Program's Purpose

Residencies provide a unique opportunity for a resident pharmacist to collaborate with an experienced practitioner. With guidance from the preceptor, the resident can be a partner in initiating new programs and can expand or enhance existing services in a community pharmacy environment.

The UNC Community Pharmacy Residency Program provides an opportunity for residents to:

• Apply pharmaceutical care skills in direct patient care through wellness and disease state management programs and selected dispensing activities.
• Develop, market, and implement new patient care and disease state management programs.
• Participate in and develop practice management programs that improve effectiveness and efficiency of the drug distribution system.
• Teach pharmacy students in the classroom and in practice settings.
• Educate patients and health care practitioners about appropriate drug therapy.
• Design and conduct a research project which will be presented at a regional/national conference and submitted for publication.

Program's Educational Outcomes

After completing our program, graduates will be well-prepared to begin their professional careers as:

• Independent clinicians/entrepreneurs
• Innovators in chain and independent pharmacy practice
• Ambulatory care clinicians
• Community-based/ambulatory care clinical faculty members
  

About the Community Pharmacy Residency Program

The Community Pharmacy Residency Program was established by the American Pharmaceutical Association in 1986, and there are currently CPRPs in more than thirty states. The program, which is accredited by the American Pharmacists Association and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, strives to develop creative and innovative pharmacy practice leaders equipped to meet the challenges presented by the rapidly changing health-care system, the implementation of pharmaceutical care, the explosion of drug and therapeutics information, and the need of society for improving patient care and monitoring of therapeutic outcomes.

Each residency consists of a minimum of 2,000 hours of education and training experience conducted over a twelve-month period. Each residency site has a preceptor who oversees the training of the resident. Individual sites determine starting and ending dates for their respective residency programs, as well as stipend and benefits.

The type of patient-care environment can vary greatly, but the majority of sites are centered around a community chain or independent pharmacy that focuses on providing pharmaceutical care and disease state management. The practitioner resident is fully integrated as part of the team at a community site. The resident not only gains experience but also becomes a valuable learning resource for the site and its staff by providing fresh perspectives and insight.