Oncology Residency Program (PGY2)

The resident will have the opportunity to participate in multidisciplinary care of hematology/oncology patients in an academic teaching environment. The resident will practice in a state-of-the-art, inpatient hematology/oncology facility which has a capacity of 64-beds, 32-beds which are designated for hematology/stem cell transplant. During the outpatient hematology/oncology rotation, residents will gain experience in a high-volume infusion pharmacy that serves an average of 200 patients per day across a wide range of malignancies, including breast, thoracic/lung, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, gynecologic, sarcoma, melanoma, head and neck, and hematologic cancers. Residents will work closely with the multidisciplinary teams to provide comprehensive pharmaceutical care, including treatment plan verification, patient education, and supportive care management.

The PGY2 resident will complete a longitudinal research project focused on hematology, oncology, or stem cell transplant, under the guidance of an experienced preceptor. The project will be presented at the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA) Conference and is expected to result in a manuscript suitable for publication. Dedicated time is provided throughout the year for research activities.

Residents will have opportunities to precept pharmacy students (IPPE and APPE) and PGY1 residents, lead small group discussions, and participate in didactic teaching at local colleges of pharmacy and/or fellows and nurses. Rush University Medical Center’s strong academic affiliations support robust development of teaching and mentoring skills.

Residents will provide clinical staffing every fourth weekend, focusing on the care of patients in hematology, oncology, and stem cell transplant services.

The resident will participate in an overnight on-call program, providing clinical support across the medical center. Responsibilities include pharmacokinetic monitoring, responding to code blue and acute stroke alerts, managing oncologic emergencies, approving restricted antimicrobials, performing medication reconciliation in the emergency department, and verifying medication orders. PGY2 heme/onc onc-call experience will be 50% of that of other programs to incorporate oncology-call experience responsibility.

The oncology-specific pager coverage program is designed to advance the resident’s clinical decision-making and autonomy in managing complex hematology/oncology scenarios. During these dedicated shifts, residents are responsible for high-level tasks such as chemotherapy order verification and coordination, desensitization protocol and order reviews, oral chemotherapy formulation oversight, investigational drug protocol assessment, and non-formulary medication evaluations. They also serve as an immediate resource for oncology-related drug information and provide real-time clinical support across inpatient and outpatient settings. This experience enhances the resident’s readiness for independent practice by strengthening critical thinking, prioritization, and communication skills in a high-acuity environment. It also reinforces their role as a key contributor to the multidisciplinary team, preparing them to seamlessly transition into advanced clinical specialist positions upon completion of the program.

• Orientation
• Inpatient Hematology
• Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy
• Outpatient Hematology Clinic
• Outpatient Breast Cancer Clinic
• Outpatient Gastrointestinal Clinic
• Outpatient Gyne/Onc and Genitourinary (GU) Clinic
• Outpatient Lung & Sarcoma Clinic
• Outpatient Head/Neck & Melanoma Clinic
• Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
• Investigational Drug Services

• Cardio-Oncology
• Benign Hematology
• Infectious Disease in Immunocompromised Patients
• Pain and Palliative Care
• Infusion Center Pharmacy
• Outpatient Stem Cell Transplant Clinic
• Inpatient Hematology (Hematology II)
• Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy (SCT II)
• Pharmacogenomics

• Specialty Oncology Pharmacy
• Professional Development & Leadership/Management
• Longitudinal Informatics
• Interest-Based Rotation Experience
• Pharmacy Services:
  • On-Call Program (24 hour)
  • Inpatient Oncology Pager
  • Practice Obligation (clinical weekend staffing, every 4th)
  • Chemotherapy Safety Event Review; Subcommittee Participation
  • Policy/Protocol Development or Revision
  • Monograph Development
  • Medication Use Evaluation
• Research:
  • Formal research with manuscript publication
  • Research Certificate Program
  • Platform presentation of research as Hematology Oncology Pharmacist Association (HOPA) Annual Meeting Poster Presentation
• Teaching Opportunities & Presentation Obligation:
  • Didactic lecture (College, Nursing & Oncology fellows)
  • Precepting IPPE and APPE students
  • Pharmacy Grand Rounds
  • Patient Case & Journal Cub Presentations
  • Chicagoland PGY2 Heme/Onc Drug Seminar
  • Pharmacy Newsletter
  • Nursing Education Lecture
  • Physician/Fellows Education Lecture
  • Peer-reviewed journal Publication Submission (outside of manuscript)
• Certifications:
  • Advances Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS)
  • Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
  • Research Certificate Program
  • Teaching Certificate Program