Critical Care PGY-2 Pharmacy Residency

Not accepting applications for the 2025-2026 residency year

Program Overview

Philosophy

The philosophy of the critical care pharmacy specialty residency at Ascension St. Vincent is to provide the residents with the opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills to provide comprehensive pharmaceutical care to critically ill and emergency department patients. This opportunity will be provided through active participation in evidence-based disease state management, medical staff education, medication safety, and outcomes-based research. Experiences will provide the resident the ability to function independently as a specialist by conceptualizing, integrating and transforming accumulated experience and knowledge into optimal drug therapy for patients. 

Purpose Statement

PGY2 residency programs build upon Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and PGY1 pharmacy residency training to develop pharmacist practitioners with knowledge, skills, and abilities as defined in the educational competency areas, goals, and objectives for advanced practice areas. Residents who successfully complete PGY2 residency programs are prepared for advanced patient care or other specialized positions, and board certification in the advanced practice area, if available.
 

ABOUT THE HOSPITAL

Ascension St. Vincent is a community teaching hospital with over 500 beds and is the largest healthcare facility among the Ascension Health organization. The hospital system is comprised of Ascension St. Vincent, Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at Ascension St. Vincent and Ascension St. Vincent Women’s. There are more than 100 intensive care unit beds among the medical, neuroscience, pediatric, trauma and cardiovascular units, which will provide the resident with a wide range of experience in caring for the critically ill patient. Additionally, with our emergency department servicing over 60,000 visits per year and Level I Trauma Center certification, the resident’s exposure to emergency medicine will complement his/her training in critical care pharmacotherapy. The hospital has an active Medical Education Department supporting medical residents and fellows in Cardiology, Family Practice, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics/Gynecology, transitional medicine, podiatry, and general surgery. The Pharmacy Department provides post-graduate training programs for pharmacists and maintains affiliations with Butler, Purdue and Manchester universities.

Critical Care Features

  • 34-bed Medical Intensive Care Unit
  • 32-bed Cardiovascular and Thoracic Intensive Care Unit
  • 28-bed Neuroscience, Surgical, and Trauma Intensive Care Unit
  • 23-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
  • 8- bed Burn Intensive Care Unit
  • 24/7 in-hospital Critical Care Unit coverage by medical residents and students in training
  • Multidisciplinary team approach to patient care
  • Code response 24/7 by pharmacy staff • Rapid Response Team services
  • 97-bed Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Emergency Medicine Features

  • 39-bed Adult Emergency Department
  • 17-bed Pediatric Emergency Department
  • St. Vincent StatFLIGHT air transportation providing 24/7 services within 150-mile radius
  • Emergency Response Team services
  • Level 1 Trauma Center Certification
  • Comprehensive Stroke Center

PROGRAM AT A GLANCE 

This is an ASHP-accredited residency program in critical care. The critical care pharmacy resident will actively participate in rotational, longitudinal and annual learning experiences. The residency preceptors will provide written learning objectives for each learning experience that specify the skills and knowledge the resident will gain upon successful completion of each experience. The resident will be evaluated regularly throughout the year. In addition, the residents will be expected to evaluate themselves, preceptors and the strengths and weaknesses of each aspect of the residency program.

Required Learning Experiences

Emergency Medicine

The emergency medicine rotation is designed to provide the resident with the opportunity to participate in the delivery of emergency care to patients and gain an appreciation for how the Emergency Department pharmacist can enhance the quality of care delivered. Residents will have the opportunity to provided direct bedside patient care in the Emergency Department, formulate drug therapy plans, provide drug information, screen for drug interactions, and counsel patients with coaching and facilitation by the preceptor.


Infectious Disease

The Infectious Diseases / Antimicrobial Stewardship rotation is designed to provide the resident with advanced knowledge of antimicrobial therapy against a broad array of pathogens including bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. The resident will have the opportunity to shadow the microbiology laboratory, round with the Infectious Diseases physicians, promote Antimicrobial Stewardship utilizing our clinical support tool, and contribute to Infection Prevention efforts.


