PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency

Thank you for your interest and consideration in the University of California, San Diego Health PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy program for your advanced critical care training. UC San Diego Health has eight adult ICUs where our residents learn how to make evidence-based decisions in complex clinical situations. As San Diego’s only academic, teaching health system, we serve as a primary referral center for much of Southern California. Our critical care residents have the opportunity to learn advanced critical care pharmacotherapy in our level 3 NICU, our Southern California regional burn center, and level 1 trauma center. Residents accepted into the PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy program will gain the skills to function as the primary ICU pharmacist, which includes rounding with primary and consult teams, participating in code situations, and becoming proficient in critical care focused process improvements and research.

Program Summary

Our pharmacy residency program is over 30 years old and well recognized within our institution, which allows for maximal pharmacist input in our critical care areas. Critical care residents participate in delivering didactic instruction at the UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences’ in the critical care elective, and may have the opportunity to teach more didactic lectures, if requested. Graduates from our program are well prepared to sit for the Board Certification for Critical Care Pharmacists. Finally, we have a close-knit group of pharmacists and preceptors that look forward to our residents becoming part of our pharmacy family.

Residency Positions Available Per Year

2 residents are accepted each year

Beginning Date

August 1st (matched residents must be licensed pharmacists in the State of California before starting the residency year and no later than November 1st)

Application Deadline

December 31

Virtual Interview Dates

2/7/2023, 2/8/2023

Application Procedure

Eligible applicants must have graduated from an ACPE-accredited school of pharmacy with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and successfully completed an ASHP-accredited PGY1 Pharmacy. Interested applicants should refer to the Program Overview for specific application requirements. The application can be found on PhORCAS.

Please note, a supplemental application will be required in lieu of a letter of intent.  The link to our supplemental application is here. To preview and prepare your answers to the supplemental application ahead of time, please see the UC San Diego Health PGY2 Critical Care Supplemental Application

Virtual Interview Components

Interview with clinical pharmacists

Pro-Con debate on controversial critical care topic. Applicants will be asked to present a 15-minute presentation advocating for one side of the topic.  Candidates will be told their debate topic prior to the interview but the side of the debate will be revealed on the day of the interview. Topics for our 2023-2024 class will be:

  1. aPTT vs anti-Xa for heparin monitoring
  2. HAT (hydrocortisone, ascorbic acid, thiamine) vs angiotensin ll for refractory hypotension
  3. Alteplase vs Tenecteplase for ischemic stroke
  4. Weight-based vs fixed dose of 4FPCC for warfarin reversal

Program Contact

Wan-Ting Huang, PharmD, BCCCP
PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency Director
wah007@health.ucsd.edu 

Overview of the Critical Care Program

Program Overview

Residency Program Purpose

PGY2 pharmacy residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) education and PGY1 pharmacy residency programs to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists in specialized areas of practice. PGY2 residencies provide residents with opportunities to function independently as practitioners by conceptualizing and integrating accumulated experience and knowledge and incorporating both into the provision of patient care or other advanced practice settings. Residents who successfully complete an accredited PGY2 pharmacy residency are prepared for advanced patient care, academic, or other specialized positions, along with board certification, if available.