Monroe Carell Pharmacy Residencies

Monroe Carell Pediatric Pharmacy ResidentsMonroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt is nationally recognized as a leader in pediatric health care. Pharmacy plays an integral role in the care and well-being of all of our patients, from the tiniest patient in our Level IV NICU to a teenager on ECMO in our PICU. We are dedicated to providing the best pharmacotherapeutic care for our patients.

We are excited you are interested in our residency program and furthering this care for pediatric patients. Feel free to explore our program via the links below and contact us should you have further questions. We are grateful for the opportunity to provide a glimpse into all the experiences we offer.

The Department of Pharmacy offers many continuing education programs on a regular basis for our pharmacists and technicians, precepts numerous PharmD students from various schools of pharmacy and offers two ASHP-accredited, 52-week residencies for pharmacists interested in pursuing post-graduate work in pediatric pharmacy.

Monroe Carell has a long-standing history of preparing pharmacy residents for their role as pediatric pharmacy clinicians. The PGY2 residency began in 1999. We added a PGY1 residency in 2006.

We are excited to have graduates practicing all over the country as well as here at Monroe Carell. We are passionate about training our residents to be the best clinicians that they can be. We provide a welcoming, learning environment in which you will care for patients with a wide variety of disease states both unique and common to pediatrics.

Required elements (not all-inclusive)

  • Research project and manuscript
  • Project presentation at PPA Spring Meeting
  • Medication use evaluation or quality improvement project
  • Medication monograph or class review
  • One-hour therapeutic exchange presentation (same as CE)

Visit the pages below for more information about the residency programs, our current residents and preceptors, and how to apply.

  • Purpose

    PGY1 residency programs build upon Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and outcomes to develop pharmacist practitioners with knowledge, skills and abilities as defined in the educational competency areas, goals and objectives. Residents who successfully compete PGY1 residency programs will be skilled in diverse patient care, practice management, leadership and education. They will be prepared to provide patient care, seek board certification in pharmacotherapy (i.e., BCPS) and pursue advanced education and training opportunities, including postgraduate year-two (PGY2) residencies.

    General description

    The PGY1 resident will focus on developing a solid foundation in pharmacy practice while working toward independence using basic fundamental clinical skills throughout the residency. Through experiences in patient-centered clinical learning experiences, pharmacy operations and leadership, the resident will have the opportunity to enhance their skills and confidence in pediatric pharmaceutical care. After completion, the resident will be prepared for an opportunity to work as a clinical pharmacist or seek additional specialized training in pediatrics.

    Required Learning Experiences (10 - one month each)

    • Orientation (note: 4-6 weeks in length)
    • Pediatric Medicine I & II
    • Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)
    • Pediatric Cardiac ICU (PCICU)
    • Neonatal ICU (NICU)
    • Parenteral Nutrition
    • Oncology
    • Infectious Disease
    • Dedicated Research Month
    • Student precepting (combined with a core rotation)

    Elective Learning Experience Options (2 - one month each)

    • Pediatric Emergency Medicine
    • Pediatric Solid Organ Transplant
    • Stem Cell Transplant
    • PICU II
    • Ambulatory Care
    • Gen Peds Subspecialty Elective: (can be single team or combo)
      • GI
      • Pulmonary
      • Neurology
      • Nephrology
      • Endocrinology
      • Cardiology

    *Other elective learning experiences may be developed based on resident interest and preceptor availability.

    Longitudinal Experiences (required)

    • Medication Use Evaluation (MUE; 46 weeks)
    • Drug Monograph (one time event)
    • Research Project (46 weeks)
    • Pharmacy Practice Management (52 weeks)
    • Verbal Presentations (Includes Continuing Education Presentations, Case Presentations, Journal Clubs and Clinical Pearls; one time events)
    • Clinical on Call (includes code coverage; 48 weeks)
    • Hospital Staffing (48 weeks)
    • Teaching Certificate (August to May)

  • Purpose

    PGY2 residency programs build upon Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and PGY1 pharmacy residency training to develop pharmacist practitioners with knowledge, skills and abilities as defined in the educational competency areas, goals and objectives for advanced practice areas. Residents who successfully complete PGY2 residency programs are prepared for advanced patient care or other specialized positions, and board certification in the advanced practice area, if available.

    General description

    The ASHP-accredited, PGY2 residency in pediatrics at Monroe Carell allows the resident to build upon their PGY1 experiences and clinical skills while tailoring their residency in a particular area of interest if desired. Through further sharpening of their clinical skills, operational knowledge and leadership, the PGY2 resident will gain autonomy and independence throughout this 12-month residency. This program offers flexibility to focus in an area(s) of interest depending on the resident's desire. After completion, the resident will be prepared for an opportunity to work as a clinical pharmacy specialist.

