Residencies & Fellowships

Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates Residency/Atrius Health

Overview

The Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences / Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates (Atrius Health) (MCPHS/ HVMA) residency is a structured, 1-year postgraduate educational and training experience that provides for the development of advanced knowledge and skill in the delivery of pharmaceutical services within a managed care organization. The residency consists of experiences and rotations in key areas of clinical practice, administration, and academia. The fundamental goal of the residency is to attract and develop pharmacists whose talents and motivation indicate a strong potential for assuming leadership roles in managed care organization pharmacy services.

The residency was established in 1991. It is the first program of its kind to be accredited under the current standard of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) for pharmacy residencies with an emphasis on managed care. The program has also incorporated the ASHP residency learning system (RLS) as part of the program. From its inception, the residency has been affiliated with the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS), the second oldest college of pharmacy in the United States and a leader in career preparation in pharmacy practice, nursing, nuclear medicine, and other allied health professions.

Atrius Health is a non-profit alliance of five multispecialty medical groups, consisting of Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, South Shore Medical Center, Dedham Medical Associates, Granite Medical Group, and Southboro Medical Group, serving over 700,000 patients in Massachusetts across 24 sites. The group provides comprehensive, state-of-art, and cost-effective healthcare to patients insured by a variety insurance organizations, such as Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (HPHC), Tufts Health Plan and Blue Cross Blue Shield. HVMA is a major teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and many HVMA physicians are also faculty members of Harvard Medical School.

During the twelve-month program, the resident completes a variety of rotations to gain both patient care and practice management experience. Required rotations include Internal Medicine, Pharmacy Administration/Drug Information, and HVMA Clinical Pharmacy Health Centers. In addition the resident has an academic appointment at MCPHS and has longitudinal teaching responsibilities. Elective rotations are also available and are determined according to the resident's interests, abilities and career aspirations.

The resident plans, conducts, and completes a major yearlong research project. He/she makes a formal presentation of research methods and results before his or her peers and faculty at the annual MCPHS Residency/Fellowship End-of-Year Presentation program. The resident will also have the opportunity to present at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting in December of each year.

The resident also provides dispensing, drug information, and patient counseling services at one of HVMA's largest and busiest pharmacies where up to 1,200 prescriptions are filled daily.

Throughout every rotation the resident is precepted by a pharmacist who is a specialist in the area of that rotation and by clinicians and administrators of HVMA.

Pharmacists who have completed the HVMA/MCPHS residency have advanced successfully in careers in pharmacy management, pharmacy benefit administration, formulary development, clinical practice, and academia. The list of practice sites for residency graduates is impressive and includes health-systems such as Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Lahey Clinic, Tufts Health Plan, HVMA, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, and academia. HVMA residents are well prepared to advance the profession's impact on the quality and effectiveness of pharmacy services in managed care settings for years to come.

About this Residency

Pharmacists completing the PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency will be proficient and confident practitioners of pharmaceutical care in multiple health care environments, particularly managed care. They will be accountable for achieving optimal drug therapy outcomes as members of the health care team. These pharmacists will exercise skill in educating other health care professionals, patients, students and the community on drug-related topics. They will demonstrate professional maturity by following a personal philosophy of practice, monitoring their own performance, and exhibiting commitment to the profession.