Pharmacy residency program at Clear Lake

The educational training and environment at HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake prepares our residents for a lifetime of learning. This program is designed for the graduate who intends to pursue hospital pharmacy, clinical pharmacy practice, or a postgraduate year 2 (PGY2) specialty pharmacy residency.

HCA Houston Clear Lake is a full-service, acute-care hospital that has been providing high-quality, comprehensive healthcare to the Bay Area Houston region since 1972. Our hospital is equipped with a Level II Trauma Center, Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), a dedicated Pediatric Emergency Center and the only exclusive heart hospital south of the Texas Medical Center. We are a Comprehensive Stroke Center and a designated Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Our goal is to graduate residents with the experience necessary to practice in the acute care setting, caring for a variety of patient populations and pursuing additional specialist training. Our program prepares the pharmacy resident to eventually become board certified through the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties (BPS).

Postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) education and outcomes to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists responsible for medication-related care of patients with a wide range of conditions, eligible for board certification, and eligible for PGY2 pharmacy residency training.

Learning experiences

An excellent clinical foundation is developed through robust clinical pharmacy experiences in areas such as internal medicine, infectious diseases, critical care, cardiology, and emergency medicine. Project management and research skills are developed through research, administration and medication safety experiences. Pharmacy operations experience is obtained through the pharmacy administration and operations rotation, as well as the longitudinal staffing experience. Presentation skills are developed on each rotation with a variety of presentations and audiences, including the longitudinal grand rounds experience.

Required core learning experiences:

• Cardiology
• Critical care
• Infectious diseases
• Internal medicine
• Orientation
• Pharmacy administration and operations

Elective learning experiences:

• Cardiovascular critical care
• Emergency medicine
• Healthcare improvement and innovation
• Gulf Coast Division pharmacy leadership and clinical services
• Infectious diseases II
• Internal medicine II
• Neuroscience critical care
• Transitions of care and inpatient rehabilitation
• Trauma critical care

Required longitudinal learning experiences:

• Code Response
• Grand rounds
• Medication safety
• Professional development and leadership
• Research
• Staffing (every third weekend and one major holiday)
• Teaching certificate and scholarship in academia program

Teaching opportunities

Residents will obtain a teaching certificate through participation in the University of Houston College of Pharmacy’s Teaching and Scholarship in Academia Program.

HCA Houston Clear Lake is a rotation site for pharmacy students, and we are affiliated with several pharmacy schools. We accept pharmacy students for IPPE, as well as APPE rotations in areas such as cardiology, critical care, emergency medicine, infectious diseases, internal medicine, management and advanced hospital. Residents will have an opportunity to obtain their Texas State Board of Pharmacy preceptor license during the second half of the residency year and may precept available students.

Research opportunities

A major research project will be developed through the research committee and conducted by the resident with the guidance of research advisors. The research will be presented at ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition and ALCALDE Southwest Leadership Conference. A final research manuscript suitable for publication is required.

Past research projects:

• Impact of rapid organism identification on antibiotic de-prescribing in patients with gram-negative bacteremia
• Analysis of hypoglycemia management and medical record documentation of rescue agent administration
• A retrospective study evaluating the clinical impact of oral step-down therapy for gram-negative bacteremia
• Antibiotic prophylaxis for early onset pneumonia in cardiac arrest patients receiving targeted temperature management
• Intravenous to oral interchange opportunity and drug spend analysis at a large community hospital
• Adjunctive midodrine to facilitate weaning of intravenous (IV) vasopressor agents in critically ill adult patients
• Retrospective evaluation of weight-based heparin dosing protocol in morbidly obese patients for the treatment of venous thromboembolism
• Optimal timing of intravenous corticosteroids in patients with septic shock
• Assessment of choice of inpatient antibiotic based on empiric therapy ordered in the emergency department
• Utility of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus nasal screening for extra-pulmonary infections
• Fludrocortisone use in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage-associated hyponatremia
• Comparison of dosing strategies of intravenous diltiazem in atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response
• Ticagrelor vs. clopidogrel post-PCI and re-admittance with bacterial pneumonia

Our program accepts three residents per year. Applicants must be graduates or candidates for graduation from an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education accredited School of Pharmacy or have a Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Committee certificate from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Foreign-educated pharmacists must earn their professional degree from a five-year curriculum program.

• Phase I application deadline: Thursday, January 2, 2025
• Phase II application deadline (if applicable): Tuesday, March 25, 2025 5:00pm CST

Application requirements:

• Application submission via PhORCAS
• Letter of intent
• College of pharmacy transcripts
• Curriculum vitae
• Three letters of recommendation
• Participation in the NMS-ASHP Resident Matching Program

Benefits package

Pharmacy residents will receive a stipend of $55,000, in addition to the following benefits:

• Medical and dental insurance plan, with flexible spending account (FSA)
• Paid time off (PTO)
• 401(k) plan

Residency Program Director

Brady McMahon, PharmD, BCPS

Residency Program Coordinator

Hannah Ehrenfeld, PharmD, BCPS