Pharmacy residency program at PVH

The Poudre Valley Hospital residency program began in 2011 and currently offers two Post-Graduate Year 1 (PGY1) positions. We are accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). See our PVH Residency Overview.

Residency information

• Duration: 12 months
• Number of Positions: 2
• Application Deadline: 1/4/2021
• Starting Date: ~July 1
• Estimated Stipend: $56,000
• Interview Required: Yes

Residency special features

Poudre Valley Hospital offers a well-rounded training program via multidisciplinary, 4-6 week experiences in Critical Care, Inpatient Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Infectious Diseases/Antimicrobial Stewardship, NICU/Pediatrics, Oncology and Trauma. Many longitudinal experiences occur over the 12-month period. Two elective experiences of 3-4 weeks each are to be selected by the resident. A major residency project is required and also may be chosen by the resident. Various presentations include patient cases and journal clubs. Teaching opportunities are available through the University of Wyoming, School of Pharmacy. A teaching certificate is available through the University of Colorado.

Fringe benefits: Health, dental, disability and life insurance; ~21 days off for vacation, sick time, interviews, holidays; travel allowance.

• Training Site Type: Hospital
• Owner Affiliate: UCHealth
• Model Type(s): Community Hospital
• Tax Status: Non-profit
• Professional Staff: 25
• Non-Professional Staff: 17
• Number of Medical Centers: 5 in the northern Colorado region, 12 total in UCHealth
• Total Beds: 270
• Average Daily Census: 190

Site special features: Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins specializes in orthopedic surgery, neuroscience, oncology, bariatric weight-loss surgery, and women and family services for residents of northern Colorado, southern Wyoming and western Nebraska. Only an hour north of Denver, the area is rich with year-round outdoor activities, the beauty of four seasons and a generally mild climate.

Contact the Residency Program Director, Gina Harper, Pharm.D., BCPS for additional information: Gina.Harper@uchealth.org

All applications must be submitted through Phorcas and include the following:

• General Phorcas requirements
• Letter of Intent
  • Provide specific reason(s) you want to complete residency training
  • Include why you want to be a resident at PVH
  • Include your clinical interests and short/long term goals
• Curriculum vitae: be sure to include the following in your CV:
  • Length of 4th-year APPE clinical rotations (e.g. 4 weeks, 6 weeks)
  • Future APPEs to be completed in your 4th year
  • Description of APPE rotation activities
• Official pharmacy school transcript
• Three letters of recommendation
  • One recommendation must be from a current pharmacy faculty instructor
  • Two recommendations must be from pharmacist-preceptors or pharmacist-employers

Following the deadline, applications will be reviewed for on-site interviews. Candidates will be contacted as soon as the review process is complete. If you are offered an interview, they are typically held during certain days in the month of February.

Activities during the half-day interview include formal one-on-one discussions with our preceptors and residency director, a tour of the facility with our current resident and lunch with select members of our interview team. Presentations are also required, utilizing a provided patient case on the day of your interview.

You will be given 30 minutes to work up your case using basic pharmacy references (provided) and identify medical and/or medication therapy problems. The clinical issues and recommendations will then be presented by you over 15 minutes to a group of pharmacists.

The Residency Program manual includes an overview of the requirements, expectations and responsibilities of pharmacy residents at PVH.

Rotations

Learning experiences are completed at Poudre Valley Hospital, with the exceptions of Trauma at Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland and Ambulatory Care at the Family Medicine Center, located across the street from the hospital.

Orientation (5 weeks)

Required learning experiences (4-6 weeks each)

• Critical Care
• Family Medicine
• Emergency Medicine
• Infectious Diseases/Antimicrobial Stewardship
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit/Pediatrics
• Oncology
• Trauma, at Medical Center of the Rockies

Optional learning experiences, two-three to be completed (2-4 weeks each)

• Ambulatory Care
• In-depth version of a required rotation
• Rotations offered at other UCHealth hospitals (e.g. University of Colorado Hospital), as scheduling allows

Longitudinal learning experiences (throughout)

• Ambulatory Care: weekly half-day clinics
• Formulary Management: monthly meetings, Medication Use Evaluation, P&T monograph, newsletter article
• Major Residency project
• Medication safety: adverse drug reactions and medication errors
• Staffing: every other weekend (8.5 hours per day), varying day shift times; one summer and one winter holiday
• Presentations: patient cases or journal club with each rotation
• ACLS and Code Blue response

Gina is the UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital PGY1 RPD and helps precept the Infectious Diseases and Critical Care rotations.

Gina grew up in Florida and received her Doctor of Pharmacy from University of Florida in Gainesville (back when there was only one UF site). She completed a residency at Buffalo General Hospital in Buffalo, NY and then continued her career in Buffalo as a Clinical Coordinator at Millard Filmore Hospital. In 2000, she moved to New York City and was Clinical Manager at Roosevelt Hospital followed by a move to Richmond, Virginia where she was a Clinical Manager at Chippenham Medical Center.

