Critical Care (PGY-2)

The Critical Care (PGY-2) specialty residency provides the resident with critical care experience and training in treating patients followed by the following critical care services: medical, surgical, cardiovascular, cardiovascular surgery, pediatric, neuroscience, trauma (in a Level I trauma center), neonatology (in a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), infectious disease and emergency medicine/clinical toxicology. The program is accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

As a member of the health care team, the resident assumes responsibility and accountability for safe and appropriate drug therapy and efficient delivery of care to patients. The resident is also involved in the academic, administrative, formulary management, and clinical drug research activities of the department.

Purpose and Goals

PGY2 pharmacy residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) education and PGY1 pharmacy residency programs to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists in specialized areas of practice. PGY2 residencies provide residents with opportunities to function independently as practitioners by conceptualizing and integrating accumulated experience and knowledge and incorporating both into the provision of patient care or other advanced practice settings. Residents who successfully complete an accredited PGY2 pharmacy residency are prepared for advanced patient care, academic, or other specialized positions, along with board certification, if available.

The Critical Care Pharmacy Practice Residency is an organized, directed postgraduate program that centers on developing a mastery of knowledge and an expert level of competency in critical care pharmacy practice. The goals of the UF Health Jacksonville Critical Care Residency Program are to develop the resident’s dedication and skills necessary to:

• be a specialized practitioner with the confidence, competence and compassion necessary to provide complex medication and nutrition support recommendations that meets the needs of critically ill patients
• be a fully integrated member of the interdisciplinary critical care team
• provide safe, effective, and appropriate medication therapy to critically ill patients
• effectively educate patients/family members, students and health care professionals regarding critical care medication issues
• demonstrate leadership for critical care practice through participation in interdisciplinary committees and planning groups to improve care for critical care patients
• conduct research in the critical care environment to improve medication use and pharmacy practice

Program

Due to the active involvement of a highly skilled and motivated team of pharmacy practitioners with a variety of medical services, the resident is provided with a wide range of opportunities and experiences in the provision of patient pharmaceutical care.

Program Structure

The residency program provides training in all aspects of critical care pharmacy practice. To accomplish this, the resident will spend 4 weeks orienting (if new to the organization) or 2 weeks (if early commit) to the department and major hospital departments and then completing core and elective learning experiences which allow the resident enough flexibility to pursue their individual goals. Completion of a research project and Grand Rounds presentation are also required.

• Orientation Learning Experience (4 weeks if new to UF Health Jacksonville/2 weeks concurrent if early commit)
• Core Learning Experiences (9) – 4 weeks
  • Cardiothoracic Surgery or Cardiovascular Critical Care
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Infectious Disease
  • Medical Critical Care
  • Neonatal or Pediatric Critical Care or Transplant
  • Neuroscience Critical Care
  • Nutrition (4 weeks if not completed as a PGY1 here/2 weeks during 1st core if completed as a PGY1)
  • Surgical/Trauma Critical Care
  • Medical Critical Care II (advanced) or Surgical/Trauma Critical Care II (advanced)
    *if completed PGY1 residency at UF Health Jacksonville then 1st learning experience will be 8 weeks (2 weeks nutrition and 6 weeks core learning experience)
• Elective Learning Experiences (3) – 4 weeks
  • Cardiothoracic Surgery or Cardiovascular Critical Care (if not taken as core)
  • Informatics
  • Neonatal (if not taken as core)
  • Nutrition (if not taken as 4 week core)
  • Psychiatry
  • North Critical Care
  • Surgery
  • Toxicology
    Other elective learning experiences may be developed based on resident interest and preceptor availability
• Longitudinal Learning Experiences (3) – 52 weeks each
  • Critical Care Practice
  • Practice Coverage (staffing)
  • Research Project

Program Director

Jason Ferreira, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCCCP, FCCM

Program Length

52 weeks, beginning in July

Benefits

• Stipend - $56,500
• 27 days of leave
  • Personal leave - 7 days
  • Holidays - 5 days
  • Professional leave - ASHP Midyear meeting (3 days), Residency Research Conference (2 days), professional conference (5 days), interviews (5 days)
• 12 research days
• Health insurance
• Dental coverage
• Life insurance
• Educational and professional travel allowances
• Dedicated office space
• Laptop

