Effective communication skills are critical as a pharmacy practitioner. Many opportunities exist to refine these skills in each rotation. The following presentations and writing are required for each rotation:

• A 45-minute formal presentation on a disease state or other topic of interest will be presented to preceptors, students, Hillcrest Hospital pharmacy staff and other individuals from Hillcrest Hospital. Slides and handouts are required. A 10-minute question-and-answer session will follow the presentation.
• A 35 minute journal club evaluation will occur monthly. Slides and handouts will be required the first 8 months and then the resident will be transitioned to a preceptor roundtable model. A 10-15 minute question-and-answer session will follow the journal club evaluation.
• At least one pharmacy or nursing in-service will be presented during each rotation. Topics will be selected in conjunction with the preceptor and /or Pharmacy Administration. Appropriate audio-visual and handout materials are required.
• Two case presentations will be presented twice a month to the preceptor team for the first 10 months of the residency.
• Residents will prepare two drug information questions each month. This will be in a written and submitted to the requesting party and the preceptors within a timely manner.
• The residents' major project will be presented to preceptors at Hillcrest Hospital and at Great Lakes Residency Conference. The presentation is 15-20 minutes, with an additional 5-10 minutes allotted for questions.

Travel to pharmacy professional meetings is an important component of the Hillcrest Pharmacy Residency. All residents are required to attend the ASHP Midyear meeting, during which residency recruitment occurs. Networking opportunities are numerous at this annual meeting. In the spring, residents formally present their projects at the Great Lakes Residency Conference in Indianapolis. Accommodations, travel and expenses will be reimbursed for local, state and national meetings.

Residents will complete a medication use evaluation (MUE) in the early part of your residency year with the intent of preparing a poster for presentation at the ASHP Midyear. The goal is to help you learn how to develop a systematic process designed to determine and maintain the appropriate and effective use of medications. A mentor will be assigned to help you with the MUE project.

Residents will complete a P&T formulary review and present findings to the Hillcrest P&T meeting. Residents will also have the opportunity to present the formulary evaluation at the regional Cleveland Clinic P&T meeting.

ASHP guidelines recommend that each resident complete a pharmacy practice component of the residency program. The staffing component is crucial to the development of professional practice skills and of pharmacy practice distribution skills.

Residents will gain proficiency in distribution skills, incorporation of clinical services and development of personnel management skills. They also will develop insight into the operations, policies and procedures of an acute care facility.

• Pharmacy Practice residents are required to staff every third weekend in the Pharmacy. Residents will also staff during the following holidays: Labor Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving and Memorial Day.
• Residents may choose to cover additional pharmacist shifts and will be compensated at the standard time and a half pharmacist rate. Residents are reminded that the primary objective of the residency year relates to the residency program objectives. Achievement of these objectives should not be hindered by other activities, including extra staffing.
• Residents are scheduled to participate in the Department of Pharmacy Administrative Staff Meeting on a monthly basis. This rotation serves to support the development of an understanding of global issues, while supporting the activities of the group.
• Pharmacy managers for the assigned practice areas serve as preceptors for the practice (staffing) rotation. Evaluations of residents' performance in this component of the program are completed three times during the residency year. Residents are expected to complete an evaluation of the staffing component and offer suggestions for improvement of operational procedures.

During the year, residents will be evaluated by rotation preceptors, the Program Director, and themselves.

Prior to the start of each new rotation, the resident will meet with the rotation preceptor to discuss and customize the rotation's goals and objectives in order to meet the specific needs of the resident. During the rotation, residents meet with preceptors on a regular basis, as determined by the preceptor and resident. Preceptors and residents should meet after one week of the rotation is complete to discuss any changes that are needed. Preceptors will complete a snapshot evaluation after two and three weeks of the rotation are complete and the pharmacy resident will complete a self- evaluation. Within two-three days of completing the rotation, residents meet with their preceptors for evaluation purposes: preceptors evaluate the residents; residents evaluate preceptors and the rotation; and they conduct a self-assessment. Any modifications to the rotation or its goals and objectives may be discussed. All resident and rotation evaluations must be in written form and included in ResiTrak. Residents and preceptors will complete the evaluations separately and then meet to discuss the evaluations. Each resident will keep copies of the rotation evaluations and quarterly evaluations electronically in the ResiTrak system as well as in the resident binder. Evaluations in ResiTrak are available to the preceptors, and all members of the Resident Steering Committee.