Residency training programs were first established as hospital internships in 1927. The Johns Hopkins Hospital was one of the original 11 organizations that offered internships pre – 1947. The modern era of residency training and accreditation of residency training was developed in the 1950’s and 60’s. The residency program at The Johns Hopkins Hospital was first reviewed and accredited in 1971. The Department of Pharmacy at Hopkins, consistent with the policies of ASHP recognizes the value and need for pharmacy residency training for individuals seeking a career in hospital and health-system pharmacy.

Due to The Johns Hopkins Hospital prestige, we receive patients from all around the world with various beliefs, customs, and languages. Our program allows residents to experience a variety of healthcare issues and services in a diverse patient population. Opportunities to specialize in a specific practice area and/or participate in unique research projects are available. Residents work with pharmacy clinical specialists that have trained at institutions across the country, and will have access to cutting edge information and technology.

Pharmacists work within structured interdisciplinary teams to support patient care, education, and research services provided for defined patient populations.

Pharmacists provide comprehensive medication management including collecting all pertinent patient information, assessing the comprehensive pharmacotherapy regimen, developing medication therapy plans, implementing the therapy plan, and monitoring and evaluating the response to maximize therapeutic effectiveness and minimize toxicities and side effects. Pharmacists support care transitions, provide patient education, document in the medical record, and collaborate with multidisciplinary team members. Specific services that may be provided include comprehensive medication order review, pharmacokinetic drug dosing and monitoring, organ function assessment and drug dosing, participation in patient care team rounds and code teams, drug information, and drug policy and formulary management.

Clinical Pharmacy Specialists support and lead medication stewardship programs, manage complex and high-risk medications, and may also be involved in consultative services for patients with specialized pharmacotherapeutic needs. Clinical Pharmacy Specialists have significant responsibility for the development and implementation of order sets, guidelines, and protocols that govern care delivery and medication use. Clinical Pharmacy Specialists also conduct and support drug-related research, quality improvement projects, patient safety initiatives, and other scholarly activities.

Clinical Pharmacy Specialists and Clinical Pharmacists II who are credentialed and privileged initiate, modify, continue, switch, and discontinue medications in accordance with their scope of practice. Pharmacists are credentialed and privileged via the medical staff credentialing process in collaboration with the Department of Pharmacy. Pharmacist scope of practice privileges include antithrombosis, parenteral nutrition, hypertension, diabetes, smoking cessation, cardiovascular risk reduction, immunosuppression, renal dose adjustment, therapeutic drug monitoring, oncology supportive care, outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy, antiretroviral and HIV management, and acid suppressing pharmacotherapy management.

The primary goals of the residency on-call program are to enhance clinical practice responsibilities and experiences as well as to provide clinical and operational support to the Department of Pharmacy. The resident on-call shift will begin daily at 4:00 PM and continue to 10:00 PM each weekday. On Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays on-call coverage will be provided from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. On-call and staffing responsibilities will be scheduled on separate weekends. PGY1 residents will be at the hospital every other weekend, either in a staffing or on-call role. Following the on-call or staffing weekend, PGY1’s will have a compensatory day off.

Internal medicine, integrated practice, leadership and critical care are required rotations. Each rotation will be 1 calendar month. Residents are also required to complete a half-day weekly ambulatory care clinic rotation, for a minimum of 6 months.

A number of rotations are available including: Cardiology, Research and Investigational Drug Service, Infectious Disease, HIV/AIDS, Transplant, Oncology, and Pediatrics. See electives for each residency program.

Each resident is assigned a preceptor to be the facilitator to advise them throughout the year. Facilitators review residents’ training plans and assist them in establishing a development program for the year. Quarterly, facilitators review the residents’ progress, and together with the residents, make modifications in the training plan. In addition, facilitators guide residents as they select their project and research committee, find preceptors to assist residents with their presentations, and guide them in their career choices.

Residents receive a list of goals and objectives at the beginning of each rotation. At the end of the rotation, they meet with a preceptor to review their performance. A written report assessing residents is prepared based on ASHP's Residency Program Design and Conduct (RPDC). On a quarterly basis, the director of the residency program provides residents with an evaluation of their progress based on comments of the preceptors.

Hopkins residents, in cooperation with the University of Maryland and Notre Dame of Maryland University, can lead several small group case-based discussions as well as precept students during rotations. Further opportunities may be made available to residents seeking additional teaching responsibilities.

The Johns Hopkins Hospital Pharmacy Residency Teaching and Learning Curriculum program is available to current residents. This program will provide quality education and didactic experience with the objective of preparing its participants with the knowledge and skill necessary to provide the instruction currently needed in pharmacy practice. The program involves case study workshop series, lecturing, small group discussion facilitation, a formal presentation, precepting students, and development of a teaching portfolio. Participants will also conduct interdisciplinary educational sessions.

Preceptors will develop a list of ideas for possible projects that would provide benefit for the hospital. The resident shall work with their project advisor to choose an interdisciplinary project committee. Examples of past research projects include:

• “The impact of a high-risk anticoagulation prescribing stewardship scoring tool in an inpatient setting”
• “Retrospective review of blood pressure control in anticoagulation-associated intracranial hemorrhage outcomes”
• “Pharmacist Driven Gabapentinoid Titration for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy in a Primary Care Setting”
• “Evaluation of factors warranting therapy change between injectable calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonists”

Elective rotations with the Investigational Drug Service (IDS) are available to those residents interested in further research experience.

Residents are required to deliver one continuing education presentation at Pharmacotherapy Rounds. They also must provide in-services on the pharmacy and medical teams throughout the year, depending on the rotation. In addition, residents present the results of their major project to the preceptors before presenting the results at the regional residency conference, the Eastern States Residency Conference, or the conference as determined by the Residency Program Director.

Practice skills are developed throughout the program in all aspects of patient care. PGY1 Residents will be required to staff every other weekend.  Responsibilities include patient care, distribution, management, order verification and drug information.

A resident’s stipend is $57,200 (2024-25) for PGY1 and $60,060 (2024-25) for PGY2. Residents receive a comprehensive benefits package including health care, dental, eye care and paid time off during the residency year. Financial support is provided for residents to attend two professional meetings during the residency year.

Laptops are provided to the residents, and residents will have access to clinical resources and the intranet outside of the hospital.

Residents have access to the William H. Welch Medical Library and the Meyer Library, both of which are located on Johns Hopkins' East Baltimore campus. One of the largest medical libraries in the country, the Welch Library houses the medical literature in all fields of teaching, patient care and research represented at Hopkins. It contains more than 267,000 bound volumes as well as an extensive audiovisual collection.

There are several parking options from which residents may choose, providing convenient and safe access to the hospital.

An apartment guide has been prepared for incoming residents and is updated yearly. Each incoming resident is assigned a "big brother or big sister" to help answer questions associated with relocation and licensure in Maryland.

The Department of Pharmacy pays for resident membership in ASHP and MSHP.