Sharp Grossmont Hospital PGY1 Pharmacy Residency

Helping you enhance your abilities and grow your passion.

Sharp HealthCare celebrates diversity and embraces people of all backgrounds and was named one of America’s Best Employers for Diversity by Forbes Magazine.  

Sharp Grossmont Hospital is part of the Sharp HealthCare System, a large, not-for-profit, integrated regional health care delivery system based in San Diego, California. Sharp Grossmont Hospital is a 562-bed, acute care hospital which serves the east county area of San Diego and has been recognized as a Magnet® and Planetree® hospital for nursing and patient care excellence.  The hospital has outstanding programs in heart care, orthopedics, rehabilitation, robotic surgery, mental health, stroke care and women’s health, as well as unique services such as hyperbaric medicine, limb preservation services, spine rehabilitation, comprehensive sleep center, integrative therapies, postpartum heart care and skilled nursing facilities. In addition, the hospital’s Emergency and Critical Care Center is among the most technologically advanced in the nation and has one of the busiest emergency departments in California, serving 118,000 patients annually, with 24/7 ED pharmacist coverage. Sharp Grossmont Hospital is a designated Comprehensive Stroke Center and home to the Burr Heart and Vascular Center, offering more advanced cardio and neurovascular procedures. In 2025, Sharp Grossmont Hospital for Neuroscience became available to patients needing advanced neurosurgical, neurological and spine care. 

Sharp Grossmont Hospital prides itself in providing an innovative Clinical Pharmacy program with formal protocols in pharmacokinetic dosing of aminoglycosides and vancomycin, renal dosing, anticoagulation, parenteral nutrition and antibiotic stewardship. Floor pharmacists are unit based and decentralized. Our clinical pharmacy programs continue to expand, including the recent addition of our Med-to-Beds program, aimed at ensuring the patient has their medication in hand prior to discharge. Furthermore, Sharp Grossmont has an APPE pharmacy student program, including rotations in administration, critical care, emergency medicine (nightshift), general hospital practice, internal medicine, safe medication practice and transitions of care and, and provides an opportunity for pharmacy school faculty affiliation. 

About the program

Electa Stern, PharmD, is the Residency Program Director. 

This ASHP-accredited PGY1 residency program will train pharmacy graduates in general hospital practice with a focus on the acute care setting. The primary training site is located at Sharp Grossmont Hospital. The resident will obtain experience in multiple patient care settings, as well as seeing a diverse patient population. Sharp Grossmont has dedicated clinical pharmacy specialists in behavioral health/psychiatry, emergency medicine, hematology/oncology, infectious disease, medical intensive care unit, surgical intensive care unit, operating room, safe medication practice, investigational drugs and transitions of care. Our residents will be joining a well-established and highly valued pharmacy team who consistently make a positive impact on the lives of our patients. 

The pharmacy resident will receive training to accelerate growth and competence in patient care, leadership skills, teaching skills, research and practice management skills through precepting pharmacy students, conducting clinical research projects, and assisting in the integration and utilization of clinical pharmacists to improve patient care. For those interested in further developing their teaching skills, participation in a teaching certificate program is available through the San Diego Pharmacy Residency Leadership Teaching Program. 

You will participate in the development of your own residency plan, which will reflect your interests and build upon your previous experiences. Upon successful completion of our program, you will be equipped with the knowledge to become a valuable asset to the pharmacy community. 

Learning experiences

Our unique program aims to personalize your residency objectives and experiences, helping you develop confidence and competence in acute patient care, drug information, disease state management and administrative management. 

Residents are encouraged to participate in the development of their own residency plan that reflects personal interests and builds upon previous experiences. 