Application Requirements

Eligibility requirements for the residency program include the following:

• Graduate from an ACPE-accredited college or school of pharmacy with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree
• Completion of an ASHP-accredited Pharmacy (PGY-1) Residency
• Eligible for licensure in the State of Florida – all residents must take their exams prior to the start of the residency
• On-site interview
• For non-resident alien applicants, authorization for employment that is valid through the residency period is required

Application Materials

• Applicant information
• Letter of intent
• Current curriculum vitae
• Letters of recommendation from three (3) professional sources
• Official transcript of applicant’s pharmacy coursework and grades

The application deadline is January 5th.

Application materials should be submitted through PhORCAS.

Marci DeLosSantos, Pharm.D., BCPS (AQ Cardiology), BCCCP

Marci DeLosSantos Pharm.D., BCPS (AQ Cardiology), BCCCP is a clinical specialist in the Cardiac Care Unit at UF Health Jacksonville and a Clinical Associate Professor for the University of Florida College of Pharmacy and Clinical Assistant Professor at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, South University, and Palm Beach Atlantic Colleges of Pharmacy. In addition Dr. DeLosSantos is the director of the PGY-2 Critical Care residency at UF Health Jacksonville. She also facilitates PTX II for the College of Pharmacy.

Dr. DeLosSantos received her Pharm.D. from the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. She then completed her pharmacy practice residency at the UF Health Jacksonville. Dr. DeLosSantos received her board certification as a pharmacotherapy specialist in 2009. In 2012, she received added qualifications in cardiology and in 2016 she received her board certification in critical care.

She is an active member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine, American Society of Health System Pharmacists, and the Florida Society of Health System Pharmacists.

Her areas of interest are Acute Coronary Syndrome, Acute Decompensated Heart Failure, and Arrhythmia Management.

Michael Erdman, Pharm.D., BCPS

Michael Erdman, Pharm.D., BCPS, is a clinical specialist in Neurocritical Care at UF Health Jacksonville and a Clinical Assistant Professor of the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. Dr. Erdman received his Pharm.D. from Butler University in Indianapolis, IN where he also completed his PGY-1 pharmacy residency at Indiana University Health. He went on to complete his PGY-2 specialty residency in critical care at the University of Tennessee/Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, TN.

He is active in the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), the Florida Society of Health System Pharmacists, the American Society of Health System Pharmacists, and the Society of Critical Care Medicine, where he is a member of the Southeast Chapter and serves on the Research Committee of the Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology Section.

His areas of interest in practice include severe traumatic brain injury, stroke, status epilepticus, pain management, sedation, and sepsis.

Jason Ferreira, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCCCP, FCCM

Jason Ferreira Pharm.D., BCPS, BCCCP is a clinical specialist in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at UF Health Jacksonville. Dr. Ferreira is faculty with The University of Florida College of Pharmacy where he is co-course coordinator for the Critical Care Pharmacy elective and a course facilitator for Pharmacotherapy IV through VI. Dr. Ferreira also serves as adjunct faculty for NOVA University for their Physician Assistant Program.

Dr. Ferreira received his Pharm.D. from the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. He then completed his PGY-1 pharmacy residency at Charleston Area Medical Center in Charleston West Virginia and continued on to complete his PGY-2 specialty residency in critical care at UF Health Jacksonville.

Dr. Ferreira is an active member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine, where he serves on the Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology Education Committee. He is also an active member of the Florida and American Societies of Health-System Pharmacists.

His areas of interest and strengths in practice include hemodynamics, infectious disease, pulmonary hypertension and embolism, hemostasis, sedation and sepsis.

Christopher A Jankowski, Pharm.D., BCPS

Christopher A Jankowski, Pharm.D., BCPS is a clinical specialist in Infectious Diseases at UF Health Jacksonville, a Clinical Assistant Professor with the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, and a Courtesy Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine - Jacksonville.