She has been in Colorado since 2006 and a proud member of the Northern Colorado pharmacy team as Clinical Coordinator at UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital since 2007. Gina most enjoys residency precepting as it helps keep her on her toes as she learns from the resident as well as the process of patient care every year!

In her spare time, Gina enjoys gardening, photography, and spending time with her family.

Teresa is the Pharmacy Operations Manager at UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital. She precepts the longitudinal administration rotation.

Teresa grew up in Bloomington and received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from University of Illinois at Chicago. She worked at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, a Level 1 trauma center, for 7 years where she specialized in Critical Care and Emergency Medicine. In 2019, she and her family moved to Colorado to balance work/life via outdoor exploration and careers with UCHealth.

She is an avid hiker and lover of water activities. Teresa is waiting for her 2 younger kids to grow larger feet (and tolerate longer road trips) so they can explore more mountains.

Lisa precepts the Infectious Diseases & Antimicrobial Stewardship rotation. Her favorite part of precepting is promoting antimicrobial stewardship and staying up to date on infectious diseases by teaching and learning from residents.

Lisa earned her Doctor of Pharmacy from Washington State University (Go Cougs!) and completed a PGY1 at Sacred Heart Medical Center and a PGY2 in Infectious Diseases, both in Spokane, Washington. She then joined the pharmacy team at Poudre Valley Hospital and held both inpatient and interim supervisory pharmacy roles before landing her dream job as the antimicrobial stewardship pharmacist for UCHealth Northern Colorado. She is an active as a member of the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP) and serves as chair of the Credentials Membership committee for the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP).

Outside of work, you’ll find her cooking with her family, collecting Passport stamps, and encouraging colleagues to join her in group fitness classes because we all need more stress relief in our lives.

Andrew is the interim Director of Pharmacy for UCHealth Northern Colorado and helps with the longitudinal Leadership rotation as well as other facets in supporting the program.

He received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of New Mexico in 2004 and then completed a PGY-1 residency at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Andrew has primarily worked in community hospital settings in New Mexico and Colorado where he ultimately found his calling in pharmacy management. Andrew has multisite management experience in Emergency Medicine and inpatient/outpatient pharmacies.

In his spare time, Andrew enjoys spending time with his lovely wife and four beautiful children and their plethora of activities. He also loves playing golf, racquetball, home improvement, and going for a jog.

Michelle is currently a clinical professor at the University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy and an ambulatory care preceptor for the PGY1 residency program with Poudre Valley Hospital.

She earned her PharmD from Duquesne University and completed 2 residencies at the University of Toledo and the University of Tennessee. Her clinical practice site is the Fort Collins Family Medicine Residency in Fort Collins, CO. She is Board Certified in Pharmacotherapy and Ambulatory Care, a Certified Diabetes Educator and a Fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. She is an active member of ASHP, ACCP, AACP and the Colorado Pharmacists Society. She currently serves on the ASHP Ambulatory Care Educational Steering Committee and was part of the AACP Academic Leaders Fellows Program. She was an ASHP Delegates for the state of Colorado and served on the Colorado Medicaid Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee.

She’s a Pittsburgh girl at heart and is always cheering on her favorite teams (Go Black and Gold!) Her favorite part about being a PGY1 longitudinal preceptor is getting to work with the residents over the entire year and watching their confidence and knowledge grow.

Jeff is the Pediatric Pharmacy Specialist for UCHealth Northern Colorado and serves as the preceptor for the pediatric/neonatal rotation.

Jeff was born and raised in Sturgis, South Dakota. He received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from South Dakota State University before completing his PGY-1 Pediatric Residency at Children’s Hospital of Colorado. Jeff has worked in northern Colorado his entire career, practicing at North Colorado Medical Center (Greeley) and Poudre Valley Hospital (Fort Collins). He became board certified (BCPS) in 2009. His areas of interests include pediatrics and critical care. Jeff is proud to have served on the Neonatal Colorado Antibiotic Stewardship Steering Committee (CASC) and contributed questions for the BCPPS exam.

When not at work, Jeff enjoys golfing, skiing, biking, hiking, camping, hunting, watching sports, and spending time with his wife (Julie), son (Bryce), and daughter (Bryn).

Brandi is the Pharmacy Clinical Coordinator for Medical Center of the Rockies (MCR) with outreach support to Greeley Hospital (GH) in Greeley and Longs Peak Hospital (LPH) in Longmont and is the preceptor of the Trauma rotation at MCR.

She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy in Albuquerque and went on to complete a PGY1 followed by a PGY2 in Hospital Pharmacy Administration (with an emphasis on critical care) at Shands at the University of Florida (now UF Health Shands).

