Featured Residents

Heather Strouse
PGY-2 Pharmacy Resident at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital

Why did I choose to complete a residency?
I decided to pursue residency training to better serve my patients, regardless of the practice area that I choose to work in post-residency. Prior to starting residency I had about 10 years of retail experience and was conflicted between completing a residency versus continuing my career in the community setting. I also had many clinical interests including pediatrics, critical care, ambulatory care, and infectious diseases. I felt that completing at least one year of residency would expand my clinical knowledge and allow me to obtain a variety of patient care experiences. During my PGY-1 year I really enjoyed my pediatric rotations and decided to complete a PGY-2 in Pediatrics here at St. Joseph’s Hospital!

Why did I choose St. Joseph’s at BayCare?
I chose St. Joseph’s Hospital for the variety of clinical experiences, as well as the positive BayCare culture. During my interview for PGY-1, I connected with the preceptors, residents, and residency program director and knew St. Joseph’s Hospital would be a great fit for me! Throughout my PGY-1 and PGY-2 I have been able to experience many unique practice areas including Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care, Women’s Health, Nutrition Support, and Hematology-Oncology, among others. I feel very fortunate for all of the opportunities I’ve been awarded at St. Joseph’s Hospital during my residency!

Jessica Lambert
PGY-1 Pharmacy Resident at Mease Countryside Hospital

Why did I choose to complete a residency?
I decided to complete a PGY-1 residency to expand my clinical knowledge and immerse myself in areas of pharmacy in which I was most uncomfortable. I plan to pursue board certification and completing a residency will help prepare me for that next step.

Why did I choose Mease Countryside Hospital at BayCare?
Mease Countryside Hospital offers clinical learning experiences ranging from oncology to pediatrics to infectious diseases and intensive care. Each learning experience exposes me to areas of pharmacy that I may not have had the opportunity to work in without a residency. The pharmacists here play an integral role in patient care and I truly feel like a valued member of the team. I am so happy to be completing my residency at Mease Countryside Hospital and I am confident that I will emerge from this program as a competent and confident clinical pharmacist.

Lairyn Kenney
PGY-1 Pharmacy Resident at Morton Plant Hospital

Why did I choose to complete a residency?
I chose to pursue a post-graduate residency because I knew that I wanted to work as a clinical pharmacist in an interdisciplinary setting. After several hospital rotations, I recognized my passion to help patients in their most vulnerable state, and work alongside physicians, mid-level providers, and nurses to provide optimal patient care.

Why did I choose Morton Plant Hospital at BayCare?
Many of my rotations throughout pharmacy school were at BayCare hospitals. During one rotation, I got the unique opportunity to work with members of the pharmacy leadership team, and see how the culture of BayCare truly circulates from the leadership, down. I knew that I wanted to work at Morton Plant Hospital during my residency interview, as every single person I encountered was so welcoming. I could tell that they truly gear their program toward the resident’s interests and career goals. What makes Morton Plant Hospital unique, and why I wanted to complete my residency here, is that the USF Family Medicine residents round within the hospital, so the pharmacy residents get to experience the layered-learning teaching model, similar to an academic center, with the medical residents.

Lisa Kerridge
PGY-1 Pharmacy Resident at Winter Haven Hospital

Why did I choose to complete a residency?
From the very beginning of pharmacy school, I knew I wanted to practice clinical pharmacy. While I know that it is possible to become a clinical pharmacist without completing a residency, it makes obtaining a position much more difficult and certainly limits your options. Also, there is no question that the knowledge you gain during the year of residency is invaluable. I wanted this year dedicated to learning more about various aspects of clinical pharmacy, so for me there was no question of whether or not I would complete a residency, but where I would complete my residency.

Why did I choose Winter Haven Hospital at BayCare?
When you interview at a number of different hospitals, you find that while most of them have many things in common, each one is somehow unique. The main reason I chose to complete my residency at Winter Haven Hospital was because I could tell instantly that the people here truly work as a team and have each other’s backs. It was also apparent that they are very enthusiastic about their program, want their residents to enjoy their experience during their time of residency, and are willing to tailor the rotations as much as possible in order have the resident get the type of experience he or she is looking for. The preceptors here are amazing and have a lot of clinical knowledge to share! I’m very glad to have matched at Winter Haven Hospital.

Melissa Johnson
PGY-1 Pharmacy Resident at South Florida Baptist Hospital

Why did I choose to complete a residency?
I decided to pursue a PGY-1 residency to strengthen my clinical skills so that I can provide the best patient care. Not only will I have the opportunity to develop my professional goals, but I will also become a well-versed clinical pharmacist.

Why did I choose South Florida Baptist Hospital at BayCare?
I chose South Florida Baptist Hospital at Baycare for residency because of the wide variety of clinical rotations and faculty mentorship within the pharmacy department; both offering a balance of support and independence that I seek. At South Florida Baptist Hospital, I will have the opportunity to become an integral part of patient care services, in addition to developing rapport with the physicians and nursing staff. Furthermore, the PGY-1 residency program will help advance my personal and professional growth in order to become a well-rounded and knowledge clinical pharmacist.

Rachael Cofield
PGY-1 Ambulatory Care Resident at Turley Family Health Center

Why did I choose to complete a residency?
I decided to complete a PGY1 residency because I wanted to continue my training. The transition from school to being a pharmacist is a big jump. Things done in clinical practice are not always how we learn them in school. I wanted to work in an environment focused on learning. I wanted mentorship to develop my clinical decision making, build up my confidence, as well as work alongside pharmacists who hold the same passion for ambulatory care that I do.

Why did I choose Turley Family Health Center at BayCare?
The Turley pharmacy residency is a unique pharmacy practice environment which offers me the opportunity to see patients on a daily basis in the ambulatory care setting as well as receive inpatient hospital experience; offering me a well-balanced and versatile residency experience. The pharmacy team here works collaboratively with the faculty physicians, medical residents, and other providers to deliver exceptional patient care. During the interview process, I could immediately feel the warmth of the preceptors and residents. Everyone works well together and truly cares about my success and growth. Patient care and resident teaching are top priorities at the Turley Family Health Center.

Zakary Doran
PGY-1 Pharmacy Resident at St. Joseph’s Hospital

Why did I choose to complete a residency?
I chose to complete a residency because it would help me reach my personal and professional goals as well as allow me to hone my clinical skills as a practicing pharmacist.

Why did I choose St. Joseph’s at BayCare?
While a student on rotation at St. Joseph’s Hospital, I learned a lot about the Bay Care Health system and all that St. Joseph’s Hospital had to offer. I really enjoyed the progressive thinking St. Joseph’s had in regards to optimizing patient care. The interactions I had with the staff during rotations is also why I chose to pursue a residency at St. Joseph’s. The pharmacy staff were people I could relate to as well as people I would enjoy working with. With the preceptors being from all types of backgrounds, I knew they would provide a challenging environment that could help me achieve my overall goals.