Post Graduate Year One
South County Health's Post Graduate Year One Pharmacy Residency Program (PGY1) was established in 2012, accepting its first class in July 2013.
South County Hospital, located in the beachside community of Wakefield, RI, is a Joint Commission Accredited, 100-bed acute care community hospital.
The PGY1 residents work closely with a dedicated group of specialized pharmacy preceptors that mentor and train future pharmacist practitioners.
The intense twelve-month program provides experiences in a variety of settings, focusing on the core areas of practice specified in the American Society Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Accreditation Standards.
Our program is a 12-month postgraduate curriculum that offers training opportunities in acute care, ambulatory care, drug information, drug use policy development, clinical services, and practice leadership.
Residents will gain the necessary experience and develop critical thinking skills needed to practice in a hospital, ambulatory care, or teaching environment.
Teaching
Residents completing this program will be competent educators in pharmacy practice and obtain valuable teaching experience at the University of Rhode Island (URI) College of Pharmacy.
Residents will serve as co-preceptors for pharmacy student rotations, participate in pharmacy staff development programs and provide pharmacy presentations to the medical and nursing staff.
Academic rotations may be offered through the URI. Residents may also serve as teaching assistants to participate in patient counseling activities, teach weekly P2 and P3 pharmacy lab sections at the University of Rhode Island, and will complete the URI’s Teaching Certificate program.
Research Activity
Residents are required to complete a research project. The selection of a project is based upon clinical interests and the presentation of project ideas to residency preceptors.
Residents will develop a formal research proposal and submit the proposal for IRB approval. Residents will present their research project at a poster session at the Eastern States Residency Conference.
Additionally, residents will provide a final manuscript write-up prior to residency graduation.
Staffing Responsibilities
Residents are trained to support both clinical and pharmacy practice services at South County Hospital.
The role and responsibilities of the resident are to support all pharmaceutical services for the patient care area assigned and may include but are not limited to the following:
- Verifying pharmacy orders
- Antimicrobial stewardship
- Monitoring orders for TPN
- Supporting the medication reconciliation service
- Supporting clinical activities including dosing of medication therapy to include, but are not limited to heparin, enoxaparin, vancomycin, warfarin, and renal dosing of medications.
- Responding to codes
- Supervising and overseeing pharmacy technicians and students
- Provide Staffing as the sole pharmacist on assigned weekend shifts for a 100-bed hospital
- Triaging and resolving medication problems
PGY1 residents work every other weekend, rotating between staffing on a weekend and performing medication reconciliation on the other weekend.
All residents work at least one major (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and/or New Year) and one minor (Labor Day and Memorial Day) holiday throughout the year.
Program Sites
- Clinical rotations will be completed at South County Hospital.
- Academic teaching experiences may be conducted at the URI College of Pharmacy.
- Ambulatory care rotations are conducted at the Anticoagulation Management Service and the Cancer Center.
Concentrated Experiences
- Orientation (6 weeks)
- Intensive Care (4 weeks)
- Internal Medicine (6 weeks)
- Drug Information(4 weeks)
- Cardiology (4 weeks)
- Administration/Leadership (4 weeks)
- Anticoagulation Management (4 weeks)
- Oncology/Infusion Therapy (6 weeks)
- Emergency Medicine (4 weeks)
- Antimicrobial Stewardship (4 weeks)
- One 4-week elective (i.e. Advanced Oncology/Immunology, Advanced Informatics, Transitions of Care, Concentrated Academia, Longitudinal Diabetes )
- Pharmacy Practice
- Informatics
- Teaching
- Research
Residency Program: PGY1 Residency Program
ASHP Program Code: # 15003
NMS Code: #- 208413
Accreditation Status: Full Accreditation
Duration/Type: 12 months
Number of Positions: 2
Application Deadline: January 3 (Please note this program will participate in PhORCAS)
Starting Date: July 1
Estimated Stipend: $40,000
Interview Required: Yes
Training Site: Hospital
Model Type(s): Community Hospital
Tax Status: Nonprofit
Professional Staff: 11 pharmacists
Non-professional Staff: 10 non-pharmacist staff
Total Beds (Licensed): 100 acute care
Average Daily Census: 60
Current and Past Pharmacy Residents
Alexis Batjiaka, Pharm.D
University of Rhode Island
Alexis 'Lexy' Batjiaka, Pharm.D., originally from Massachusetts, graduated from the University of Rhode Island. Her clinical interests include oncology, infectious disease, critical care, and cardiology. Lexy has experience working as a student intern in the retail setting at CVS Pharmacy. Her desire to go above and beyond for her patients and passion for clinical research are what drove her to pursue residency here at South County Health. In her free time. Lexy enjoys traveling, shopping, and spending time with family and friends.
