Student Precepting
By precepting students, residents refine their teaching skills and further deepen their own clinical knowledge base. The Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist pharmacy department is a learning experience site for pharmacy students from Campbell, Wingate, and High Point Universities. Approximately 240 student months are precepted each year.
Precepting responsibilities are available on most learning experiences. Residents mentor and evaluate students as part of the weekly student/resident seminar series and help facilitate interprofessional educational events at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Residents also lead a preparatory series for local pharmacy students who are interested in pursuing a residency after graduation.
Presentations and Teaching Certificate
Written and verbal communication skills are emphasized throughout the program. Residents gain experience giving numerous presentations to a variety of audiences, including providing an accredited continuing education program and lectures to pharmacy students. At the beginning of the year, residents will have the opportunity to enroll in a teaching certificate program. This program is intended to develop the resident’s knowledge, skills, and abilities to teach effectively in a wide variety of settings. The certificate program also aims to enhance the resident’s ability to provide constructive evaluations, as well as incorporate feedback into their own teaching.
Research Project
Residents complete an independent research project under the guidance of pharmacist and physician researchers. Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist uses a traditional research model in which residents manage their project from start to finish. Most resident projects are presented at national meetings and published in the medical literature.
Code Response
Residents rotate code response responsibilities, serving as the pharmacy team member at all adult codes. During their weekly 4-hour evening shift, residents will also respond to Code Strokes in the Emergency Department. Code Response Education Workshops (CREW) occur periodically throughout the year and provide residents the opportunity to receive additional training and practice with code response.
Pharmacy Operations and Pharmacy Practice Experiences
All residents develop an understanding of pharmacy operations and become proficient in various pharmacist functions via pharmacy practice experience. Each resident works an average of one weekend (two 8-hour shifts) every 3 weeks and a 4-hour evening shift once a week. In addition, residents also volunteer and precept pharmacy students at a local indigent care clinic.
Departmental Involvement and Leadership
Wake Forest Baptist is committed to leadership development and empowers pharmacy residents through strategic use of residency officer positions and resident-managed committees. Each resident participates in a resident-led committee based on interests, with additional opportunities to serve in officer positions. Residents also participate in hospital-wide initiatives through an additional longitudinal committee assignment based on resident interest.
Mentorship
Residents have multiple opportunities for guided professional and personal development. At the beginning of the residency, residents choose mentors that invest in their growth throughout the year. Residents have additional mentors for their research project, MUE, and continuing education presentation. These pharmacists are experienced in the topic areas and provide guidance during all steps of the process. Beyond being mentees, residents are also given the opportunity to mentor multiple student learners through both the student lecture series and during learning experiences.