National survey of pharmacy residents nearing completion of the 2014-15 residency year.

PURPOSE: The results of a national survey targeting postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) and postgraduate year 2 (PGY2) resident's perceptions of their residency programs and postresidency job prospects are presented. METHODS: An electronic survey was distributed to PGY1 and PGY2 residents identified through the ASHP membership database. The survey asked basic demographic questions, questions related to the residency experience (satisfaction, hours spent on various general activities such as patient care, research, and staffing), and various questions related to residents' job search and future career plans (search methods, outcomes, and satisfaction with the process). RESULTS: A total of 529 responses were received from the 2,766 surveys that were distributed, yielding a response rate of 19%. Most respondents reported having a favorable opinion of their residency. At the time of the survey, 71% of residents reported having found a full-time job; 17% of residents were still looking for a position. Eighty-five percent of PGY2 residents reported accepting a position in their specialty area and accepted clinical specialist roles in larger numbers than did PGY1 residents. Geographic location, practice/specialty area, and shift/schedule were the 3 areas of compromise most frequently mentioned when accepting a position and were the 3 areas ranked highest in terms of job importance. CONCLUSION: A survey of PGY1 and PGY2 pharmacy residents revealed that about one sixth of respondents entering the job market were having difficulty finding a position before finishing residency training and that most respondents were satisfied with their residency experience.

Executive summary: The Virginia Commonwealth University pharmacy practice transformation conference.

Pharmacy practice transformation was the focus of an invitational conference held in June 2011 to address the current status of the practice of pharmacy in Virginia and elucidate the consensus on future directions from pharmacists across the commonwealth. The series of presentations provided visionary perspectives on the role that pharmacists can have in the collaborative management of patients with chronic disease states, the optimal pharmacy practice model for direct patient care delivery in acute care settings, and payment for pharmacists' cognitive services, such as medication therapy management (MTM). The discussion groups were structured to have conference participants first identify future goals for pharmacy practice and then consider strategies to achieve these goals. The conference concluded with a consensus development dialogue that revealed the priorities as well as the strategies that needed to be employed to move the profession toward its goals.

Pharmacy practice in Virginia in 2011.

BACKGROUND: Opportunities for pharmacy practice reform exist at state and national levels. The Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Pharmacy created a working group to assess these opportunities with a mission to advance pharmacy practice in Virginia. OBJECTIVES: To assess the perceptions of chronic and acute care pharmacy practice and confidence in providing patient care and medication therapy management (MTM) activities and characterize current work activities of pharmacists in Virginia. METHODS: A cross-sectional, online survey was used. VCU School of Pharmacy pharmacist preceptors, students, and faculty members were eligible. The questionnaire contained items that assessed perceptions of chronic and acute care pharmacy practice and confidence in patient care and MTM activities. Demographic and practice site characteristics were also collected. RESULTS: A total of 974 preceptors, 515 students, and 78 faculty members were invited to participate, and 335 preceptors, 155 students, and 41 faculty members had usable responses, yielding response rates of 34%, 30%, and 53%, respectively. Preceptors, students, and faculty members favorably viewed direct patient care roles in the chronic and acute care settings. Pharmacists were very confident or confident in performing many patient care and MTM activities. They were least confident in considering genetic characteristics when adjusting medications and creating business plans for new services. Many pharmacists in chronic and acute care settings provided some type of patient care service, but few were regularly providing services. Inadequate time, staffing, and reimbursement, and lack of perceived value from patients and providers were most frequently cited as barriers to service provision. CONCLUSIONS: VCU preceptors, students, and faculty members overwhelmingly believe that pharmacists should provide direct patient care and MTM activities. To transform pharmacy practice, it will be important to define the pharmacist's role, responsibilities, and expected outcomes and to consider time, staffing, and compensation as well as to engage patients and providers.

The Virginia pharmacy practice transformation conference: outcomes and next steps.

Thought leaders in Virginia came together to achieve consensus on the pharmacy practice innovations required to advance the medication-related health outcomes of patients in the Commonwealth. The participants identified key elements and strategies needed for practice transformation and these became the foundation for practice change. The primary key elements included legislation and regulation modifications, payment reform, and business model development. The Virginia Pharmacy Congress, which represents key pharmacy stakeholders in the Commonwealth, became the home for the transformation movement and the development and implementation of a unified action plan for achieving the envisioned practice transformation.