CMC PGY2 Infectious Diseases Program

Carolinas Medical Center (CMC) is an 951-bed academic teaching hospital with residency programs in pharmacy as well as medical and dental specialties. Along with Carolinas College of Health Sciences, it provides an educational environment for more than 1,000 residents, medical students, pharmacy students, physician extenders, nursing students and other allied health professionals annually.

With its updated facilities, sophisticated technology, and advanced basic science and clinical research, CMC is an exciting place for future medical professionals. This degree of technology does not replace compassion, as we emphasize human values and a spirit of caring for all who need care, regardless of status or financial ability.

In 2021, CMC received the distinguished designation as an IDSA Center of Excellence for its efforts in optimizing antimicrobial use, aligning with evidence-based national guidelines, and combating antimicrobial resistance.

Facts about Carolinas Medical Center

• Largest hospital within Atrium Health
• Seven intensive care units (ICUs)
• Level I trauma center
• One of five academic medical teaching hospitals in NC
• 24-hour emergency care
• MedCenter Air
• Levine Cancer Institute
• Transplant Center (liver, pancreas, kidney, heart)
• Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute
• Levine Children’s Hospital
• Carolinas Poison Center
• Maternity Center
• James G. Cannon Research Center
• Carolinas Neuromuscular/ALS Center

Program Structure

The Carolinas Medical Center PGY2 Pharmacy Residency in Infectious Diseases is an ASHP-accredited 12-month intensive learning program focused on training residents to become independent clinicians and leaders in infectious diseases and antimicrobial stewardship. With its Level I trauma center ,seven ICUs, transplant center, and large cancer center providing bone marrow transplantation, CMC hosts a diverse patient population including high acuity and immunocompromised patients.

CMC is the flagship hospital of Atrium Health, which maintains an extensive stewardship program known as the Antimicrobial Support Network (ASN). The ASN is a multi-disciplinary group that incorporates pharmacists, physicians, infection preventionists and microbiologists to improve antimicrobial use on a patient and system level. The ASN serves thirteen acute care facilities and four acute rehabilitation facilities. It is made up of 10 dedicated pharmacists and is led by the ASN medical director and clinical pharmacy manager.  Atrium Health is part of Advocate Health which includes a network of an additional 15 infectious diseases pharmacy specialists across the southeastern and midwestern US.

The resident schedule will be designed based on both previous experiences and current interest areas to ensure a comprehensive and well-rounded experience. Each elective and required learning experience is further tailored to suit the resident’s career goals. The resident will be responsible for clinical staffing at CMC every 3rd weekend and will have four to six dedicated week long stewardship-focused staffing blocks throughout the year to support their development into an independent infectious diseases clinician.

The resident will serve as the meeting coordinator of the Infectious Diseases Coordinating Committee and as a member of the Infection Prevention Committee for the Central Division of Atrium Health.  Additional longitudinal learning experiences include experiences in inpatient HIV management, institutional treatment guideline development, formulary management, and a clinical research project.  The resident will have the opportunity to develop teaching skills in a variety of forums, including formal presentations and co-precepting pharmacy students and PGY1 residents.

Benefits

In addition to the full benefits of a Atrium Health employee, residents will have the option to enroll in competitive medical, dental, and vision plans. Ten paid days off, five additional sick days are available, five bereavement days, and five holidays (based on the Atrium Health holiday schedule) are available. Additional time off is provided for professional interviews. A travel allowance may be provided to attend professional meetings (such as the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting, MAD-ID, or IDWeek). The resident is provided with office space containing an individual double monitor desktop computer, phone, storage/filing space, and a shared printer. In addition, the resident receives remote access to the hospital network, comprehensive drug information resources, three lab coats, a laptop, and free parking.  The Department of Pharmacy also provides an active continuing education program with opportunities offered on a routine basis.