Like no other: New pharmacy residency program has unique focus on team-based ambulatory care and chronic disease management

A new pharmacy residency with a unique focus on hands-on training in team-based outpatient hospital care has launched at St. Joseph’s Health Care London, a patient care, research and teaching centre in London, Ont.“No other Canadian pharmacy residency program offers an intensive focus in interdisciplinary chronic pain management or rheumatology, addressing a critical need identified by national bodies of those specialties to better understand and serve those living with chronic pain or rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases,” Denise Kreutzwiser, a pharmacist with St. Joseph’s pain management program who led the development of the residency, was quoted in an article posted on the St. Joseph’s Health Care website.What's unique about the residency is the connection it aims to make between chronic disease, mental health and rehabilitation, she added. The program will also provide training on establishing trusting relationships with patients and working as a member of a broad team of healthcare professionals, said Kreutzwiser, who led the development of the residency program.Sumani Vij, who graduated this year from the University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy, has been chosen as the first resident of the intensive, one-year program, which attracted applicants from as far as Australia and Qatar. A St. Joseph's spokesperson said the organization plans to add more pharmacy residency spots in the near future.Read: Back Talk: New pharmacists can’t lead change if we don’t lead themAs part of the program, Vij will train within St. Joseph’s pain management, rehabilitation, and mental health care programs as well as in the rheumatology centre, palliative care unit and the outpatient community pharmacy. Vij can also choose electives in forensic mental health care and other specialties.“Within pharmacy, there’s a whole world to explore and I want to see where I fit best,” she said. “St. Joseph’s residency program is super well-rounded and offers really unique electives. I’m excited by everything it offers.According to the article, there are only 130 residency spots in Canada for year one pharmacists residents and these are located predominantly in hospitals’ acute care pharmacies. The new program at St. Joseph’s is only one of a few that’s focused on ambulatory or chronic diseases, said Kreutzwiser.Read: First Paediatric Psychopharmacology Fellow at SickKids to study TikTokVij said she was intrigued by the prospect of working with patients with chronic pain and mental health challenges. She noted how “complex and intermingled” these conditions can be and how the pharmacist can help support patients and ensure they received holistic care “from all angles and by multiple disciplines.”She said she also looks forward to working with other healthcare professionals from different disciplines.“You’re able to create pharmacist-patient relationships, which I really like, but also to collaborate with many allied health professionals: social workers, occupational therapists, nurses, physiotherapists and others,” she said. “You get the best of both worlds.”Read: How to see your pharmacy through the Leadership Lens

Like no other: New pharmacy residency program has unique focus on team-based ambulatory care and chronic disease management

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