island health residency Program Curriculum
our curriculum & our program’s learning outcomes
Our curriculum is designed to meet our learning outcomes which are directly linked to the most recent Canadian Pharmacy Residency Board (CPRB) Accreditation Standards. The text below is derrived from the 2024 CPRB Standards.
Definition of a Year 1 Residency
The Canadian Pharmacy Residency Board (CPRB) defines a year 1 residency in pharmacy practice, subsequently referred to as a “pharmacy residency”, as an organized, directed, accredited program that builds upon competencies of an accredited entry-to-practice professional degree program in pharmacy. The pharmacy residency includes experience in the areas of patient care, management and improvement of medication-use systems, leadership, management of one’s own practice, provision of medication- and practice-related education, and project management. Canadian pharmacy residencies have their roots in hospital pharmacy practice; however, contemporary pharmacy residences are delivered in diverse practice settings. Pharmacy residencies develop clinical, interprofessional, and leadership skills that can be applied to any position in any practice setting.
Purpose of the Residency Standards
The CPRB Accreditation Standards for Pharmacy (Year 1) Residencies outline the basic criteria to be used in evaluating such programs in organizations that are applying for accreditation by the CPRB. The CPRB Accreditation Standards will be uniformly applied to all pharmacy residency programs that apply for accreditation. The accreditation process incorporates evaluation of both the residency program and the pharmacy services provided.
Purpose of Pharmacy Residencies
The purpose of pharmacy residencies is to develop pharmacists’ patient care skills to the “proficient” level. This represents progression beyond the “competent” level that is expected upon completion of the first professional degree.
Residency program competencies, also known as educational outcomes, include (at a minimum) those listed in the table below. These outcomes are intended to correspond with the AFPC Educational Outcomes for First Professional Degree Programs in Pharmacy in Canada 2017, as shown.
CPRB Educational Outcomes
The Island Health Residency Program curriculum is designed to equip our residency graduates with the knowledge and skills required to meet the CPRB educational outcomes described in the standards:
- Providing evidence-based direct patient care as a member of interprofessional teams (Standard 3.1)
- Managing and improve the medication-use system (Standard 3.2)
- Exercising leadership (Standard 3.3)
- Exhibiting the ability to manage one’s own practice of pharmacy (Standard 3.4)
- Providing medication and practice-related education (Standard 3.5)
- Demonstrating project management skills (Standard 3.6)
duration of program and length of Curriculum components
Island Health PGY1 Residency program is 54 weeks in duration and consists of
direct and non-direct patient care rotations, project work, academic half days,
participation in BC wide residency events. See the table below for an overview of program
curriculum and activities.
| Residency Rotations & Activities | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| General Orientation | 1 Week | Meet the Department, Orientation to Residency & Organization |
| Summer Didactics (UBC) | 1 Week | Evidence Based Medicine Topics |
| Clinical Orientation on Ward | 2 Weeks | Introduction to Ward Based Clinical Pharmacy Practice |
| Direct Patient Care Rotations | 32 Weeks | Available Across a Wide Range of Clinical Specialties. Includes Precepting Rotation |
| Non-Direct Patient Care Rotations | 3 Weeks | Academic Detailing, Med Safety, Med Use Management, Pharmacy Informatics, Toxicology |
| Leadership-Management | One Full Day Workshop Plus Project | Project is Pharmacy Conference Organization. Workshop is in person. |
| Medication Use Systems | 3 Weeks | Drug Distribution & Sterile Products |
| Residency Project | 8 Weeks | Dedicated Time for Project Work |
| Vacation | 4 Weeks | |
| Total Length of Program | 54 Weeks |
Requirements to successfully complete program
Below are the required combination of rotations, both mandatory and elective to successfully complete program. Also listed are other residency program components needed to successfully complete program.
mandatory direct patient care rotations
elective direct patient care rotations
In the pre-residency survey residents rank their desired elective rotations.
These rotations are then assigned based on preceptor availability and scheduling considerations.
Non-Direct Patient Care Rotations
Over the residency year there are three weeks available for non-direct patient care rotations, exclusive of the leadership-management rotation. There are four one week rotations and one two week rotation to choose from. Incoming residents will rank their preferences for these rotations which will then be assigned my the residency coordinator. Residents will complete either three one week rotations or one one-week rotation and one two week rotation.
Non-Direct Patient Care Rotations. Residents Rank Preferences and Are Assigned 1 or 2 Week Rotations for a Total of 3 Weeks
Physical Location of Residents & Rotations
Resident PODs
Residents will be assigned to one of four PODS based at either the Royal Jubilee Hospital (Victoria), the Victoria General Hospital (Victoria) and the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (Nanaimo) or North Island Hospitals (Campbell River/Comox). Incoming residents will rank their preference for POD assignments. The residency coordinator will then determine POD assignments based on survey results.
