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Residency Program Director: Michael J. Melroy, Pharm.D., BCPS (melromi1@memorialhealth.com)
Director of Pharmacy: Ken Jozefczyk, M.S., R.Ph., FASHP (jozefke1@memorialhealth.com)

Meet our pharmacy preceptors.

When applying for our program, download our application checklist.

Memorial University Medical Center
Memorial Hospital in Savannah, Georgia, first opened its doors in 1955 as a 300-bed community hospital. It was named in honor of the men and women who died fighting for our nation. At the time, it was called, "the most modern hospital in this part of the country."

Today, Memorial University Medical Center (MUMC) is a 530-bed nonprofit tertiary care and academic medical center serving a 35-county area in southeast Georgia and South Carolina. We are the flagship of Memorial Health, the largest healthcare system in the region. Our mission is: With compassion, we heal, teach, and discover.

In 2010, MUMC had 26,301 admissions, performed 22,473 surgeries, and treated 280,923 outpatients. Memorial University Medical Center is one of the largest employers in the region, with approximately 4,000 Team Members. Learn more about MUMC and its services.

Our Location
Memorial University Medical Center is located in the beautiful coastal city of Savannah, Georgia. Savannah's architecture, history, and hospitality are internationally known. The city offers an outstanding quality of life and a wealth of opportunities for businesses, individuals, and families. Learn more about Savannah.

Pharmacy Residency (PGY-1) Overview
The pharmacy residency at Memorial University Medical Center (MUMC) provides excellent clinical, academic, and practice opportunities. The program is accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and features the following core, elective, and longitudinal rotations:

Core Rotations
Orientation/Institutional Practice
Critical Care -- Trauma
Critical Care -- Medicine
Internal Medicine
Infectious Disease
Oncology
Pediatrics
Practice Management
Research
Psychiatry

Elective Rotations
• Any Core Rotation
Cardiology
Medication Safety

Longitudinal Experiences
Drug Information
Research
Community Outreach
• ACLS/code participation

Teaching Certificate

Additional Rotations

Contact Information

Core Rotations

Orientation/Institutional Practice
This rotation is designed to orient the resident to the general functioning of the central pharmacy and acclimate him or her to the hospital environment. The resident is trained to enter orders, initiate and adjust Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) formulas, and compound IV admixtures and chemotherapy. Meetings with the residency director and residency advisory board are held on a regular basis to discuss expectations, requirements, and personal goals for the program. During this rotation, the resident will be expected to begin selecting a research project.

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Critical Care -- Trauma
As a member of the trauma surgery team, the resident will follow trauma patients in the medical, cardiovascular, trauma, and neuro intensive care units. Responsibilities include participating in daily rounds, providing pharmacokinetic consultation, recognizing drug-drug and drug-disease state interactions, reporting and preventing adverse drug reactions, and general monitoring of drug therapy. Care for critically ill patients is a highly specialized area and an increased emphasis will be placed on the monitoring of hemodynamic states, the utilization of appropriate antibiotics, and management of TPNs.

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Critical Care -- Medicine
The resident rounds daily in the ICU as part of the medicine critical care team. Common diagnoses include acute respiratory failure, sepsis/septic shock, hypovolemia/cardiogenic shock, acute decompensated heart failure, arrhythmias, acute intoxication, and acute renal failure. Common disease states/therapeutic issues encountered on this service include nutrition management, hemodynamics and physiologic monitoring, acid/base management, principles of mechanical ventilation, stress ulcer prophylaxis, prophylaxis and management of DVT/PE, basic ECG analysis and arrhythmia management (ACLS guidelines), fluid and electrolyte management, shock syndromes, acute respiratory failure/ARDS, MODS, acute renal failure, sepsis, management of select infectious diseases, antimicrobial pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, alcohol withdrawal management, and other disease states consistent with this patient population.

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Infectious Disease
This rotation allows the resident to be exposed to daily rounds with an ID consult medical team. The ID service has a wide variety of patients from many different backgrounds (medical service, critical care, oncology, HIV, etc.). The resident participates in pharmacokinetic monitoring, appropriate antimicrobial selection, and HIV disease state management.

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Internal Medicine
The resident participates in patient rounds as an integral part of a multidisciplinary team. The resident provides pharmaceutical care by providing pharmacokinetic consultations and drug information, monitoring for the appropriateness and cost-effectiveness of drug therapy, reporting adverse drug reactions, and assessing drug-drug, drug-disease state interactions. The resident attends morning report, noon conference, and weekly grand rounds, providing for intense involvement and exposure to a variety of internal medicine topics and discussions. The resident also has direct patient contact and plays an important role in patient education and patient counseling.

