Surveying residents of postgraduate year 2 critical care pharmacy residencies about their level of preparedness to practice

ObjectiveAs the scope of pharmacy services in the critical care setting advances, there has been a parallel evolution in critical care pharmacy residency training programs. The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of critical care pharmacy residency learning experiences to prepare trainees for provision of critical care pharmacy services.MethodsThis prospective, cross-sectional study of critical care pharmacy residents used a 53-item web-based questionnaire to evaluate resident satisfaction and the exposure frequency, self-perceived competency, and satisfaction rates for the provision of clinical, administrative, educational, and scholarly pharmacy services. Satisfaction and competency were rated on a scale of −10 to +10. The survey was distributed via email and reminder email to 98 critical care residency programs in May 2012. Descriptive statistics were used to categorize responses.ResultsA total of 45 (54.1%) respondents, representative of all 98 programs, completed the questionnaire. The majority of residents reported feeling somewhat or very satisfied with both the program and their mentorship (91% and 76%, respectively). With the exception of managing nutrition support, respondents felt competently trained to provide most clinical services and educational activities. In contrast, trainees were infrequently exposed as well as uncomfortable providing many administrative and scholarly services.ConclusionMost critical care pharmacy residents were satisfied with their overall experience and mentorship and felt competent providing routine clinical and educational functions. Programs should enhance administrative responsibilities of their residents to adequately prepare them for real-world practice. Additional scholarship may be outside the current resident requirements.