Pharmacy Residency Program

Palmetto Health Richland

Palmetto Health Richland is part of South Carolina's largest health system. The health system is composed of five hospitals, Palmetto Health Richland, Palmetto Health Children's Hospital, Palmetto Health Heart Hospital and Palmetto Health Baptist in Columbia, and Palmetto Health Baptist in Easley. The 1,247 bed system is JCAHO accredited with more than 9,500 employees and 1,200 physicians.

Palmetto Health Richland in Columbia is a regional teaching hospital that treats patients from every county in the state. Areas of excellence include cardiology, obstetrics including high risk pregnancies, oncology including the South Carolina Breast Center, orthopaedics, neonatology, pediatrics, surgery, and trauma. It is home to the Children's Hospital, which is South Carolina's only free-standing pediatric hospital and the Midland's only level 1 trauma center. The Palmetto Health Heart Hospital, which opened in January of 2006 on the Palmetto Health Richland campus, is the state's first free standing dedicated heart hospital. Palmetto Health is also affiliated with the Univeristy of South Carolina, which includes research partnerships with the USC School of Medicine and twelve physician residency programs. 

The Pharmacy Department

The Pharmacy Department at Palmetto Health Richland provides a wide array of comprehensive services to meet the needs of this 700 bed community / teaching hospital. Services offered include unit dose drug distribution, intravenous admixture, computerized patient profiles and care management, decentralized clinical pharma­cists, drug information, medication use evaluation, nutritional support, and ambulatory care. Clinical specialty areas include pediatrics, internal medicine, oncology, family practice, critical care / trauma, surgery, cardiology, and geriatrics.  Inpatient pharmacy services are offered from the main pharmacy 24 hours a day with abbreviated hours of services offered to inpatients from the Children's Hospital pharmacy and Operating Room pharmacy. Outpatient services are provided through the Ambulatory Care Pharmacy and Palmetto SeniorCare Pharmacy.

The pharmacy staff at Palmetto Health Richland consists of more than 175 individuals who are dedicated to providing quality pharmaceutical services. The pharmacy staff is encouraged to advance their pharmacy knowledge and skills through continuing education and staff development programs. They utilize these skills to develop new programs and improve and advance our present services allowing the department to grow and better serve our patients. The staff is comprised of approximately 80 pharmacists (including six University of South Carolina teaching faculty), 12 registered dietitians, approximately 80 pharmacy technicians, a nutritional nurse, six pharmacy residents, and other ancillary and administrative personnel.

The Residency Programs 

Palmetto Health Richland has offered an American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists accredited residency program in pharmacy practice since 1972. Palmetto Health Richland currently offers programs in general pharmacy practice, pediatrics, and critical care.