When not at work, she loves on her dog and enjoys spending time with family and friends all the while participating in the activities available depending on the Colorado weather.

Dr. Linn received her Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Wyoming. She joined the faculty at Wyoming and Fort Collins Family Medicine Residency in 2013.

Teaching interests at her practice site and classroom include infectious diseases, student wellness, and cardiology. She serves as Champion of the Residency Teaching Certificate for the School of Pharmacy and is a member of the Student Affairs and Faculty Development Committees.

Research interests include infectious diseases, meditative mindfulness, and interprofessional education models.

Cheryl is the Oncology Pharmacy Clinical Coordinator and main preceptor for the Oncology rotation.

Cheryl received her Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Georgia and completed a PGY1 residency at St. Joseph’s/Candler Health system in Savannah, Georgia, where she focused on oncology. Post residency, Cheryl returned to her hometown of Fort Collins, Colorado and continued pharmacy career with UCHealth starting in 2006. Cheryl obtained her board certification in oncology (BCOP) in 2013 and has fostered the growth of the oncology pharmacy program from a single pharmacist to a team of 17 pharmacists in multiple regions. Cheryl has always had a passion for Oncology and thrives on sharing the “fun facts” she has learned over the years with residents.

In her free time, she loves to travel and will try almost anything at least once, especially if it has to do with food or a beverage. In the fall and winter you will also find her hiking, skiing or watching the Georgia Bulldawgs play football.

Morganne is currently an inpatient clinical pharmacist and the staffing preceptor for PGY1 residents.

She was raised in Cheyenne, WY and attended the University of Wyoming for her undergraduate and Doctor of Pharmacy studies. Following graduation, Morganne completed her PGY1 residency at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Boise, Idaho. After residency, Morganne accepted an inpatient clinical pharmacist position at Poudre Valley Hospital where she staffs in multiple areas, including the intensive care unit, surgical and medical units.

As the staffing preceptor, Morganne oversees the residents’ orientation schedule and central pharmacy staffing requirements. She enjoys helping residents apply their clinical and time management skills and watching their confidence grow in their abilities to function as a pharmacist.

When not working, you can usually find Morganne taking advantage of outdoor life in Colorado by biking, snowboarding, or snowshoeing. She is also a dog lover and avid hiker seeking out destinations around the world.

Brandi is a Board Certified Critical Care pharmacist and the preceptor for both the Critical Care rotation, as well as the longitudinal Medication Safety: Adverse Drug Reactions rotation.

She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from The University of Montana in Missoula, MT, then completed a PGY-1 residency at Memorial Health System, now UCHealth Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs, CO. She loves to teach and stay involved with professional development both institutionally and on a national level. Most recently, she is serving as an ongoing member of the ACCP critical care standard setting panel.

She loves life in Fort Collins and enjoys exploring all the outdoor spaces with her husband, 2 kids and adventure dog, Juniper.

Brianna is an Emergency Medicine clinical pharmacist and preceptor for the Emergency Medicine PGY-1 and APPE student rotations.

Brianna grew up in Bismarck, ND and received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND. She then completed a PGY1 residency at UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, CO and a PGY2 Emergency Medicine residency at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, NJ.

She is active within ACCP’s Emergency Medicine PRN, having served as Journal Club coordinator, CODE Committee member, and Trainee Taskforce member. She likes to precept residents and students, working with them to pursue their interests and reach their career goals. She feels that precepting is a way to give back to the professional community by empowering learners to become the next generation of pharmacy leaders.

When not titrating vasopressors, she enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants, trivia/game night, watching Colorado Eagles or Avalanche hockey games, and spending time with her husband and two cats.

Lauren is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. She obtained her BS in Biological Sciences from the University of Cincinnati. Lauren then completed her Doctorate of Pharmacy at The University of Cincinnati James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy.

She elected to pursue a residency because she wished to further develop her precepting ability, explore new fields of pharmacy and grow her autonomy as an independent practitioner. She has always been drawn to the field of critical care and was trained at a large academic health center. Therefore, following her first year of residency, Lauren hopes to pursue this passion by completing a PGY2 in critical care.

In her free time, you can find Lauren hiking or running with her pup, Appa, or grabbing Mexican at one of the popular spots in Old Town.

Ellisa is originally from Marietta, Georgia. She completed her AB in Biology at Washington University in St. Louis and worked in a microbiology research laboratory at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee for a few years before completing her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy.

She decided to pursue a PGY1 residency to improve her clinical skills, get more experience in different specialties, and further her professional development. Her interests include infectious diseases, internal medicine, and ambulatory care, with hopes of pursuing a PGY2 residency in Infectious Diseases.

In her free time, Ellisa likes to do pilates, weightlifting (and failing to get buff), and hiking with family.