Jennifer Merritt, Pharm.D.
Western New England University
Jen is from a small town in Northwest Connecticut and graduated from Western New England University. Her clinical interests include intensive care and cardiology. She has prior pharmacy experience at an independent retail pharmacy and in the hospital setting. Jen has a desire to be a decentralized clinical pharmacist in the hospital setting which has led her to pursue a PGY-1 residency. Outside of school and work Jen enjoys playing soccer and basketball as well as relaxing by the pool or at the beach.
Katherine McCann, Pharm.D.
University of Rhode Island
Kate, a Massachusetts native, graduated from the University of Rhode Island. Her clinical interests include infectious disease, psychiatry, and oncology, influenced strongly by her favorite rotations as a student.
Kate has experience working as a student intern in both a retail and psychiatric/general medicine hospital setting in MA and RI.
Her desire to further her education and skills as a pharmacist is what drove her to pursue residency training.
When Kate is not at the hospital, she enjoys baking, gardening, and spending time with her two dogs, George and Xander.
Ryan Virgin, Pharm.D.
University of Rhode Island
Ryan, originally from Boston’s north shore, graduated from the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy.
His interests include teaching, diabetes management, pain and palliative care, and cardiology.
Ryan has experience working as a student intern in the retail setting at CVS.
His desire to impact patient care and practice to the fullest extent of his licensure are what led him to pursue residency here at South County Health.
His hobbies outside of pharmacy include avidly following New England sports teams, playing basketball, and video games.
Demetria Malone, Pharm.D.
University of Saint Joseph
Demetria, originally from “The Seacoast” of New Hampshire, graduated from the University of Rhode Island where she majored in pharmaceutical sciences with a minor in English writing and rhetoric.
She then pursued her Pharm.D. at the University of Saint Joseph in Hartford, CT where she gained exposure to a myriad of disease states during her rotations including transplant, psychiatry, and emergency medicine.
Demetria has worked as a community pharmacist and has experience in medication therapy management and 340b formulary management.
Her passion for continuity of care, clinical research, and academia is what drove her to continue her education as a PGY-1 resident pharmacist at South County Hospital.
Demetria’s current areas of interest include behavioral health, HIV therapy management, and academia.
Outside of the hospital, Demetria loves to be behind the lens of a camera taking pictures, traveling, and doing yoga.
Shiler Mohammed, Pharm.D.
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Shiler, a Rhode Island native, obtained her Bachelor of Science from Rhode Island College and then went on to MCPHS University for her Doctor of Pharmacy degree.
She has experience working as a student intern at a large academic teaching center.
Her interests in pharmacy include anticoagulation and critical care.
In her free time, Shiler enjoys traveling, spending time with her family, and shopping.
Christie Denton, Pharm.D.
University of Cincinnati
Christie, an Ohio native, graduated from the University Of Cincinnati James L. Winkle College Of Pharmacy.
Her interests include drug information, ambulatory care, and academia.
Her previous experience as a pharmacist at a large institution, her desire for a new perspective, and the close-knit community of the hospital are what helped her decide to pursue a residency here at South County Health.
In her free time, Christie enjoys spending time with her pets, running, and traveling.
Christie has been accepted to the RJW Barnabas Health PGY2 Specialized Pharmacy Residency in Drug Information program.
Renee Morin, Pharm.D.
University of Rhode Island
Renee, a Rhode Island native, graduated from the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy.
Her clinical rotations as a student influenced her current interests in informatics and ambulatory care.
When she is not at the hospital, Renee enjoys eating delicious food with her friends and family and reading novels.
Renee has accepted a position with Kent Hospital where she will be involved in the inpatient and anticoagulation management settings.
Kerry Baeder, Pharm.D.
University of the Sciences
Kerry, a native of Philadelphia, graduated from the University of the Sciences.
Her interests include oncology and infectious disease, which have been reflected in her previous experiences as a student and choice of elective rotations.
In her free time, Kerry enjoys spending time visiting with her family and traveling.
Kerry has accepted a position as an Oncology Pharmacist at Cooley Dickinson Hospital.
David Krok, Pharm.D.
University of Rhode Island
David, a Massachusetts native, graduated from the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy.
His interests include infectious disease and intensive care.
He has experience working as a student intern in both a community hospital named Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, MA, and commercially at Rite Aid.
These experiences, in addition to his clinical rotations, are what helped him decide to pursue a residency here at South County Health.
His passions outside of pharmacy include watching New England sports teams like the Patriots, Red Sox, and Celtics, and enjoying outdoor activities like fishing, golf, and the beach.
David is currently employed as a Clinical Pharmacist with CharterCare in Providence, RI.
For more information about this program, email Marissa Palm (mpalm@southcountyhealth.org), PGY1 Residency Program Director, or call 401-788-1823.