Medication-Use Safety & Policy Residency

The aim of the MUSP residency is to provide residents with experience working within a population health practice model and working closely with other disciplines throughout the organization. Upon completion of this program, the resident will be prepared to work as a specialist in drug information, medication safety, formulary management, or medication policy in a variety of practice settings. 

The MUSP residency provides residents with 2 years of specialized training within a large, integrated healthcare delivery network. The resident spends the first year honing their clinical foundation and will spend the majority of their time at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. The first year mirrors Intermountain Health’s PGY1 pharmacy residency program. During this year, the resident completes 9 direct patient care rotations as well as required rotations in drug information and practice management. The resident may choose from rotations at 6 medical centers, obtain a teaching certificate (optional), conduct a practice-based research project, and participate in both local and system-level medication initiatives. Additionally, 1 rotation block must be used to complete a 4-week rotation in medication safety (this is one of the only deviations from Intermountain Health’s PGY1 pharmacy residency program).

During the second year of the program, the resident works within the system-wide Drug Information Service to develop their skills in formulary management, medication policy, literature retrieval and evaluation, and medication safety across the continuum of patient care. Training in pharmacy informatics; compliance and regulatory affairs; pharmacy management; and managed care are also offered. During the second year, the resident will also: 

• Staff the anticoagulation clinic and transition-of-care service every third Saturday 
• Remotely cover on-call responsibilities for the anticoagulation clinics for 1-week increments every 8 to 10 weeks (approximately 4 on-call weeks, including 1 minor and 1 major holiday 
• Complete required rotations, which includes the completion of multiple medication-use projects (eg, medication-use evaluation, formulary class review) and presentations 
• Complete a research/quality improvement project and written manuscript using a format and style consistent with publication in a professional journal
  • Residents are encouraged to submit their project for publication 
• Deliver a presentation at a residency conference (or other professional conference) during the residency year 
• Submit a poster for presentation at a professional meeting 
• Prepare and deliver at least 1 ACPE-accredited continuing pharmacy education presentation and 1 professional development presentation 

Rotations during the first year of the residency follow those of the PGY1 pharmacy residency program. In the second year of the program, the resident will be based out of the System-wide Drug Information Services Department.

Refer to the items listed in Required Competency Areas, Goals, and Objectives for Postgraduate Year Two (PGY2) Medication-Use Safety and Policy Pharmacy Residency from American Society of Health-System Pharmacists for details. No additional or elective competency areas, goals, or objectives are included in the program at this time.

Application Deadline

• Please note that this program will not be recruiting for 2025-2026.

Applicants must submit the following information through the PhORCAS system:

• PhORCAS standard residency application
• Expected to obtain Pharmacist licensure within the first 90 days in the state of the residency program
• Current curriculum vitae
• Three letters of reference using the ASHP standard form (ideally including one from a work supervisor, if available)
• Letter of intent
• College of pharmacy transcripts; if no GPA is provided on your transcripts, then follow the instructions below:
  • If graduating from a school that uses a pass / fail grading system, please submit your class rank to Elizabeth Sebranek (if applying to multiple programs, only 1 letter is required).
  • This is currently done outside of the PhORCAS system due to FERPA rules.

The PGY1/PGY2 medication-use safety and policy pharmacy residency is a 24-month program that will start at the end of June of the corresponding residency year. 

Resident Salary

• Approximate PGY1 stipend: $61,000 per year
• Approximate PGY2 stipend: $75,000 per year

Pharmacy Resident Benefits

• Classified as full-time employees of Intermountain Health
• Paid a competitive resident salary
• Eligible to receive a complete benefits package including retirement, health, dental, vision and life insurance
• PTO is accrued at the rate according to hospital policy (currently approximately 25 days per year). This rate is subject to adjustment. The resident should generally expect to use ≤ 17 days of PTO during the residency year and may not use more than 25 days
• Access to other employee benefits such as the employee wellness program, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) support, and the employee discount program.

Professional Development

• Intermountain Health will provide travel support for one professional conference. Options may include ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting or Pharmacy Futures Meeting, Pediatric Pharmacy Association (PPA) Annual Meeting, or other specialty conference such as Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM)
• In addition, internal CE and other professional development opportunities are offered on a regular basis.