Pharmacy Residency Program

A Message From Edna Cheung, PharmD, BCPS, Program Director:

What many people may not know about Hospital pharmacists is that their role and responsibilities far exceeds simply filling and dispensing medications. Hospital pharmacists critically evaluate physician’s medication orders for appropriateness and accuracy. Completing a pharmacy residency is an excellent way to begin a career in clinical pharmacy. Our pharmacy program is a post-graduate year one (PGY-1) training program and 12 months in length. During this 12-month training process, residents are faced with a variety of experiences and projects that accelerate their growth beyond what entry-level experiences may provide. The resident will perform as a licensed practitioner under the supervision of an experienced preceptor and will be exposed to a broad variety of clinical scenarios. Learning experiences are organized in block rotations in a specific area. Residents will also participate in committee meetings, develop and revise policies and procedures, conduct quality/performance improvement efforts and complete one major research project.  Although these experiences are challenging; the skills, competencies and confidence that is gained is invaluable. Being residency trained gives the pharmacist a competitive advantage in the job market as health systems are looking for this requirement for clinical positions.

Edna Cheung, PharmD, BCPS
Pharmacy Residency Program Director
Valley Hospital Medical Center
620 Shadow Lane
Las Vegas, NV 89106
Phone: 702-388-8476

The mission of the Pharmacy Residency Program is to prepare pharmacists to become competent, highly functional, independent clinical practitioners focused on medication therapy management in an acute care setting. Our program is accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).

Purpose Statement

Our PGY-1 pharmacy program builds on Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) education and outcomes to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists responsible for medication-related care of patients with a wide range of conditions, eligible for board certification and eligible for postgraduate year two (PGY-2) pharmacy residency training.

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will have the knowledge, skills and attitude needed to pursue general clinical pharmacy positions and will be qualified to deliver direct patient care in an acute care hospital. Graduates will be equipped to function as pharmacy educators and will be ready for success as a PGY-2 resident. 

Graduates of this program will have completed learning experiences in the following areas: adult inpatient internal medicine, antimicrobial stewardship, critical care, infectious diseases, pharmacy administration and emergency medicine. Residents in the program will have the opportunity to pursue a teaching certificate and choose elective learning experiences in academia, neonatology, hematology/oncology and pediatrics/pediatric intensive care.

Contact Information

Valley Hospital Medical Center
620 Shadow Lane
Las Vegas, NV 89106

Edna Cheung, PharmD, BCPS
Pharmacy Residency Program Director
edna.cheung@uhsinc.com