Practical tips for navigating transition between postgraduate year 2 pharmacy residency program directors

Transitions in leadership within pharmacy residency programs can impact the continuity, quality, and regulatory compliance of a program. There is a gap in the literature regarding best practices for transitioning between outgoing and incoming residency program directors (RPDs). The objective of this project was to describe and evaluate the process used to longitudinally transition the RPD role of an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)-accredited residency program.

The transition process was described using a systematic approach to retrospectively reconstruct core transition elements through a review of relevant documents and materials from the 12-month transition process. Materials were reviewed and items categorized via consensus of the study team. The effectiveness of the developed RPD transition process was evaluated by examining program-specific metrics before, during, and following the transition. Based on this review, a transition timeline identifying key transition checkpoints and a transition-specific task list were created. Quality indicators during the transition were generally positive: The number of applicants was maintained, the percentage of on-time summative evaluations increased, the percentage of on-time quarterly development plans increased, and the percentage of on-time initial development plans decreased.

A structured plan for the transition from outgoing to incoming RPD appeared to allow for quality maintenance and smooth transition of a pharmacy residency program. Identified factors that facilitated a smooth transition included leveraging RPD-specific skill sets and the openness of incoming and outgoing RPDs to suggested program adjustments or improvements.