Medical ICU

The Medical ICU rotation is designed to provide the resident with the opportunity to develop the foundational knowledge and skills about the clinical course, manifestations and therapy of common critical care disease states. The resident will accomplish this through active participation during rounds with our teaching service and other multidisciplinary activities during this extended learning experience. 


Pediatric ICU

The PICU rotation is designed to provide the resident with the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills about the clinical course, manifestations and therapy of common pediatric critical care diseases. Residents will provide recommendations to attending physicians during multi-disciplinary team rounds and actively participate in Code/ ECMO situations. Focused projects such as formal drug information responses and educational in-services to nursing and physicians may also be required. 


Trauma/Neuro ICU

The Trauma/Neuro Critical Care rotation is designed to provide the resident an opportunity to build upon foundational knowledge of common prophylactic and supportive medication management for the adult critically ill patient. Through observation, modeling by the preceptor and readings, the resident will be introduced and develop a knowledge base of the clinical course and therapy of critically ill patients with traumatic injuries, stroke and other neurologic conditions, as well as surgical complications. Residents will have the opportunity to apply this knowledge through active participation with the multi-disciplinary team.

Longitudinal Learning Experiences 

Teaching

  • If not achieved during Post-Graduate Year 1 Pharmacy Residency (PGY-1), the resident will have an opportunity to participate in the teaching certificate program offered through Butler and Purdue universities.
  • The resident will be required to:
    • Present one fomal lectures to the pharmacy staff.
    • Present one noon conference lecture to the medical residency staff.
    • Present nursing education at two nursing staff meetings.
    • The resident will have the opportunity to precept pharmacy students and PGY1 residents throughout the year. The resident will gain experience in developing a rotation learning experience description, assigned readings, calendars and schedules, and practice providing formal feedback for midpoint and final evaluations.

Practice Management

  • The resident will provide formal and informal drug information in the form of newsletters and in-services to pharmacists, nurses and physicians.
  • The resident will have the opportunity to complete and present a residency project to a local, regional or national meeting. The project will be tailored around the interests of the resident as well as the organization.
  • The resident will actively participate in the State-Wide Critical Care Expert Review Panel, Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, and ad hoc participation with relevant committees.

Residency Project

  • The resident will be expected to complete a residency project to be presented at the Ascension St. Vincent Research Symposium and Ascension National Virtual Residency Research Symposium and develop a manuscript suitable for publication. The project will be tailored around the interests of the resident as well as the needs of the organization.

Service Commitment

  • The resident will be required to staff the intensive care units every third weekend and one evening shift per month. 

Past Residents- Where are they now?

Katherine Teare, PharmD, BCCCP completed the Ascension St. Vincent PGY-2 Critical Care residency program as chief resident in 2016. Katherine received her PharmD degree from Butler University prior to completing a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at Ascension St. Vincent. Katherine is now a clinical pharmacy specialist in the medical ICU at St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital in Murfreesboro, TN. 

Ken Trinh, PharmD, BCCCP completed at Ascension St. Vincent PGY-2 Critical Care residency program in 2017. Ken earned his PharmD degree from Temple University prior to completing a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at Reading Health System in Reading, Pennsylvania. Ken is now a critical care specialist for PinnacleHealth in Harrisburg, PA. 

Hira Khan, PharmD, BCCCP completed the Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis PGY-2 Critical Care residency program as co-chief resident in 2020. Hira received her PharmD from Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in 2018 prior to completing her PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at Ascension St. Vincent. Hira is now an ICU clinical pharmacist at Children's Medical Center in Dallas, TX.

Sarah (Lenahan) Marett, PharmD, BCCCP completed the Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis PGY-2 Critical Care residency program in 2021. Sarah earned her PharmD degree from Butler prior to completing a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at Memphis VA Memorial Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee. Sarah is now a Emergency Medicine Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at Ascension St. Vincent. 

Margie Peck, PharmD, BCCCP completed the the Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis PGY-2 Critical Care residency program in 2022. Margie earned her PharmD degree from Purdue prior to completing a PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency at Franciscan Health in Indianapolis, IN. Margie is now the Adult Critical Care Pharmacy Clinical Specialist at Franciscan Indianapolis. 