Required core learning experiences

• Administration (2 weeks) 
• Chief Resident / Leadership (2 quarters) 
• Critical Care (5 weeks) 
• Infectious Diseases (5 weeks) 
• Medicine (5 weeks) 
• Orientation (6 weeks) 
• Perioperative Services (5 weeks) 
• Pharmacy Practice / Staffing (12 months) 
• Practice Management & Administration (12 months) 
• Research / Advancing Practice (12 months) 
• Safe Medication Practice (3 weeks) 
• Teaching Certification (12 months) 

Elective learning experiences* 

• Advanced Critical Care (5 weeks) 
• Advanced Emergency Medicine (5 weeks) 
• Behavioral Health (5 weeks) 
• Cardiology (5 weeks) 
• Emergency Medicine (5 weeks) 
• Outpatient Infusion Center / Oncology (5 weeks) 
• Specialty Pharmacy (5 weeks) 
• Transitions of Care (5 weeks)
• Women’s Health / NICU (5 weeks)

*Residents may develop new electives as approved by the residency director and preceptors. 

Additional activities 

• Committees

You will actively participate in committees such as Pharmacy and Therapeutics, Safe Medication Practice and other supervisory and multidisciplinary committees as appropriate. 

• Compensation

The annual base stipend will be an estimate of $60,300 plus benefits. We coordinate with pharmacy managers to tailor all staffing to the needs of the residency program and the pharmacy department. Additional financial support for educational opportunities may be available.  We will provide financial support for approved educational opportunities, conferences, and travel. 

• Educational opportunities

We’ll provide you with ongoing educational opportunities through professional meetings and conferences (CSHP, ASHP Midyear, Western States Conference). Sharp also provides continuing pharmacy education and Six Sigma White and Yellow Belt certification opportunities. 

• Leadership

Each resident will act as chief resident for two quarters (each is a three-month term), which involves coordinating and scheduling tasks for the residency team, maintaining correspondence with pharmacy administration and preceptors, and performing other program duties as necessary. 

• Presentations

Throughout the year, we provide numerous opportunities for our residents to present to medical and nursing staff, pharmacy students and pharmacy staff, in addition to the required rotational and formal seminar presentations. 

• Projects

Residents are required to collaborate with system and site pharmacy leadership, your residency project preceptor and co-investigator(s) to select an area of interest that is of high priority to Sharp HealthCare. You will complete an in-depth, systematic study suitable for publication and presentation. Additional projects may be requested by the resident, preceptors, as well as system and site pharmacy departments. These projects once completed will be beneficial for the resident as well as Sharp HealthCare. 

• Teaching

At Sharp, we integrate teaching experiences into patient care activities and through the provision of educational support to pharmacy students and staff, nursing and medical staff members and others. Residents will work closely with pharmacists in the preceptorship of pharmacy students on clinical learning experiences from various colleges of pharmacy — including Creighton University, Keck Graduate Institute, Touro University, University of California at Irvine, University of California at San Diego and Western University. Additionally, through the San Diego Pharmacy Residency Leadership Program, you will obtain a teaching certification upon completion and participate in preceptor development and various workshops.

Join Us at Our Virtual Open House

Virtual Open House Date: 

Thursday, November 14, 2025 from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm PST 

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How to apply

Sharp HealthCare fosters a diverse and inclusive environment through the care we offer and the people we employ. Applicants must possess a Doctor of Pharmacy degree (PharmD) and must be self-motivated with good interpersonal and communication skills. A California Internship License is required before the start of the residency. Completion of the CPJE and NAPLEX licensure exams is recommended before residency begins, if possible. Pharmacist licensure must be obtained no later than 120 days after start of the residency. 

To be considered for an interview, you must complete and submit all application material via PhORCAS by January 2, 2026. If you have any questions, please contact Electa Stern, Pharm.D., Residency Director, or the PGY1 Resident Pharmacists: Justin Boktor; Maryam Koreal. 

Complete applications should include the following in PhORCAS (National Matching Service code 275813): 

• School of pharmacy transcript 
• Curriculum Vitae 
• Letter of Intent 
• 3 References

For More Information

Learn about other residency programs affiliated with Sharp:

• Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center PGY1 Pharmacy Residency 
• Sharp Memorial Hospital PGY1 Pharmacy Residency 
• Sharp Grossmont Hospital PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency 
• Sharp Grossmont Hospital PGY2 Psychiatric Residency