Residency in mental-health pharmacy with a research component

A 12-month postdoctoral specialized residency program in mental-health pharmacy practice with a psychopharmacology research component is described. The resident spent approximately four hours a day in clinical practice and in research activities in the inpatient setting; 10 hours per week in clinical research activities in an ambulatory patient setting; and 10 hours per week in teaching and scholarly activities. The resident was a member of a psychopharmacology research team that also included a research psychiatrist, a nurse, and two psychiatric medical residents at an adult acute-care site. The resident prepared a review of the preclinical evaluations of each investigational drug and participated in the initial screening of study patients. The resident was responsible for patient consent procedures, coordinating clinical evaluations, and scheduling necessary laboratory tests. As a member of the clinical team, she was also responsible for obtaining medication histories, monitoring and reporting adverse drug reactions, maintaining accurate dosage records, and completing the appropriate rating scales in the clinical evaluation of patients. In the ambulatory setting, the resident participated in the outpatient management of study patients. The resident learned to assess patient's clinical progress, maintain progress notes, write medication orders and administer medications in acute situations, maintain individual treatment plans, follow approved drug research protocols, and provide a program of education for patients and families when necessary. In addition, the resident was involved in educational programs for pharmacy students. This training program enables the pharmacist to gain experience in drug research studies, clinical practice, and pharmaceutical education, while contributing to psychopharmacology research.