Community-Based Pharmacy Residency Program

Community-Based Pharmacy Residency Program Overview

Residency Approach

The approach of the Community-based Pharmacy Residency at St. Vincent Indianapolis is to provide the residents with the opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills in caring for a diverse outpatient population. This opportunity will be provided through active participation in patient-centered dispensing, evidence-based disease state management, patient/family and medical staff education, medication safety, outcomes-based research, and educational and scholarly activities. Experiences will provide the residents the ability to function independently in Community-based Pharmacy or ambulatory care environments, or prepare them to pursue additional postgraduate training.

Purpose Statement

PGY1 residency programs build upon Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and outcomes to develop pharmacist practitioners with knowledge, skills, and abilities as defined in the educational competency areas, goals, and objectives. Residents who successfully complete PGY1 residency programs will be skilled in diverse patient care, practice management, leadership, and education, and be prepared to provide patient care, seek board certification in pharmacotherapy (i.e., BCPS), and pursue advanced education and training opportunities including postgraduate year two (PGY2) residencies.

Program Site Description

The Community-based Pharmacy Residency at St. Vincent Indianapolis focuses on providing compassionate person-centered care to all patients, regardless of income and insurance status. Both St. Vincent outpatient pharmacies serve a diverse patient population from many different cultural backgrounds. One of these pharmacies is located within the St. Vincent Primary Care Center, a clinic dedicated to service of the uninsured and underinsured population in Indianapolis. Both practice locations are committed to resolving healthcare disparities and improving pharmaceutical care for all patients. Educational competency areas, goals and objectives can be found in “Required Competency Areas, Goals and Objectives for Postgraduate Year One (PGY1) Community-Based Pharmacy Residencies” prepared jointly by ASHP and APhA.

About The Hospital

St. Vincent Hospitals and Health Services is a community teaching hospital with over 700 beds and is the largest healthcare facility within Ascension Health, the largest Catholic health system in the world. The hospital system is comprised of St. Vincent Indianapolis, Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St. Vincent and St. Vincent Women’s. St. Vincent Indianapolis serves as a tertiary referral center for a large network of Indiana St. Vincent Health hospitals. The hospital has an active Medical Education Department supporting medical residents and fellows in Cardiology, Family Practice, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Pediatrics, Podiatry and Transitional/ Preliminary Medicine. The pharmacy department provides postgraduate training programs for pharmacists and maintains affiliations with Butler, Manchester and Purdue universities.

The St. Vincent Joshua Max Simon Primary Care Center is a medical residency training facility where physicians provide optimal outpatient care to more than 13,500 patients, accounting for more than 72,000 patient visits/year. Patient demographics are diverse and include the uninsured, underinsured and insured; English and non-English speaking individuals; literate and illiterate. The Primary Care Center is located on the St. Vincent Indianapolis campus.

Two St. Vincent outpatient pharmacies serve a broad patient population with a variety of healthcare needs. The St. Vincent Pharmacy is open to the public, serving both ambulatory patients and those being discharged from the hospital, as well as St. Vincent associates from across Indiana. The Primary Care Center Pharmacy offers pharmaceutical services to an underserved population, fulfilling the mission of St. Vincent to serve the poor and vulnerable. These services include utilizing 340b contracts, Dispensary of Hope resources, and facilitating manufacturer-based patient assistance programs.

Program At A Glance

  • Required Learning Experiences 

    Pharmacy Practice

    The Pharmacy Practice rotation is designed to provide the resident with the opportunity to focus on patient-centered dispensing. This experience incorporates ensuring safe use of high-risk medications, utilizing a variety of medication access programs, and participating in the medication bedside delivery process. The resident will also participate in precepting community-based APPE students, with responsibilities increasing throughout the year. 

  • Transitions of Care

    The Transitions of Care rotation is designed to provide the resident the skills and experience to assist patients in their transitions between different care environments. Residents will work with patients across the care continuum, from patients being discharged from the acute care setting, to those following up in a primary care setting.

  • Quality Management and Population Health

    This rotation offers experiences in using payer and health system data to improve patient care and quality metrics. Residents will identify patients for targeted interventions and provide direct patient care to these individuals. Residents will also utilize larger data sets to determine recommendations and processes to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the broader health system.

