8600 Old Georgetown Road | Bethesda, MD 20814 301-896-3100

Pharmacy Residency Program

Nursing Opportunities Allied Health Opportunities

Thank you for your interest in the Pharmacy Practice Residency Program at Suburban Hospital. A 222-bed community hospital, Suburban Hospital, a member of Johns Hopkins Medicine, sets the highest standards in healthcare, serving Montgomery County and the surrounding area with clinical excellence and compassionate care. Under the leadership of Jennifer Raynor, RPh, Director of Pharmacy Services, the residency program is led by Karen Michaels, PharmD, Residency Director and Mehran Mahdavi, PharmD, BCOP, Residency Coordinator. The Pharmacy has academic affiliations with the University of Maryland Pharmacy and affiliations for elective rotations at Johns Hopkins Hopsital, Children's National Medical Center and Georgetown University Hospital.

Our staff is committed to delivering a top-quality Residency Program. Our residents will become confident, competent practitioners equipped with the knowledge and skills to meet the challenges facing pharmacy practice now and in the years to come. They will be accountable and responsible for achieving optimal drug therapy outcomes as members of our healthcare team. They will exercise skill and proficiency in educating other healthcare professionals, patients, and the community on drug-related topics.

Choosing your residency program is an important professional decision and an investment in your future. We appreciate that you have chosen to learn about our program and look forward to receiving your application.

Goals and objectives

Residents completing the program will be competent, confident, and compassionate practitioners. They will function as effective members of the healthcare team with the ultimate goal of providing optimal pharmaceutical care to patients. Residency graduates will demonstrate time management and independent thinking skills that will make them leaders within their practice setting and the profession.

Upon completion of this ASHP-accredited Post-graduate year one Pharmacy Practice Residency (PGY1), the pharmacist will:

1. Participate confidently and effectively as a member of an inter-professional health care team to provide evidence-based, patient-centered medication therapy management services;

2. Demonstrate professional leadership skills to assure the optimal use of medications in a community hospital setting;

3. Possess the knowledge and experience to provide comprehensive pharmaceutical care to a variety of populations and effectively manage one’s practice;

4. Educate patients, physicians, and other health care professionals regarding the optimal use of medications;

5. Utilize medical informatics to make informed patient-specific treatment recommendations, to prevent adverse outcomes related to medications, and to assist with formulary decisions and protocol development;

6. Exhibit professionalism, behave with empathy and maturity in interpersonal and inter-professional interactions, and exercise appropriate critical thinking skills and judgment in the performance of all duties.

Education

Each resident will deliver formal presentations and actively contribute to case study presentations and clinical teaching. Residents will also teach various allied health professionals and precept pharmacy students on clinical rotations.  The residents would have the opportunity to earn a teaching certificate from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.

Research

Research skills are an essential component of Suburban Hospital’s residency program. Each resident will complete a research project suitable for publication and/or presentation in a selected area of pharmacy practice.

Rotations

Residents will be required to complete these rotations: 

  • Internal Medicine — Provide care to internal medicine patients by monitoring labs/cultures daily, review physician orders and notes daily, manage pharmacokinetics, communicate recommendations to the team or other staff physicians.

  • Critical Care — Provide care to medical and surgical patients admitted to the intensive care unit.  Design, recommend, and evaluate patient specific pharmaceutical care plans.

  • Oncology — Gain a  basic understanding of oncologic therapeutics and expertise in overall management of patients with malignancies.

  • Infectious Disease — The resident will follow patients through the Antimicrobial Surveilance Program and the pharmacokinetics program with the clinical specialist.  These experiences will provide the resident with the ability to promote rational, cost-effective antimicrobial therapy.

Required Longitudinal Rotations

Residents will complete various assignments, participate in numerous committee activities, and provide education to pharmacy students. The required longitudinal rotations are:

  • Management — Provide the resident with functions/tasks commonly associated with the department director and/or supervisors.  This includes review of financial data and appropriate management/oversight of resources, in addition to daily operational issues associated with the day to day functioning of the department.

  • Drug Information — Provide support to the hospital by providing information and expert advice about the appropriate use of drugs

  • Ambulatory Care — This longitudinal rotation is located at a safety net clinic and is designed to develop and enhance skills related to Medication Therapy Management (MTM) and Diabetes Education for underserved patients with no insurance
  • Anticoagulation - Evaluating patient-specific benefits and risks of the identified therapeutic plan in a coordinated approach and facilitating management of anticoagulation dosing

Elective Rotations

  • Open Heart/Cardiology — Provide care to open heart/cardiac patients by monitoring labs/cultures daily, review physician orders and notes daily, manage cardiac pharmacokinetics, communicate recommendations to the team or other staff physicians.            

  • Psychiatry — Provide care to mental health patients by monitoring labs/cultures daily, review physician orders and notes daily, manage pharmacokinetics, communicate recommendations to the team or other staff physician.

        Offsite elective rotations may be arranged with affiliated hospitals.

Salary and Benefits

Pharmacy residents receive a salary from Suburban Hospital as well as all benefits collected by full-time employees. These include medical, dental, and life insurance, Metrorail subsidy, and more. For more information about benefits, click here.

Paid Time Off
Residents accrue paid time off (PTO) according to the Suburban Hospital policies and procedures. PTO can be used for seminars, interviews, vacation, or sick time.

Application Information

A completed application file is necessary before scheduling for an onsite interview can occur. A complete file includes receipt of the following items no later than January 16th of each year. Please note: some forms are available online, but may require you to print the form from an online link and mail to the address listed below.

To apply for the residency, your completed application must include:

  • A signed application form (print out this form by clicking here);
  • A Suburban Hospital employment application form;
    • One of the following must be completed:
      • A Suburban Hospital online application (click here) to complete the online application and use “Pharmacy” in the key word search), OR
      • Filled out the form included in application packet.
  • Official transcripts from all professional pharmacy education programs;
  • A copy of your current curriculum vitae or resume;
  • Recommendations from three references (print out this form by clicking here);
  • Your personal statement / cover letter.

Please complete and send your application materials to:

Mehran Mahdavi, Pharm.D., BCOP

Residency Coordinator, Suburban Hospital Pharmacy Practice Residency

Pharmacy Services Department

8600 Old Georgetown Road

Bethesda, MD 20814

301.896.2074

301.896.2579 (fax)

Click here to email Mehran directly.