Rationale for Community Pharmacy Practice Residencies

Community pharmacy increasingly represents the dominant environment within which pharmacy is practiced. Consumer demand for convenience and accessibility, coupled with the growing emphasis among payers to shift care to the ambulatory setting, will continue to accelerate the demand for patient-centered pharmacy services in the community setting. 

Concurrently, pharmacy education has move toward universal adoption of the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree as the sole entry into the profession. Graduates of these programs are seeking practice opportunities that will allow them to optimize use of their clinical skills. 

Despite these trends, the community pharmacy practice setting has remained a largely untapped resource for advanced practice training. Recognizing this, the Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Practice (CAPP) at Midwestern University College of Pharmacy - Glendale (MWU-CPG) created CommuniRes^™, a program that assists community pharmacists and pharmacy school faculty liaisons to successfully implement and sustain community pharmacy residency programs (CPRPs) in independent and chain community pharmacy practices.

CPRPs are designed to provide residents with concentrated practical experience that spans all aspects of ambulatory care. The objective of a community residency is to graduate a seasoned and mature professional who is ready to accept a directive role as a community-based clinician and manager. Importantly, these programs also prepare graduates to accept positions as clinical faculty in schools and colleges of pharmacy, thereby promoting interest in, and advocacy for, community practice among pharmacy students.

CommuniRes™ Program Overview

The CommuniRes™ program has these components:

• CommuniRes™ Live is a concentrated one-day seminar that is provided by a nationally recognized faculty.  Check this web page or contact CommuniRes™ directly for the locations and dates of upcoming seminars.
• CommuniRes™ Support consists of a suite of customized services provided through MWU-CPG to assist preceptors and residency directors in the day-to-day management of their CPRPs.
• CommuniRes™ Online is our web site, www.communires.com.  Still in development, this site will eventually provide a list of valuable features including:  profiles of CPRP sites across the country; search capabilities through which prospective residents can match their interests with opportunities available at CPRPs; networking of CPRP site to share information and resources, and; online CE programs that target the needs of CPRP residents and preceptors.

CommuniRes™ Live Program Content:

The purpose of this part of the program is to provide pharmacist preceptors and their faculty liaisons with a comprehensive "turn key" approach for developing and implementing a community residency program. Included in this concentrated program will be a comprehensive resource manual and specific guidance in the following areas:

Director/Preceptor Preparation: practice philosophy and organizational culture; professional training and experience requirements; educational philosophy and mentorship issues; time management and productivity considerations.

Practice Site Preparation: facility needs; professional staff and supportive personnel training requirements; technical and information resources; written policies and procedures.

Clinical Service Development: ensuring sufficient number and type of clinical service activities within the practice; developing, implementing and marketing professional services; strategic planning.

Resident Recruitment and Selection: application forms and procedures; recruitment strategies; interviewing techniques; selection criteria from the resident’s and the preceptor’s perspective.

Program Administration: practice foundation skill development; patient care activities/competencies; drug information and policy development competencies; practice management competencies; research skills; motivation, performance appraisal and conflict resolution.

Academic Partnerships: developing and managing partnerships with schools of pharmacy; alternative funding options.