College of Pharmacy Residency Programs Receive Accreditation
| The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) recently surveyed all three residency programs of the UAMS College of Pharmacy and granted full accreditation.
The college has three residency programs: a first-year residency in community-based pharmacy, a second-year residency in ambulatory care, and a newer second-year residency in population health management and data analytics. Following extensive site visits earlier this year, all three programs were accredited.
The post-graduate residency programs that the College of Pharmacy offers are extensions of our strengths, particularly the Department of Pharmacy Practice,” said Dean Cindy Stowe, Pharm.D. “These programs bring added value to our ability to deliver at a high level on our mission, with particular emphasis on advancing pharmacy practice in the delivery of care to individuals and populations. I am tremendously proud of the success of these programs and their graduates.”
ASHP evaluates residency programs on more than 200 different standards for quality. Programs submit extensive self-study documentation, undergo in-person site visits, receive feedback and have one month to implement any recommendations from the visits. Accreditation is granted either on a conditional basis or for multiple years. Eight years is considered a full cycle.
For the first-year community-based pharmacy residency, this cycle was the first time the program was evaluated across several sites around the state, each with its own diverse practice settings. It’s a milestone that reflects the program’s commitment to excellence, said Megan Smith, Pharm.D., residency program director and associate professor of pharmacy practice.
“I’m incredibly proud of our team and partners for achieving this milestone, especially for our first review as a multisite program,” Smith said. “Collaborating with organizations like Walmart, Kroger, Harps, UAMS and Bryant Family Pharmacy has allowed us to offer residents a rich and diverse learning experience. This recognition affirms the strength of our shared commitment to advancing community pharmacy practice.”
Accreditation for the college’s second-year residencies is the result of both programs being well-developed and implemented, said Amy Franks, Pharm.D., professor and chair of the college’s Department of Pharmacy Practice.
“Our two second-year residency programs are such strong programs that they received the longest multiyear term for accreditation,” Franks said. “That’s a huge feather in the college’s cap, and it’s all because of the strong leadership and learning experiences in our programs.”
The second-year population health management and data analytics residency was one of only 29 new programs in various specialty areas to receive accreditation, said Lisa Hutchison, Pharm.D., MPH, vice chair for postgraduate professional training and professor of pharmacy practice. The program aims to optimize synergy between clinical knowledge, information technology and pharmaceutical operations, with graduates creating and implementing their own population health initiatives.
The second-year ambulatory care residency has sites in Little Rock and Fayetteville, with both receiving the full eight-year accreditation term, said Kaci Boehmer, Pharm.D., the program’s director and an associate professor of pharmacy practice.
“I am very proud that ASHP has granted our program the longest duration of accreditation possible,” Boehmer said. “It takes a lot of work to run a residency, and it takes a team of dedicated preceptors, but the investment is worth it to be able to mentor and coach residents to become high-performing pharmacists.
“Receiving the external assurance that our program is meeting the ASHP standard in nearly all areas gives me even more confidence in the quality of our program and the ability to provide robust learning experiences for ambulatory care pharmacy residents,” she added.