Overview:

The Residency Program in Community Pharmacy provides education and training with a primary emphasis on the development of practice skills in specialized pharmacy practice area. Pharmacists completing this program will be highly qualified independent pharmacy practitioners able to provide and be responsible for improved drug therapy outcomes for individualized patients as an integral member of the multidisciplinary healthcare team.

In addition to clinical pharmacy activities, the residents will also be involved in educational activities which include pharmacy case presentations, journal club discussions and seminar presentations. Other teaching opportunities include co-precepting Pharm.D students who undergo clinical rotations in different wards. The residents will also be encouraged to enhance their research skills through a research project and to participate in international/national/state/local conferences and disseminate their research findings.

A multidisciplinary approach to patient care is highly emphasized in the residency program and the preceptors include several experienced clinical/community pharmacy practitioners and clinician preceptors. Upon successful completion of the residency, the resident will be able to pursue positions in a variety of clinical practice settings as well as in academics.

Structure of programme

The Residency Program in Community Pharmacy shall be of 24 months (two years) duration from the commencement of the academic term. This residency program shall be of annual system that includes ‘Residency Program Year One’ (RPY-1) extending for 12 months from the commencement of academic term which offers more generalized training, providing residents exposure to a broad range of clinical specialties. ‘Residency Program Year Two’ (RPY-2) of 12 months duration commencing from the successful completion of RPY-1 emphasizes specialty pharmacy practice. In order to commence a RPY-2 residency, a RPY-1 program must be completed.

No exemption shall be given from this period of study and training for any other experience gained prior to the admission to the program. The maximum duration for the completion of the course shall be fixed as double the time of the course (48 months) and the residents have to successfully complete within the said period otherwise they have to get fresh admission. However, the stipend will be paid only for the period of 24 months.

Community Pharmacy Speciality Practice: The Residency Program in Community Pharmacy focuses on developing advanced pharmacy practice skills in community and ambulatory care settings. Residents are trained in comprehensive patient assessment, medication therapy management, public health initiatives and pharmacy operations management. Emphasis is placed on patient counselling, health promotion, disease prevention and addressing medication-related needs of diverse populations. The program also covers design and implementation of community outreach programs, quality assurance in medication dispensing and development of sustainable pharmacy services to optimize health outcomes at the community level.