Horizon Health Network Pharmacy Residency Program

Rotations: If scheduling permits, residents are expected to complete one rotation from each area of practice. Remaining rotations may be selected without restriction, however, may depend on availability of rotations at each site. If needed and approved by the residency coordinator, residents may request to complete a rotation at another Horizon site or an external institution.

*Mandatory patient care = 16 weeks, electives = 8 weeks

Research Projects

All residents will complete a longitudinal research project throughout the program. A total of 6 to 8 weeks will be scheduled over the year for residents to spend on their projects, however, residents likely will need to work on their research projects outside of that allocated time. Residents will be supervised by a pharmacist; it will be the residents that will lead the development and execution of their research project. Project topics vary each year and could focus on any area of pharmacy practice. Horizon is pleased to offer research support to residents. This includes assistance with residents’ research projects, eight core sessions throughout the year, statistical and methodological research services, dedicated research time, and assistance from Horizon Pharmacy’s Research and Education Coordinator.

All research ideas are evaluated and approved through Pharmacy Research Committee prior to the beginning of the residency year.

Mentorship Program

The Horizon Pharmacy Resident Mentorship Program provides each resident with a mentor at the beginning of their residency year to provide guidance, support, and advice throughout the year. Mentors are Horizon pharmacists who are not a preceptor for the resident they are mentoring and ideally have completed an accredited residency program. Mentors and residents should meet at least every 8 weeks to discuss topics such as: orientation to a new city, career goals, progress during rotations, and general well-being during the program.

What other educational activities do residents participate in?

Horizon pharmacy residents will be granted a minimum of 5 education days during their residency year and they are encouraged to attend at least one major conference.

Residents will also complete a minimum of three case presentations, one journal club, and one in-service. The Horizon Pharmacy Residency program includes 4 major presentations which consist of: one final research project presentation and three other presentations that are determined by the residency coordinator. These presentations could include: Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists (CSHP) New Brunswick session, Dalhousie University College of Pharmacy lecture, a presentation to a non-pharmacy audience, etc.).

Residents also attend Pharmacy Grand Rounds, Internal Medicine Grand Rounds, Journal Clubs, etc.

Residents in Moncton will participate in the interdisciplinary academic half-day on Friday afternoons with the postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) family medicine residents.

Assessment/Evaluations

Throughout the year, Horizon pharmacy residents are assessed on an ongoing basis. This process allows residents and preceptors to monitor the progress of the residents in achieving curriculum and personal goals. Pharmacy residents will be required to complete midpoint and final self-assessments for each rotation that will be discussed with their preceptors.

Moncton Residents

Katie Miller

Hello everyone, I’m Katie! I am honoured to be completing my pharmacy residency with Horizon H at The Moncton Hospital for the 2022-23 year. I grew up in Riverview, New Brunswick and graduated with a Bachelor of Dental Hygiene degree from Dalhousie University in 2015. I practiced as a dental hygienist for a handful of years before deciding to go back to school to pursue a degree in pharmacy at Dalhousie University. I absolutely love working in the field of pharmacy, and look forward to the unique learning opportunities I will encounter during my hospital pharmacy residency. I am passionate about collaborative patient care, and hope to gain valuable experience working with a multidisciplinary team of health care professionals here at The Moncton Hospital. In my spare time, I like to enjoy the great outdoors with family and friends— running, hiking, canoeing, and camping!

Rachel MacMillan

Hi everyone! My name is Rachel, and I’m thrilled to be one of Horizon’s pharmacy residents at The Moncton Hospital for the 2022-23 year. I am originally from Quispamsis, New Brunswick, but have spent the last 7 years living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I have attended Dalhousie University for 7 years, where I completed a Bachelor of Science at Dalhousie in 2018, as well as my pharmacy degree in 2022. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my friends and family at my cottage, and taking care of my plants! Over the years, I have worked in many community pharmacies within the Halifax Regional Municipality, and I spent a summer working at the Campbellton Regional Hospital with Vitalité Health Network. My areas of interests are geriatric medicine, critical care, and deprescribing. I’m very excited to have this opportunity to further develop my clinical skills, and I’m looking forward to collaborating with other members of the Horizon team this upcoming year!

Saint John Residents

Lexi Symonds

Hi there! My name is Lexi, and I’m very excited to be joining the team at Saint John Regional Hospital as a pharmacy resident for the 2022-23 year. I was born in Ontario, but my family moved to Conception Bay South, Newfoundland when I was 9. I’ve lived there or in St. John’s ever since, and am happy to be here experiencing life in another (familiar sounding!) port city. I graduated with my PharmD from Memorial University in 2022. During the final year of placements for the program, I had the opportunity to spend 8 weeks on the Family Medicine floor at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital and thoroughly enjoyed my time with the team there. I feel honoured to have the chance to continue learning from Horizon’s interdisciplinary teams and to develop the clinical skills needed to provide the best care I can. In my spare time, I love cooking and rock climbing, and I can’t wait to get hiking and explore this beautiful province!

Meagan London

Hello all! My name is Meagan and I am excited to begin my pharmacy residency at the Saint John Regional Hospital for the 2022-23 year. I grew up in Rothesay, just outside of Saint John, and I am glad to be back in New Brunswick for my residency program. I completed three years of a BSc in Biochemistry at UNB Fredericton and graduated with a BScPharm from Dalhousie University’s College of Pharmacy in Halifax, Nova Scotia. While completing my pharmacy degree, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work at the Saint John Regional Hospital as a pharmacy intern for three summers. In this position, I was able to learn in several clinical areas and contributed to various research projects. My pharmacy experience also extends to community pharmacy, where I have been an employee with Shoppers Drug Mart for over five years. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, spending time outdoors, skating, and boating. I am honoured to have the opportunity to further my education and be part of the Horizon pharmacy team. I look forward to providing patient-centred care as part of an interdisciplinary team and expanding my research skills over the course of the residency program!

General survival/success tips:

• Reserve time each week for yourself: It is important for pharmacy residents to have a sense of balance. Horizon encourages pharmacy residents to make time for themselves through physical activities, hobbies, or exploring the fantastic cities where our program is based.
• Be willing to step out of your comfort zone: Pharmacy Residency is challenging, and residents will be pushed to work hard and develop their skills in patient care.
• Refine time management skills: Residents will need to balance work associated with their rotations with work from their research project, and other presentations. Residents will be expected to manage their time in a way that accomplishes their tasks efficiently.
• Use your mentor as a resource: Horizon assigns residents with a mentor who can act as a support system when our residents have questions about hospital pharmacy, their new city, or needs guidance in navigating the program.
• Understand that a residency is a time for learning and growing your skills in hospital pharmacy: Before pharmacy residents are able to perform at the proficient level, there will be times of development where residents will have lots of questions and perhaps self-doubt. Our residents are selected because they are the best candidates for the positions and it is normal to ebb and flow between confidence and frustration during the initial learning stages. (Tucker’s Stages of Group Development).
• Self-reflection is important: Residencies require ongoing self-assessments. Learn to identify areas where you may need to further develop skills and areas that you feel are your strengths.
• Create goals: Write goals for each rotation down. Inform your preceptor of your goals to keep yourself accountable and to let your preceptor know what you hope to get out of their rotation.