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Oncology
This rotation exposes the resident to a variety of issues involved in the management of cancer patients at the Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute at MUMC. The resident attends a scheduled medical oncology, hematology, and gynecologic oncology clinic during the course of the rotation. Daily responsibilities include providing patient counseling for all chemotherapy patients, providing recommendations for the management of chemotherapy-induced side effects, answering oncology-related drug information requests, and consulting on pain management cases. During the rotation, the resident has weekly case presentations and topic discussions relating to patients seen during clinic. In addition, if needed, the resident presents a brief inservice for the oncology nursing staff. Other experiences during the rotation include attendance at weekly tumor board meetings and orientation to radiation oncology.

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Pediatrics
The pediatric rotation places emphasis on pathophysiology and treatment of disease states in the pediatric population within The Children's Hospital at MUMC. Alternatives to drug therapy, documentation and prevention of adverse drug reactions, pharmacokinetics, and selection of antimicrobial regimens are important aspects of this rotation. The pharmacy resident is responsible for rounding with the PICU team, dosing medications, educating patients and their families about medications specific to the patient's disease state, and attending biweekly morning report and noon conferences. The resident is also responsible for a formal case presentation to pharmacy staff and administration.

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Practice Management
The resident meets with the director of the pharmacy to discuss theories on pharmaceutical administration, budget issues, technology advancements, and other global issues relating to the department and the profession. The resident attends all meetings required by the director of pharmacy. The resident is assigned necessary projects throughout the rotation arising from discussions and meetings.

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Psychiatry
The resident is exposed to patients with various psychiatric disorders to learn about their presentation and treatment. The resident follows patients in MUMC's Center for Behavioral Medicine and medical psychiatric unit. T resident gains experience working with a multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, physicians, nurses, social workers, and other healthcare professionals. The resident has direct patient contact by providing patient education on psychotropic medications to mentally ill patients.

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Research
Residents will present a year-long research project at the Southeastern Residency Conference in the spring. Residents will work with the research coordinator starting at the onset of the year and will meet regularly to discuss issues and progress. Residents will also be active in coordinating sponsored research throughout the health system. In addition to the research project, each resident is responsible for two Medication Use Evaluations that are coordinated by the program director and presented to the P&T Committee.

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Elective Rotations

Cardiology
This rotation allows pharmacy residents to manage drug therapy for patients receiving cardiology services through the Heart & Vascular Institute at MUMC. Common cardiovascular disease processes encountered include coronary artery disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and congestive heart failure. The treatment and management of these conditions are discussed in detail throughout the rotation. Patient education of risk factors and compliance are essential aspects of this rotation.

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Medication Safety
During this rotation, the resident focuses on medication safety and investigational drugs. The resident participates in relevant meetings, documentation of medication incidents, safety coaching, and the development or modification of pharmacy policies at MUMC. The resident is involved with the management of investigational drug products according to established protocols, policies, and procedures.

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Core Rotations
Core rotations can also be repeated as electives.

Longitudinal Experiences

Drug Information
This is a longitudinal rotation delegated by the chief resident. As drug information issues arise, the residents are assigned DI projects. This includes anything from dosage ranges to monitoring and reporting adverse drug reactions to new drug monographs for P&T Committee meetings. The residents are active members of the P&T Committee and also serve on other committees throughout the hospital as directed.

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Community Outreach
This is a longitudinal rotation provided to the greater Savannah community. It may include visits to senior citizen centers, retirement and assisted living communities, pharmacy schools, career days at local high schools or colleges, and other consults as requested. Presentation topics include prescription drug plans, medication usage, "brown bag sessions," and other topics as requested. The residents also perform regular educational sessions in cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation on campus.

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Teaching Certificate
Residents participate in a program administered by South University that encompasses teaching strategies, both didactic and experiential. After completion of the requirements of the program through submission of a teaching portfolio, the resident is eligible to receive a teaching certificate.

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Additional Rotations
Other areas of interest addressed by residents will be evaluated by the program director and will be coordinated if appropriate with the guidelines set forth by the ASHP Standards of Pharmacy Practice Residencies.

Regular meetings are held with the pharmacy director and manager to discuss the practice of pharmacy and other issues pertinent to the profession. Journal Club is held regularly for article discussion as well as case presentation. Residents also present Forum presentations and precept pharmacy students as well as provide education the pharmacy, nursing, and medical staff.

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Contact Information

When applying for our program, download our application checklist.

Additional questions should be directed to:

Michael J. Melroy, Pharm.D., BCPS
Manager, Clinical Services
MUMC Department of Pharmacy
4700 Waters Ave.
Savannah, GA 31404
Melromi1@memorialhealth.com
912-350-8245

 

 

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Memorial University Medical Center hospital campus: 4700 Waters Avenue, Savannah, GA 31404 - 912-350-8000