Dr. Jankowski received his Pharm.D. from the Ohio State University College of Pharmacy. He completed his Pharmacy Practice residency (PGY-1) at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and specialty residency in Infectious Diseases (PGY-2) at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

Dr. Jankowski was awarded Preceptor of the Year by numerous organizations including Florida Society of Health-System Pharmacists, University of Florida College of Pharmacy and UF Health Jacksonville.

His areas of interest are in the translational research, antimicrobial stewardship, and resistant Gram-negative infections.

Donald W. Johnson, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCCCP

Donald W. Johnson, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCCCP is a clinical specialist in trauma/surgical intensive care unit at UF Health Jacksonville and a Clinical Assistant Professor with the University of Florida College of Pharmacy.

Dr. Johnson received his Pharm.D. from the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. He completed his Pharmacy Practice residency (PGY-1) at UF Health Jacksonville and specialty residency in Critical Care (PGY-2) at UF Health Jacksonville. Dr. Johnson is faculty with The University of Florida College of Pharmacy where he is course coordinator for the Critical Care Pharmacy elective and a course facilitator for Dose Optimization I and II and Pharmacotherapy IV through VI. Dr. Johnson also serves as adjunct faculty for NOVA University for their Physician Assistant Program.

Dr. Johnson is an active member in the Society of Critical Care Medicine and is part of the clinical pharmacy and pharmacology education committee. He is a member of Northeast Florida Society of Health-System Pharmacists where he served as the treasurer. Dr. Johnson also volunteers with We Care Jacksonville and sits on the Young Professional Advisory Board. Dr. Johnson was awarded Preceptor of the Year by both Florida Society of Health-System Pharmacists and UF Health Jacksonville. Dr. Johnson also volunteers with We Care Jacksonville. Dr. Johnson was awarded Preceptor of the Year by both Florida Society of Health System Pharmacists and UF Health Jacksonville.

His areas of interest are in the use of 23.4% hypertonic saline in traumatic brain injury, music and sleep therapy in reducing ICU delirium and antibiotic stewardship strategies in the ICU.

Gerald Schmidt, Pharm.D., BCNSP

Joe Spillane, Pharm.D., DABAT, BCEMP

Joe Spillane Pharm.D., DABAT is a clinical specialist in emergency medicine/clinical toxicology at UF Health Jacksonville and a Clinical Assistant Professor of the University of Florida College of Pharmacy.

Dr. Spillane received his Pharm.D. from the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. He completed a two year fellowship in clinical toxicology/emergency medicine at University Medical Center in Jacksonville. He is one of only 100 non-physician diplomates in clinical toxicology with the American Board of Applied Toxicology (ABAT) in the United States. He has worked and lectured with the Emergency Medicine Patient Safety Foundation (EMPSF) on medication errors in the emergency department. He works with anti-drug abuse coalitions in Duval, Nassau, and Broward Counties and serves on a statewide drug abuse epidemiology committee. He also teaches a didactic class in substance abuse at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy in Jacksonville.

Stephen Tan, Pharm.D., BCCCP

Stephen Tan, Pharm.D., BCCCP is a clinical specialist in both Cardiothoracic Surgery and Pediatric Surgery at UF Health Jacksonville and a clinical assistant professor of the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. He also holds a clinical assistant professor appointment with Florida A&M University and Palm Beach Atlantic University. Dr. Tan also serves as adjunct faculty for Nova Southeastern University for their Physician Assistant Program.

Dr. Tan received his Pharm.D. from the University of Florida. He completed his PGY-1 pharmacy residency at UF Health Jacksonville and remained with the institution following graduation.

He is active in the Northeast Florida Society of Hospital Pharmacists. He is also an active member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) where he serves on the Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology Education Committee. Dr. Tan was selected as Preceptor of the Year by the University of Florida College of Pharmacy in 2015.

His areas of interest in practice include cardiology, critical care, infectious disease, antimicrobial stewardship, and various areas of research.

Contact Information

Residency Coordinator
UF Health Jacksonville
Department of Pharmacy
655 West 8th Street, C-89
Jacksonville, FL 32209

Phone: (904) 244-4157
Fax: (904) 244-4272
E-mail: pharmacyresidency@jax.ufl.edu

After the application is complete and reviewed, the residency selection committee will notify selected applicants to arrange an onsite interview.