Pharmacy residency training program increases residents' confidence in inpatient medical emergency response.

This article focuses on the design and evaluation of a pharmacy resident medical emergency response training (PR-MERT) program developed at West Virginia University Medicine to prepare postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy residents for hospital medical emergencies, including cardiac arrest and rapid sequence intubation (RSI). The year-long program combined orientation, didactic lectures, simulation scenarios, mock emergencies, case conferences, and hands-on response to real emergencies, with ongoing coaching by experienced clinical pharmacy preceptors ("code coaches"). Survey results from 23 residents showed significant improvements in self-reported confidence regarding medication selection, dosing, anticipating team needs, and speaking up during emergencies, alongside high satisfaction with the program structure and mentorship. While the program enhanced residents’ confidence and met American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) residency objectives, the study notes limitations including reliance on self-assessment and potential variability in feedback, suggesting further research is needed to assess impact on actual performance. The authors propose that similar longitudinal emergency response training could benefit other inpatient pharmacy residency programs.