Specialized Pharmacy Residency in Clinical Informatics
Posted: March 22, 2002
Program Description
The residency program of the University Hospital & Clinics is an organized, directed, postgraduate training program in clinical informatics with an emphasis on clinical applications and impact on patient care.
The purpose of the residency is to develop pharmacy practitioners with marketable job skills in clinical informatics. A working knowledge of medical information systems and their design, development, and integration into clinical practice will be gained. Experience in the assessment of these systems impact on patient care and clinician workflow will also be developed.
Training is provided in conjunction with the University of Utah, Intermountain Health Care, LDS Hospital, and TheraDoc. This is a new residency program and application for accreditation by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists using the ASHP Accreditation Standard for Specialized Residencies is being sought. The initial resident to complete the program will be awarded a certificate of completion from an ASHP accredited residency, when the residency is accredited.
Program Goals
After successful completion of the residency program, the resident shall be able to:
- Clearly, concisely, and effectively communicate, both verbally and in writing, with health care and technical professionals in both the clinical and technical domains.
- Understand and discuss the potential role for information systems technology in improving patient safety and the potential for informations systems and technology to cause or allow patient harm.
- Discuss the different aspects of medical information systems architecture, and the role of standards in technology and vocabulary (e.g., HL7, SNOMED).
- Evaluate technology integration in clinical practice and conduct workflow analysis.
- Develop a project specification, participate in the knowledge engineering process, coordinate the technical team to execute the project, plan and conduct the project implementation, and conduct a user survey and workflow impact assessment (may not necessarily be the same project).
- Complete a residency project focused on measuring and assessing the impact of information technology on patient care, patient safety, clinical workflow, and/or medical decision making. Present the finished project at the Western States Residency Conference at Asilomar.
- Serve as a role model and instructor for undergraduate and graduate students, and for practicing pharmacists.
Position Description
Title: Pharmacy Clinical Informatics Resident
Reports To: Clinical Informatics Residency Program Director
Summary
The Clinical Informatics Residency is a postgraduate training program conducted jointly at TheraDoc, Inc. and the University of Utah Health Sciences Center according to the standards, policies, and procedures, developed by the residency director of the University of Utah Health Sciences Center and coordinated under the direction of the Director of Product Management at TheraDoc. Appointments will normally begin on July 1 but not later than September 1 each year and terminate June 30 but not later than August 31 of the following year. All application materials must be received by January 22. The Residency will consist of two major types of experiences. The patient care experience, particularly with an emphasis on clinical decision support software and its impact on patient care, will be achieved through rotations at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center and LDS Hospital. The informatics experience will be achieved at TheraDoc.
Benefits
Appointment as a Clinical Informatics Resident will carry with it an annual stipend of $55,000. Residents are classified as regular, full-time, exempt employees of the University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics and are eligible for benefits as such.
Residents are permitted to utilize 10 days of vacation leave per year, between July 1st and June 30th of their residency program year. This includes leave time granted for interviewing for positions. Residents are afforded 12 paid holidays as a benefit of their employment.
Application
There is no formal application for this residency program. Please submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, two letters of recommendation (from a former preceptor, employer, college professor, or dean), and college transcripts to:
Michael Barton, Pharm.D.
Director, Product Management
TheraDoc., Inc.
257 East 200 South, Suite 600
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
T: (801) 415-4430
F: (801) 415-4444
e-mail: michael.barton@theradoc.com
A personal interview at the applicant's expense at the University of Utah/TheraDoc will be required before a final decision can be made upon the application.
Applicants will be notified of the selection committee's decision not later than April 15 following receipt of application.
Purpose and Objectives
To provide an opportunity for interested pharmacy college graduates with a demonstrated interest in a career in informatics and technology and its impact on patient care to receive advanced training and experience.
Duties and Responsibilities
Emphasis will be given to on-the-job training aspects of the residency. So far as possible, the training schedule and assignments will be patterned to permit the resident to pursue in depth those activities in which he or she is most interested.
Duties and responsibilities will include:
- Participate in the knowledge engineering (KE) process
- Participate in technology assessment, development, planning, and implementation
- Participate in product design and implementation planning
- Gain hands-on experience in project management
- Participate in software testing and documentation
- Complete a customer satisfaction survey
- Gain experience in analysis of return on investment (ROI) estimates
- Participate in sales calls
- Participate in vendor exhibitions
- Participate in weekly Medical Informatics seminars and Pharmacy Practice Seminars
- Complete the Intermountain Health Care short course: Institute Computer Lab Series / Enterprise Data Analysis
Certification
The University of Utah Health Sciences Center shall award the resident an appropriate certificate upon satisfactory completion of the Clinical Informatics Residency program.
