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Pharmacy Residency Programs

Helping to develop pharmacists with advanced knowledge and skills

Pharmacy residents Pharmacy residents

PGY1 & PGY2 Residency Programs

HSHS St. John's Hospital offers three PGY1 positions and one PGY2 Infectious Diseases position. Each program is a twelve-month, postgraduate training experience composed of required, elective, and longitudinal learning experiences.  The specific program is personalized to each resident’s goals, interests and previous experiences.

 A wide variety of clinical services provided by St. John’s Pharmacy Department include pharmacokinetic dosing, renal dosing, drug interaction monitoring, patient care rounding, therapeutic drug monitoring, drug information, and anticoagulation dosing in a decentral pharmacy model of patient care. 

Our residency programs are also affiliated with Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUe) School of Pharmacy to offer academia opportunities like participation in a Teaching Certificate program and access to additional resources. Upon conclusion of the program, trainees are awarded a residency certificate from an ASHP accredited pharmacy residency program.

General Benefits

  • Lab Coats
  • Library Access
  • Shared Resident Office
  • Personal Computer Access
  • BLS/ACLS Certification
  • Immunizations
  • Wellness Program
  • Health Coverage: Standard Comprehensive Coverage: medical, prescription, life and disability and Optional Coverage: dental and vision
  • Other FMLA & retirement planning
  • See benefits.hshs.org for more information. 

Additional Benefits

PTO

Paid time off (PTO) is accrued throughout the residency year. The residents will accrue approximately 23 days over the year.

Meetings & Conferences

PGY1 and PGY2 residents are required to attend a variety of meetings and conferences, including departmental, administrative staff meetings, committees, clinical meetings and professional meetings. Some of these meetings are standing meetings or the preceptor may assign them at the beginning of each learning experience.

Residents completing a residency program at HSHS St. John’s Hospital are expected to develop and maintain an involvement in professional society activities on a local, state and national level. Involvement is critical to the development of the resident and the achievement of professional and personal goals. 

Residents should be active participants in ASHP and ICHP or other nationally recognized societies of their choice. Activities may include attendance at meetings, serving on committees, and volunteering for service to the society.

Professional Meetings

  • ICHP Annual Meeting
  • ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting
  • Illinois Pharmacy Residency Conference
  • IDSA IDWeek (PGY2 ID Resident only)
  • Attendance to other professional meetings based on resident interest and program director approval

Travel Reimbursement

Travel reimbursement is available for reasonable expenses including meeting registration, travel, hotel, and meals.

Meet the Current Residents

The pharmacy staff at HSHS St. John's Hospital are committed to improving the community's health and helping to train the next generation of health care professionals. 

As a result, St. John's offers two pharmacy residency programs to help develop high quality pharmacy professionals for the future.

Alexis McCarthy

Alexis McCarthy | PGY1

Hometown: Washington, Illinois
Alexis McCarthy earned her doctor of pharmacy degree with an acute care specialization in 2024 from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, School of Pharmacy. Her practice areas of interest include emergency medicine and critical care.

Outside of work, Alexis's hobbies and interests include painting, reading, and going to concerts with friends.
Cozette Smith

Cozette Smith | PGY1

Hometown: Springfield, Illinois
Cozette Smith earned her Bachelor of Science in interdisciplinary health sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2020. She then received her doctor of pharmacy degree from St. Louis College of Pharmacy at the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in 2024. Her practice areas of interest include emergency medicine, critical care, and solid organ transplant.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family and trying new restaurants.
Teagan Strom

Teagan Strom, PGY1

Hometown: Highland, Illinois
Teagan Strom earned her doctor of pharmacy degree in 2024 from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, School of Pharmacy with a specialization in acute care. Her current practice areas of interest include infectious disease and pediatrics.

Outside of pharmacy, Teagan enjoys bowling, baking, and spending time with her family pets, especially King Berlioz.
Kendra Bourland

Kendra Bourland | PGY2 Infectious Disease

Hometown: Carterville, Illinois
Kendra Bourland received her doctor of pharmacy degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2023 with a specialization in education. She completed her PGY-1 pharmacy residency at HSHS St. John’s Hospital. Her practice areas of interest include gram-negative multidrug resistant organisms, invasive fungal infections, and their respective novel therapies.

Outside of pharmacy, her hobbies and interests include reading, gaming, listening to music, and exploring the great outdoors. Kendra is excited to further serve the community in her new role as a pharmacy resident in infectious diseases.