  • Medication Safety

    The Outpatient Medication Safety rotation offers the resident the opportunity to advocate for the safe use of medication in a variety of outpatient settings. This experience includes responding to reported outpatient safety events, administering prospective risk identification programs, and implementing quality improvement processes. The resident will also act as a preceptor for APPE students and medical residents during their experience.  The resident will also participate in developing interactive medication safety games, student experiences, or escape room experiences for the medical residents.

  • Anticoagulation Management

    The Anticoagulation Management rotation embeds the resident in an outpatient warfarin clinic service for a year-long longitudinal experience. The resident will have the opportunity to provide patient care in a medical residency clinic using a collaborative therapy management protocol.

  • Geriatrics/Pediatrics

    These experiences are designed to provide the resident the opportunity to work as a part of a multidisciplinary team and to further their understanding of the pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic, and social changes in patients at both extremes of age.

  • Collaborative Drug Therapy Management (CDTM)

    The CDTM learning experience is designed to provide the resident with foundational chronic disease management knowledge and entry level experience in providing care under a collaborative practice agreement in adult patients within the Primary Care Center. Diseases managed include asthma, COPD, diabetes/pre-diabetes, heart failure, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, weight loss and tobacco cessation. Residents will assess patients through interviews, and intervene with appropriate education and medication adjustments.  Residents will also gain experience helping patients overcome barriers to care, such as working with drug formularies, developing appropriate education based on health literacy, and utilizing interpreter services.

Longitudinal Experiences 

Teaching

  • The resident will be required to participate in a teaching certificate program offered through Butler and Purdue
    universities.
  • The resident will precept APPE students throughout the year in a variety of settings:
    • Pharmacy Practice: the resident will act as primary preceptor during at least two APPE rotation months.
    • Medication Safety
    • Pharmacy Practice

  • The resident will be required to participate in health education including:
    • Two 45 minute Outpatient Grand Rounds presentations to the statewide outpatient pharmacy team.
    • Various other presentations such as patient cases, pharmacy technician education, and presentations to other members of the healthcare team, patients and caregivers. 

Residency Project 

The resident will be required to complete a residency project to be presented at a local, regional or national meeting, 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.

Pharmacy Administration

The Pharmacy Administration experience provides residents with the opportunity to learn about the process of administering both dispensing and clinical pharmacy services.  The resident will be involved in managing daily operations, evaluating the effectiveness of current processes, and designing long-term business development plans.

Service Commitment

The residents will be required to participate in community service projects throughout their residency year.  They are asked to volunteer at a local free clinic monthly and to participate in non-pharmacy volunteering once per quarter.  

Wellness and Resilience

Completing a pharmacy residency is an accomplishment.  During this time, residents may feel an increased level of stress and pressure.  To combat this, the residents participate in a 6 week mindfulness and stress-reduction course called Cultivating Reverence for Living.  They are encouraged to set wellness goals throughout the year, and the residency team works with the residents on an ongoing basis to maintain well-being and resilience.

Current Residents 

2024-2025 Community-Based PGY1 Residents

Fran Hudson, PharmD

Fran Hudson completed her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Butler University in Indianapolis, IN. Her residency project is ‘Implementing the Use of Cognitive Function Assessment Tools at an Anticoagulation Clinic’ and evaluating time in therapeutic range INR in patients with lower cognition. Her favorite part of this residency is getting to collaborate with healthcare providers and working with a diverse patient population in ambulatory care settings. After completing residency, Fran plans to pursue a PGY-2 in ambulatory care with goals to work with learners and practice in a progressive clinical role. In her free time, Fran enjoys spending time with her fiancé, family, and her two cats, Mochi and Vivi. She also enjoys playing clarinet in local concert bands and trying new foods around Indianapolis.

Katie Meadows, PharmD

Katie Meadows, PharmD, completed her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at The Ohio State University and also holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Indianapolis. Her residency project is looking at the rate of adherence of Direct Oral Anticoagulants and the risk of nonadherence in the 340B pharmacy at Ascension St. Vincent. She enjoys the variety of experiences offered by the residency program and values the supportive environment that helps residents grow as pharmacists. After completing residency, Katie plans to pursue opportunities that align with her passion for patient care, allowing her to discover the best setting for her skills and interests. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their two-year-old golden retriever at dog-friendly spots, going to the movies, and trying new restaurants.

