Development of a multisite distribution rotation for pharmacy practice residents.

The distribution rotation is one of the compulsory rotations in the Canadian pharmacy practice residency program. This rotation aligns with the 2010 Accreditation Standards of the Canadian Hospital Pharmacy Residency Board (CHPRB), which require pharmacy practice residents to demonstrate knowledge of medication-use systems. All residency training programs across Canada incorporate a distribution rotation, which runs from 2 to 8 weeks. The rotation introduces pharmacy practice residents to dispensary functions, medication distribution systems, IV admixtures, and basic computer applications. As regionalization evolves and becomes a widely accepted health care structure in many provinces in Canada, there will be more instances of pharmacy sites with different drug distribution systems being amalgamated into one department under one health authority. If a pharmacy practice resident is to meet the CHPRB standards and be effectively integrated into the organization’s staff complement at any site once the residency program ends, he or she must be introduced to as many of the drug distribution systems and sites as possible during the distribution rotation. In recognition of this reality, a multisite distribution rotation was designed by the Fraser Health Authority in British Columbia, where 12 pharmacy sites have been merged to create a regional, one-department module.