PGY2 Medication - Use Safety and Policy Oakland Regional Offices, California

The Kaiser Permanente Northern California (NCAL) Postgraduate Year-2 (PGY-2) Medication-Use Safety and Policy (MUSP) Residency Program, accredited by ASHP, is based at the Regional Offices in Oakland, CA. This program offers residents a robust foundation in medication safety, evidence-based medicine, and policy development, preparing them to become leaders in pharmacy practice. Through hands-on experience and interdisciplinary collaboration, residents contribute to initiatives that promote quality of care and patient safety at the local medical center, regional, and national levels.

Key Program Highlights:
Integrated Role on the Northern California (NCAL) PQMS Team: Residents are core members of the Pharmacy Quality & Medication Safety (PQMS) Team, contributing to projects and standard program management work across multiple levels of the organization.

Medication Safety and Risk Mitigation

• Participate in the identification and analysis of medication-use safety risks.
• Implement risk-reduction strategies (such as process and system/technology enhancements) and apply or implement internal and external best practices (e.g., ISMP Targeted Medication Safety Best Practices).
• Conduct proactive risk assessments (e.g., Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) and retrospective evaluations (e.g., Comprehensive Systematic Analysis, Root Cause Analysis).
• Promote High Reliability Organization (HRO) principles.

Data-Driven Decision Making: Analyze regional and national aggregate data to identify trends and opportunities for improvement in medication safety.

Policy and Committee Involvement: Engage in multidisciplinary committees and workgroups, contributing to the development of medication-use safety related procedures, guidelines and policies such as the High-Alert Medication Policy.

Promotion of Safety Culture

• Apply Just Culture principles to support a non-punitive, systems-focused approach to safety.
• Analyze results from AHRQ Surveys on Patient Safety Culture (SOPS) or other tools to assess and enhance safety culture.
• Participate in performance improvement initiatives.

Educational and Precepting Opportunities

• Deliver a formal lecture at a local school of pharmacy.
• Medication safety-related continuing education (C.E.)
• Precept pharmacy interns and PGY-1 residents, supporting their learning and development.

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Pharmacy Services

Kaiser Permanente serves over twelve million members nationwide, with 4.6 million members in the Northern California Region alone. The Northern California Pharmacy Quality & Medication Safety (PQMS) team is based at the regional offices in Oakland, California. The Northern California PQMS team provides support for medication safety activities and programs across the healthcare continuum of care, including twenty-one medical centers and approximately 150 pharmacies.

Oakland At A Glance

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Area Information

The regional offices are in Oakland, California next to Lake Merritt. Oakland is the third largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area and the eighth largest city in California. Oakland is also the principal city of the Bay Area Region known as the East Bay. The city is situated directly across the bay, 6 miles east of San Francisco, and approximately 50 miles southeast of the Napa Valley.

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Learning Experiences

Required Learning Experiences

• Data Management (core)
• Drug Inquiry
• Drug Shortages
• Formulary Management
• Operational Service – Outpatient Pharmacy, Inpatient Pharmacy and Ambulatory Clinical Pharmacy
• Orientation – Program & Systems
• Pharmacy Informatics
• Pharmacy Regulatory Compliance
• Risk Management
• Teaching Seminar

Required Longitudinal Learning Experiences

• Medication Safety
• Pharmacy Administration
• Research Project Management

Elective Learning Experiences

• Regional Pharmacy Continuum of Care
• Data Management – Advanced (including opportunities to learn skills in SQL coding)
• Additional elective experiences may be available based on preceptor availability and resident’s interest

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Requirements for Acceptance

• Must have completed an ASHP accredited or candidate-status PGY1 residency prior to start of program.
• Must be licensed as an Intern Pharmacist in the state of California by the first day of residency program if not already licensed as a pharmacist in California.
• Resident must be a licensed California pharmacist within 120 days from the program start date. Residents who are not licensed as a pharmacist within 120 days from the program start date will have their term of appointment extended by the number of days the resident is without licensure past the 120-day deadline up to a maximum of 45 days. Failure to obtain a California state pharmacist license within 165 days from the program start date will result in the resident being dismissed from the program and employment will be terminated.
• To be eligible for pharmacist licensure, candidates must be graduates or candidates for graduation from an ACPE accredited degree program (or one in the process of pursuing accreditation) or have a Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC) certificate from the NABP.
• For more information regarding licensing in California, please visit www.pharmacy.ca.gov
• Certifications (If applicable): BLS
• Candidates must be registered in the National Matching Services, Inc. (NMS).
• Candidates must participate in the ASHP Matching Program.
• Program NMS Code: 757477 and ASHP Program Code: 92162

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Application Requirements

Program-Specific Application Materials to be Uploaded into PhORCAS

• Statement of Interest/Letter of Intent
• Curriculum Vitae
• Official Pharmacy School transcript
• Three (3) letters of recommendation
• Application Deadline: January 15, 2026

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Interview Details

• An interview is required and will be conducted virtually.
• Click here to link to the Virtual Information Sessions: 
  • October 17, 2025 – 12p.m. – 1p.m. PST (canceled)
  • October 24, 2025 – 3p.m. – 4p.m. PST
  • November 5, 2025 – 1p.m. – 2p.m. PST
  • November 21, 2025 – 3p.m. – 4p.m. PST
  • December 19, 2025 – 3p.m. – 4p.m. PST

**This residency agrees that no person at this residency will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any residency applicant**

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