Sydney Dobson, PharmD, BCCCP completed the Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis PGY-2 Critical Care residency program in 2023. She completed her Doctor of Pharmacy at the University of Toledo in 2021 and PGY-1 pharmacy residency at ProMedica Toledo Hospital/ Russell J Ebeid Children's Hospital in Toledo, Ohio. Sydney is now a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist serving the Trauma/Neuro Intensive Care Unit at Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis.

Matthew Shotts, PharmD completed the Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis PGY-2 Critical Care residency program in 2024. Matthew earned his PharmD degree from Purdue prior to completing his PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency at Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis. Matthew is now a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Critical Care at Ascension St. Vincent Anderson. 

 Current Resident

The program did not recruit for a resident for the 2024-2025 residency year.

Preceptors

Sara Barnstable, PharmD, BCPS, BCIDP, is an Infectious Diseases / Antimicrobial Stewardship Clinical Specialist. Sara  received her PharmD from Butler University in Indianapolis. She completed her PGY-1 Residency at Lutheran Health in Fort Wayne, Indiana and her PGY-2 Infectious Diseases Residency in Springfield, IL. 

Jamalyn Casey, PharmD, BCPPS, is a Neonatal Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at Ascension St. Vincent Women’s. Jamalyn received her Doctor of Pharmacy from Butler University in 2012. She completed a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at Community Health and a Pediatric PGY-2 Specialty Residency at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis. After her residency, Jama worked as a Neonatal Clinical Pharmacist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH, andcame to St. Vincent Women’s in October 2016. Jamalyn is a board-certified Pediatric Pharmacotherapy Specialist and her current interests include infectious disease, surgical disease states, nutrition, and pulmonary hypertension.


Kristine Swank, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP, is the PGY-2 Critical Care Residency Director at  Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis. She received her PharmD from Butler University prior to completing her PGY1 pharmacy residency at St. Joseph East in Lexington, Kentucky. She completed a PGY2 in Internal Medicine at the Richard Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis, IN. 
Sarah Hittle, PharmD, BCCCP, is a board-certified clinical pharmacist specializing in critical care. Sarah received her PharmD degree from Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN, prior to completing a PGY-1 pharmacy practice residency and PGY-2 critical care specialty residency, both at IU Health in Indianapolis. Sarah’s current interests are PAD, sepsis, medication safety and pulmonary critical care.
Kena Lanham, PharmD, BCCP, BCGP, BCPS, is a Cardiovascular Critical Care Clinical Pharmacy Specialist. Kena received her PharmD from University of Kentucky in 2008, completed her PGY residency at St. Joseph Hospital and PGY2 Cardiology residency at UK HealthCare in Lexington, KY. Kena is Board Certified in Pharmacotherapy, Geriatrics, and Cardiology. Kena’s current interests include transitions of care in the heart failure population and antithrombotic therapies in cardiovascular diseases.
Sarah (Lenahan) Marett, PharmD, BCCCP serves as the current PGY-1 Residency Program Coordinator and Emergency Department Clinical Pharmacy Specialist. She earned her PharmD degree from Butler University prior to completing a PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency at the Memphis VA Memorial Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee. Sarah returned home for her PGY-2 in Critical Care at Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis.
Vishal Ooka, PharmD, BCCCP, is a Trauma-Neuro Critical Care Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at Ascension St. Vincent.  Vishal received his PharmD from Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in 2013 and he completed his PGY-1 and PGY-2 Critical Care specialty residency at Ascension St. Vincent. Vishal is Board Certified Critical Care Pharmacist and current interests include pain and sedation, delirium, neurosurgery, and stroke. 
Maria Whitmore, PharmD, BCPPS, is a Pediatric Critical Care/Emergency Department Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at Ascension St. Vincent and a PGY-2 Pediatric Pharmacy Residency Director at St. Vincent Indianapolis. Maria received her Bachelor of Pharmacy from University of Toledo and Doctor of Pharmacy from University of Kentucky. She completed a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice residency at Indiana University and a Pediatric PGY-2 Specialty Residency at Riley Children’s Hospital, both in Indianapolis. Maria is a board-certified Pediatric Pharmacotherapy Specialist. Current interests include analgesia and sedation, infectious disease, congenital heart disease and ECMO.