Amanda Place, PharmD, BCACP

is a board-certified Ambulatory Care Clinical Pharmacy specialist. She received her PharmD degree in 2000 from Butler University. Following graduation, she practiced in a Family Practice clinic, providing lipid and asthma management, and managing the onsite outpatient pharmacies.

She then transitioned to co-owner and pharmacist of an independent pharmacy, before moving to the join the ambulatory care clinical team at St. Vincent in 2009. She is the residency program director for the Community-based (PGY-1) Pharmacy Residency Program and the Ambulatory Care (PGY-2) Pharmacy Residency Program at St. Vincent Indianapolis. Her areas of focus include medication safety, quality improvement, developing adherence, and transitions of care programs.

Wendy LeMasters, PharmD

Is the Director of Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Services at St. Vincent Indianapolis, responsible for the St. Vincent retail Pharmacy and the St. Vincent Primary Care Center Pharmacy. She received her bachelor's and PharmD from Butler University. Her previous experience includes managing a pediatric pharmacy for Cardinal Health Systems. She is also a practitioner and facilitator of mindfulness. Wendy is passionate about patient care and uses her role to facilitate great patient care delivery to St. Vincent associates and patients. 

Kameron Baker, PharmD, BCPS

is an Ambulatory Care Clinical Pharmacist. He received his Doctor of Pharmacy from Butler University. He went on to complete a PGY-1 residency at Franciscan Health Lafayette in Lafayette, Indiana and a PGY-2 residency in ambulatory care at Whiteriver Indian Hospital in Whiteriver, AZ. He is interested in chronic disease state management.

Brad Bentfield, PharmD

is an ambulatory care pharmacist at St Vincent Medication Management

Services. Brad received his PharmD degree from Butler University in 2006. Brad’s previous experience was in community pharmacy. Brad’s current interests include anticoagulation, tobacco cessation and medication therapy management.

Olivia Craker, PharmD

is an Ambulatory Care Clinical Pharmacist at Ascension St. Vincent. Olivia received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Purdue University in 2020 and completed her community-based PGY1 residency and ambulatory care PGY2 residency at Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis. Her current practice areas of interest are chronic disease state management, geriatrics, and medication safety.

Toni Eash, PharmD

Is a board certified ambulatory care pharmacist who serves as a primary care clinical pharmacist at the St. Vincent Joshua Max Simon Primary Care Center in a part-time role. Toni completed her bachelor's degree in Pharmacy and Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Butler University in 2000 and 2001, respectively. She went on to complete a PGY-1 pharmacy practice residency at St. Vincent Hospital and a PGY-2 Ambulatory Care residency at the St. Vincent Primary Care Center. Toni’s current areas of interest include anticoagulation and diabetes education and management.

Jeanna Kovalan, RPh  

Emilie Mueller, PharmD

Jennifer Tobison, PharmD, BCPPS

Pediatric Outpatient Clinical Pharmacy Specialist
Pharmacy (PGY-1) Residency Director
Pediatric Residency: St. Vincent Indianapolis
Pharmacy Residency: St. Vincent Indianapolis
Doctor of Pharmacy: Butler University

Kacey West, PharmD, BCACP, BCGP

Is an Ambulatory Care Clinical Pharmacist and an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy from Butler University. She went on to complete a PGY-1 residency at Community Health Network in Indianapolis and a PGY-2 residency in geriatrics and academia at Midwestern University College of Pharmacy-Glendale in Glendale, AZ. Her interests include geriatrics, chronic disease state management, and academia, and is passionate about working with learners in all settings. 

Russell White, PharmD

Renal Transplant Clinical Pharmacy Specialist
Solid Organ Transplant/Immunology Residency: University of Tennessee
Doctor of Pharmacy: West Virginia University

Krista Wise-Wroblewski, PharmD

Deborah Zeitlin, PharmD

Is an Ambulatory Care Clinical Pharmacist and an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.  She received her Doctor of Pharmacy from Butler University.  She went on to complete a PGY-1 residency at Medical College of Virginia Hospital in Richmond, Virginia and a PGY-2 residency in Ambulatory Care at University of Illinois at Chicago in Chicago, Illinois.  Her interests include anticoagulation, chronic disease state management, self-care management, and academia.  She enjoys working with learners in all settings.