    Required Learning Experiences (7 - one month each)

    • Orientation
    • Pediatric Medicine I
    • Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
    • Neonatal ICU (NICU)
    • Pediatric Oncology
    • Pediatric Infectious Disease
    • Dedicated Research Month
    • Student/Resident Precepting (combined with core rotation)

    Elective Learning Experience Options (5 - one month each)

    • Pediatric Emergency Medicine
    • Pediatric Cardiac ICU (PCICU)
    • Advanced Parenteral Nutrition
    • Trauma ICU (adult)
    • Toxicology (2 weeks; combined w/another elective for 2 weeks)
    • Pediatric Solid Organ Transplant
    • Stem Cell Transplant
    • Peds ID Immunocompromised
    • Ambulatory Care (can be longitudinal if desired by resident)
    • Pediatric Medicine Specialty Elective (combo or alone):
      • Pulmonary
      • Neurology
      • Nephrology
      • Cardiology
      • Endocrinology
      • GI

    Can repeat PICU, NICU, Emergency Medicine and/or Pediatric Medicine
    Other elective learning experiences may be developed based on resident interest and preceptor availability.

    Longitudinal Experiences (required)

    • Medication Use Evaluation (MUE; 46 weeks)
    • Drug Monograph (one time event)
    • Research Project (46 weeks)
    • Pharmacy Practice Management (52 weeks)
    • Verbal Presentations (Includes Continuing Education Presentations, Case Presentations, Journal Clubs and Clinical Pearls; one time events)
    • Clinical on Call (includes code coverage; 48 weeks)
    • Hospital Staffing (48 weeks)

Application Process

Applicant must be a graduate of an ACPE-accredited College of Pharmacy and be licensed in the state of Tennessee by July 31. For PGY2 applicants, completion of an ASHP-accredited pharmacy residency is also required.

Interested applicants should submit the following through the Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service (PhORCAS) by January 2.

  • Current curriculum vitae
  • Letter of interest
  • Three references with comments on at least 50 percent of the items. Two references preferably from clinical preceptors. No formal letter of recommendation upload necessary.
  • Official pharmacy school transcripts

PGY2 applicants invited to interview will give a 15-minute clinical pearl presentation.

Final acceptance depends on required Vanderbilt University Medical Center online application, drug screening and background check. This is not required for initial application through PhORCAS.

For more information or questions regarding the residency or application process, please contact Dr. Alison Grisso.

Program Downloads

Common Questions

Do you offer a teaching certificate?

For interested residents, we offer a teaching certificate through Belmont University College of Pharmacy. This is a year-long didactic and teaching experience in which residents help coordinate and teach the pediatric elective for their College of Pharmacy.

Do you have an on-call program?

Our clinical on-call program is done from home outside of normal rotation hours. The resident is on call for a week at a time on a rotating basis with their co-residents. A back-up preceptor is available to the resident during their call week.

Do you offer the critical care or heme/onc designation (track)?

Our residency program offers a similar, robust critical care and heme/onc experience while still allowing for the resident to change their path should they decide to focus in another area. To offer maximum flexibility for the resident, we have chosen to remain a PGY2 residency in Pediatrics without specific designation at this time.

What are the staffing requirements?

To provide the resident with a solid foundation in operational skills and strengthen the recommendations made based on our current product availability and processes, the resident will have a distributive component to their residency. Both PGY1 and PGY2 residents staff the main pharmacy once every three weekends in a distributive and clinical role.

Additionally, residents will staff in the main pharmacy one afternoon during their clinical on call week of 1530 until 1800 at the latest.

Are residents expected to work holidays?

Each resident works two holiday shifts. The shifts are provided at the beginning of the year with selection dependent upon agreement with their other co-residents.

Do you support travel to conferences and professional development opportunities?

In addition to time off for professional development, we provide a $2,500 stipend to be used toward travel for ASHP Midyear and the spring meeting of PPA.

Why do you 'flip' how many residents you have each year?

Each year we decide how many residents we will recruit for within each program. Since Monroe Carell is the umbrella organization to both, if one position goes unmatched for that program, we can set it to roll the unmatched position to the other residency program. For example, we decide to recruit for 1 PGY1 and 2 PGY2 residents. When we enter our rank list, we select to roll any unmatched positions from the PGY2 residency to the PGY1 residency. If we don't match with 2 PGY2 residents, it will automatically roll that position to the PGY1 program where we will hopefully match with two candidates for that program. Thus, all three positions are filled, and we do not have to go into Phase II of the match.

Contact Us

Alison Grisso, Pharm.D., BCPPS
Residency Program Directory, PGY1 and PGY2 Pediatrics
Pediatric Clinical Pharmacist Specialist
Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt
Department of Pharmacy
2200 Children's Way, Rm 4508
Nashville, TN 37232

Phone: (615) 936-4553