KROGER PHARMACY
Kroger Pharmacy offers a unique experience for postgraduate training in a community
pharmacy setting. The residency prepares pharmacists to become future leaders that are
capable of advancing patient care in community pharmacy.
Kroger Pharmacy is a supermarket chain pharmacy with subsidiaries nationwide including City
Market, Dillon’s, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, King Soopers, QFC, Ralph’s, and Smith’s Food and Drug.
The resident will be a part of the Kroger Mid-South Division. The Mid-South Division has 159
pharmacies that are split into eight districts. Each district has a Patient Care Specialist that
implements patient care services for the company. The resident will be based at the Kroger
Patient Care Center in Lexington, Kentucky, a unique practice setting that is located
approximately 15 minutes from the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy. This
community pharmacy location has a patient care area separate from the dispensing pharmacy
and serves as a focal point for patient care services for 22 stores located in the Central
Kentucky district.
Kroger Pharmacy is a leader in patient care with services such as immunizations,
health/wellness and disease management, employee coaching programs, and medication
therapy management (MTM). Other services include physical assessment and point of care
monitoring such as biometric screenings, A1c tests, and disease risk assessment. Additionally,
the Kroger Patient Care Center is an American Diabetes Association-accredited diabetes selfmanagement education program.
Residents will have an opportunity to precept and teach student pharmacists on their Advanced
Pharmacy Practice Experience rotations. Advantages of working with Kroger Pharmacy include
the opportunity to implement programs through the entire marketing area and the potential to
influence the practice of pharmacy in the community pharmacy setting. The resident will have
the opportunity to create and provide continuing education for area pharmacists and serve as a
resource for drug information for medical professionals and patients. The 159 pharmacies and
over 570 pharmacists in the Mid-South Division provide a large population of patients and
pharmacists for the collection of research project data.
The site coordinator and Patient Care Specialist is Dr. William Grise, Pharm.D., who has many
years of experience with student pharmacists and residents. Dr. Grise helped found the UK
College of Pharmacy Community Residency Program with Kroger Pharmacy in 2001. Other
preceptors at the Kroger Pharmacy site are Dr. Brooke Hudspeth, Pharm.D., CDE, winner of the
Patient Counseling Award for APhA in 2010 and Dr. David Strunk, Pharm.D., pharmacy manager
at the Alexandria Drive community pharmacy location. All preceptors hold community-based
faculty appointments at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy.
AMERICAN PHARMACY SERVICES CORPORATION
The American Pharmacy Services Corporation (APSC) is a cooperative of over 400
independent community pharmacies whose headquarters are located in Frankfort, Kentucky.
The resident's primary practice site is at Wheeler Pharmacy located in Lexington, KY.
The APSC residency site provides the resident the opportunity to participate in a unique direct
patient care program providing specialized pharmacy services that focus on disease state
management and increasing adherence.
At the pharmacy level, the resident will participate in medication therapy management (MTM),
immunization services, pharmacy management and leadership, and MTM/disease management
through Wheeler Pharmacy's Home Connection program. Home Connection is an innovative
medication management program designed for geriatric patients.
The resident will have the opportunity to develop management skills and knowledge in the
operation of an independent community pharmacy.
APSC's Professional Affairs Division provides the resident with a unique opportunity to assist
many independent pharmacies with the development, design, marketing, and implementation of
enhanced pharmacist care, disease state management programs and clinical services. In-house
point-of-care programs currently available include asthma, dyslipidemia, osteoporosis, diabetes,
adult immunizations, and a program designed to help members in conducting pharmacy-based
health fairs.
An enormous advantage to doing a residency at APSC is in the variety. In addition to working
at the primary practice site, residents have the opportunity to work with several independent
pharmacies affiliated with APSC and with the supportive and very knowledgeable corporate
office.
At the corporate level, the resident will learn relevant government affairs issues that affect
independent pharmacies, develop continuing education programs and facilitate conferences,
create new disease state management programs, and precept student pharmacists.
The site coordinator is Dr. Cathy Hanna, Pharm.D., who also serves as the Vice President of
Professional Affairs for APSC. Other preceptors at the APSC site are Claire Love, R.Ph.,
Manager at Wheeler Pharmacy and Dr. Lynne Eckmann, Pharm.D., Coordinator of the Home
Connections Program. All preceptors hold community-based faculty appointments at the
University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy.