The PGY2 Palliative Care and Pain Management resident pharmacist will develop the skills to become an expert in pain and symptom management in patients with diverse disease states, through clinical experiences in various practice areas and at different practice areas. Training plans will be customized to best support the resident pharmacist in achieving his or her interests and career goals.

The UIHC Palliative Care Service supports adult patients, families, and healthcare providers across the UIHC continuum. As the ninth palliative care program in the country to achieve Joint Commission accreditation, it provides high quality, interdisciplinary palliative care to patients, and their families, who are living with persistent or recurring serious illness that adversely affect daily functioning or will predictably reduce life expectancy. The Outpatient Palliative Care Clinic, housed within the Medicine Specialty Clinics, is an essential component of the palliative care continuum of care. Many patients are referred from inpatient admissions, and some are admitted to the inpatient palliative care unit for severe symptom management, providing an opportunity to assist in care transitions. Patients referred to the palliative care clinic may be living with cancer (~50%), advanced lung disease, advanced heart disease, or advanced neurological disease, or they may be in cancer survivorship.

The palliative care service has dedicated attending physicians, two palliative medicine physician fellows, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists. The inpatient service also has chaplains, a social worker, a music therapist, and a robust volunteer program. The outpatient service works closely with a psychologist and with social workers in the Holden Cancer Center.

PGY2 Rotations


Required Learning Experiences

  • Orientation
  • Acute Pain Management
  • Chronic Pain Management*
  • Inpatient Supportive and Palliative Care Service Level 1* & Level 2
  • Longitudinal Ambulatory Palliative Care Clinic
  • Hospice 1* (Iowa City Hospice)
  • Substance Use Disorder Clinic
  • Palliative Care and Pain Management (PCPM) Pharmacists as Educators: In this longitudinal experience, the resident pharmacist will develop essential skills to effectively educate a variety of learners and audiences including interdisciplinary healthcare providers, patients, caregivers, community members, as well as pharmacy learners. To that end, the resident pharmacist will be appointed as an adjunct instructor at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy. The resident pharmacist will be required to teach palliative care content in the general PharmD curriculum as well as the Palliative Care certificate program. In addition, the resident pharmacist will have an opportunity to provide a Continuing Education presentation to a pharmacy or interdisciplinary audience.
  • PCPM Pharmacists as Researchers: In this longitudinal experience, the resident pharmacist will conduct a research project that aligns with his or her interests and goals.
  • Continuing Professional Development in PCPM: This longitudinal administrative experience will provide the PGY2 PCPM resident with an opportunity to discuss and develop an overall picture of pain and palliative care practice, including managing medication-related issues across the health system and beyond.
    *Rotation must be completed in the first 6 months of the residency and before rotations that are not primarily pain management or palliative care.

Elective Learning Experiences

Other Learning Experiences

    • Attendance at The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear and at least one professional meeting is expected. Options include, but are not limited to: American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) Congress, Midwest Pain Society, PainWeek, International Congress on Palliative Care, American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Annual Meeting, PharmEd (AACP). Financial support will be provided.
    • Participation in the following learning interdisciplinary opportunities at UIHC is required:
      • Supportive and Palliative Care Journal Club (monthly)
      • Schwartz Rounds (monthly)
      • Pharmacopalliation Noon Conference (monthly)
      • Supportive and Palliative Care Interdisciplinary Conference (monthly)
      • Palliative Care Ethics Noon Conference (monthly)
      • Bereavement Noon Conference (semi-monthly)
      • HPM Faculty-Fellow Conference (weekly)
    • Pharmacy Educators Preparation Program for Residents (PEPPR): Teaching certificate program, offered through the UI College of Pharmacy. 
    • Participation in the following learning opportunities at UIHC is encouraged:
      • Pharmacy Grand Rounds Conference

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    Prospective Students