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PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program

The CHA PGY1 Pharmacy Residency program started in July 2017 and is accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).

Program Purpose

The CHA PGY1 pharmacy residency program builds on Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) education and outcomes to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists who:

  • Are responsible for medication-related care of patients with a wide range of conditions
  • Are eligible for board certification
  • Are eligible for postgraduate (PGY2) pharmacy residency training

Overview & Application Process

The PGY1 pharmacy residency program recruits four PGY1 residents annually.

Applications are accepted through the Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service (PhORCAS).

We participate in the National Matching Services Program.


Residency Policies

All offers of appointment to CHA sponsored training programs are specifically conditioned upon a criminal background investigation and a negative drug test (uses workplace standards, including chain of custody, marijuana is excluded from the testing). Background checks will be carried out by an agency on behalf of CHA. By signing the background check release form, prospective trainees are consenting to a background investigation. The drug test must be completed within 10 days of matching (all costs are covered by CHA). It will be conducted at CHA Occupational Health for those residents within 20 miles of Boston. All others will be tested at an outside facility arranged by CHA.

Resident Guide Program

Residents will meet monthly with a group of pharmacists who have completed PGY-1 and/or PGY-2 residencies but have not yet become formal program preceptors. These pharmacists serve as a resource and will conduct monthly workshops for residents. Please see this PDF for more detailed information on the PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Guide Role.

Residency Handbook

In our Pharmacy Residency Handbook you can learn more about: CHA and our Pharmacy Enterprise; Residency Program Overview and Requirements; Residency Policies and Procedures and Residency Resources.

PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Rotational Experiences: 

CHA offers multisite training opportunities for PGY1 pharmacy residents. It should be noted that CHA does not offer financial support (e.g., mileage reimbursement, parking fees, tolls) for traveling between sites. 

The residency year begins with an orientation period that is approximately 4 weeks in length. Throughout the training year, there are 8 rotations with each learning experience being 5-6 weeks in length. The schedule allows for 3 elective rotations.

The table below provides an overview of block rotations, longitudinal and periodic learning experiences.

Overview of PGY1 Learning Experiences
Inpatient Ambulatory
Orientation (1st rotation) Ambulatory Care 1
Family Medicine Ambulatory Care 2
Internal Medicine Population Health
Advanced Medicine Advanced Ambulatory Care Management
Infectious Disease Advanced Ambulatory Care with Behavioral Health Focus
Critical Care  
Geriatric Psychiatry
Pediatric Psychiatry
Hospital Practice
Clinical On-Call
Leadership and Safety Academia and Projects
Practice Management Academia - Inpatient Focus
Advanced Practice Management Academic - Ambulatory Focus
Pharmacy Leadership Forum Teaching Certificate Program
Medication Safety Seminar ACPE CE Lecture (1)
  Research Project
Case Conferences (2)
Inservices (3)
Drug Monograph (1)
Medication Use Evaluation (1)


Summary Table of Required Longitudinal Learning Experiences:

Required Longitudinal Experiences
Experience Description
Clinical On-Call Program
(August-June)
  • Approximately 1 week/month
  • At-home call program
Hospital Practice (Staffing)
(August-June)
  • Every 4th weekend
  • 1 evening shift per week (~5 hours)
  • 1 major and 1 minor holiday
Medication Safety
(July-March)
  • Monthly (2-hour) discussion seminar with Medication Safety Officer
  • Medication safety assignments, readings, activities
Pharmacy Leadership
(July-June)
  • Monthly (2-hour) seminar with Chief Pharmacy Officer and Pharmacy Leadership Team
  • 1 journal club presentation
Research Project
(July-June)
  • Resident is the primary stakeholder in a CHA approved quality research project
  • Poster presentation at the Midyear Clinical Meeting
  • Platform presentation at a Regional Residency Conference
  • Final project written in a publishable format


Summary Table of the Required Periodic Experiences:

Required Periodic Experiences
Experience Description
ACPE CE Lecture (Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education Continuing Education)
  • Delivers 1 ACPE CE lecture to pharmacy staff 
Case Conference
  • Completes 2 case conferences
Center for Health Equity Education and Advocacy (CHEEA) Interprofessional Health Equity Course
  • Monthly program open to all CHA trainees
  • Addresses social & structural determinants of health
Drug Monograph
  • Completes 1 drug monograph
In-Service
  • Completes 3 in-services (e.g., physicians, nurses, pharmacists)
Medication Use Evaluation (MUE)
  • Completes 1 MUE
Teaching Certificate Program 
  • Creates a teaching portfolio and philosophy

Pharmacy Residency General Information

  • Starting Date: 6/30/25
  • Stipend: $50,000
  • Number of Positions: 4
  • Accreditation Status: The PGY1 pharmacy residency program at CHA is accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).
  • Application Process: Applications accepted through the Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service (PhORCAS)
  • Application Deadline: 1/2/25

Application Materials

We require the standard PGY1 PhORCAS application materials which include:

  • PGY1 PhORCAS application
  • Personal Statement (Letter of Intent)
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Official College of Pharmacy Transcript
  • Three letters of recommendations using the PhORCAS standard reference template

We do not require any additional supplemental materials. However, we encourage you to include the following:

  • Letters of Recommendation: Three required letters with at least one from a clinical preceptor
  • Rotation Descriptions on CV: include the preceptor name(s) and highlight your responsibilities (e.g., pharmacist protocol management, note writing, patient counseling, pharmacokinetic monitoring)

Helpful Links

A Premier Pharmacy
Residency Program

Collaborative Working Environment
Highly Progressive Pharmacy Enterprise
Academic Community Health System

Leadership Opportunities
Experienced Preceptors
ASHP Accredited
Diverse Workforce
Strong Support System
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