation Opportunities

Required Components

Staffing

Residents complete approximately six weeks of departmental training and orientation in June and July. Throughout the residency year, residents must staff an average of 400 hours, primarily in decentralized or central pharmacist roles. Responsibilities include order verification, pharmacokinetic consults, drug information support, participation in adult codes, nutrition support, patient education, and pharmacotherapy problem-solving. Staffing occurs every third weekend and includes one major holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s) and one minor holiday (Labor Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, or Memorial Day). PGY1 residents also staff three concentrated week-long, weekday blocks distributed over the course of the year, whereas PGY2 residents staff 15 weekdays throughout the year. Both PGY1 and PGY2 weekday staffing is in decentralized positions. Staffing requirements may be adjusted annually based on departmental needs.

Research

The Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences is offered in collaboration with institutions nationwide. Residents will complete a one-year capstone project and a two-year thesis substitute while developing core competencies in health-system expertise, critical thinking, effective communication, collaboration, and professional growth, preparing them to lead, innovate, and drive meaningful change in pharmacy and health systems.

Portions of these research projects will be presented at the Vizient Annual Meeting, the Research in Education and Practice Symposium (REPS), or at specified sub-specialty meeting as determined by the research mentor. In addition to conducting and presenting research, residents are highly encouraged to submit a manuscript for publication by the end of the second year.

MS in Health-System Pharmacy Administration

Educational Opportunities

Residents develop and present a 1-hr ACPE and 0.5-hr ACPE accredited Continuing Education presentation in the PGY1 and PGY2 year, respectively, to the UNC Health System. There are over 40 live sessions presented by UNC residents throughout the year that are available as a webinar-based platform and can be viewed by any pharmacist in the country.

During the Drug Information, Policy, and Medication Safety rotation each resident will complete a medication-use evaluation. The MUE is a performance improvement tool that can be used to benefit the UNC Health group across the state of North Carolina. The resident will also complete a drug monograph or class review.

Teaching Opportunities

Our primary teaching experience is through the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy. During the spring semester of the PGY2 year, residents serve as facilitators for Business of Healthcare: Focus on the Pharmacy Enterprise. Residents also participate in a layered learning model alongside pharmacy students (PY2–PY4), co-residents, and clinical specialists. This model, successfully piloted on several rotations, continues to be incorporated across many learning experiences. Additional teaching opportunities include POD discussions, case conferences, and continuing education sessions. POD discussions are preceptor-selected topics led by either PGY2 residents or content experts.

Residents are offered the option to pursue completion of the Teaching and Learning Certificate Program at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. A significant number of activities in the teaching assistant experience, as well as other longitudinal requirements over the course of the year, apply towards the requirements of the program. An application process is necessary to join the teaching and learning certificate program, and if accepted, residents are provided guidance on lectures, portfolio development and Patient Care Lab participation to receive their certificate.

Leadership Opportunities

UNC residents are offered the option to pursue completion of a leadership certificate through participation in the UNCH Pharmacy Residency Leadership Certificate Program. An application process is necessary to join the leadership certificate program, and if accepted, residents will be provided guidance on leading topic discussions, leadership in motion projects, mentorship, and other activities to receive their certificate. The certificate program’s vision is to develop leaders in pharmacy who will serve others, improve their communities, and advance the profession.

Each resident will be also given the opportunity to participate in a committee or longitudinal leadership responsibilities throughout the year that can involve but not limited to recruitment, webpage update, orientation planning, and many more. Residents will have the opportunity to apply for a chief resident position that has a term of 6 months. This gives 2 PGY2s and 2 PGY1s the opportunity to serve in this position.

Requirements for Program Completion (Year One)

In addition to requirements for the PGY1 Pharmacy - Acute Care Track, residents must complete the following requirements specified in the appointment agreement:

Complete a pre-specified portion of a 2-year masters level thesis substitute which includes all of the following: data retrieval, data analysis, formal presentation (poster OR platform) at a local/regional/national forum, project proposal submission, creation of a data collection tool, and IRB submission (if appropriate)
Complete coursework and assignments required by the MS-Pharmacy program during both semesters. Receipt of one failing grade or 3 low passes will result in dismissal from the MS program and inability to progress to the second year of the residency program.

Requirements for Program Completion (Year Two)

To receive a certificate of Residency completion, residents must complete all requirements specified in the appointment agreement:

Complete all scheduled learning experiences
Receive an evaluation score of “Achieved for the Residency” (ACHR) for at least 85% of PharmAcademic objectives required by the program
Complete a pre-specified portion of a 2-year masters level thesis substitute which includes all of the following: data retrieval, data analysis, formal presentation (poster OR platform) at a local/regional/national forum, creation of a draft manuscript in publishable quality, project proposal submission, creation of a data collection too, and IRB submission (if applicable)
Prepare and submit for publication the thesis substitute that was completed over the course of both residency years
Contribute approximately 400 hours of staffing support to the department through weekday, weekend, day/evening and holiday clinical and/or operational staffing requirements based on departmental need
Attend at least 8 hours of resident CE programming
Complete all evaluations in PharmAcademic, ASHP's approved tool
Provide a 30-minute ACPE accredited CE program for pharmacists and/or pharmacy technicians within and outside the Department of Pharmacy
Participate in required departmental “on-call” services as necessary to support departmental functions
Complete coursework and assignments required by the MS-Pharmacy program during both semesters. Receipt of one failing grade or 3 low passes will result in dismissal from the MS and residency programs.
Serve on a designated hospital or health system committee as assigned by the program
Upload files to document completion of all required residency components into PharmAcademic (CE, MUE, research project, data collection tool, manuscript, IRB, research proposal, etc.)