Institutional Pharmacy Residency Programs
An Institutional (historically termed Hospital) Pharmacy Residency Program is a 12-month postgraduate learning experience involving structured rotations in various areas of institutional pharmacy services (inpatient hospital or ambulatory care), such as clinical practice, education, project management or research, and administration/leadership. There are two types of Institutional Pharmacy Residency Programs: Year 1 and Year 2 programs. The goal of Year 1 residency programs is to prepare pharmacists for challenging and innovative pharmacy practice careers, while the goal of Year 2 residency programs is to prepare graduates for advanced practice in a defined area of practice. Year 2 programs are typically done after a Year 1 program has been completed.
Institutional Pharmacy Residency graduates are an important source of highly qualified pharmacists trained in hospital or ambulatory care practice. Each Institutional Pharmacy Residency Program offered in Ontario partners with either the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto (UT), the School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo (UW), or the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Ottawa (UO) to provide an academic linkage. Applicants from any pharmacy degree program may apply. Applications are coordinated nationally through the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists. Both Year 1 and Year 2 Programs undergo formal accreditation through the Canadian Pharmacy Residency Board.
The following institutions provide hospital-based Residency Programs (Year 1) in Ontario:
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Toronto, Ontario (UT) - Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation
Hamilton, Ontario (UW) - The Hospital for Sick Children
Toronto, Ontario (UT) - Kingston General Hospital
Kingston, Ontario (UT) - London Health Sciences Centre
London, Ontario (UW) - Mount Sinai Hospital, part of Sinai Health System
Toronto, Ontario (UT) - North York General
Toronto, Ontario (UT) - The Ottawa Hospital and Montfort Hospital
Ottawa, Ontario (UO) - Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, Barrie, Ontario (UT)
- St. Joseph's Healthcare
Hamilton, Ontario (UT) - St. Joseph's Healthcare
London, Ontario (UW) - St. Michael's Hospital, part of Unity Health Toronto
Toronto, Ontario (UT) - Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Toronto, Ontario (UT) - Trillium Health Partners
Mississauga, Ontario (UT) - University Health Network
Toronto, Ontario (UT) - William Osler Health System
Brampton and Toronto, Ontario (UT) - Windsor Regional Hospital
Windsor, Ontario (UW)
Ambulatory Care Institutional Residency Programs (Year 1) prepare residents with the knowledge and skills necessary to establish a collaborative practice in ambulatory care (direct patient care rotations in a variety of practice areas, drug information, leadership, teaching, and project management/research).
Ambulatory Care Institutional Residency Programs in Ontario are offered at:
- University Health Network
Toronto, Ontario (UT) - Women's College Hospital
Toronto, Ontario (UT) - University of Waterloo/Centre for Family Medicine Health Team
Waterloo, Ontario (UW)
Institutional Pharmacy Residency Programs (Year 2) are designed to prepare graduates for an advanced practice in a defined area of practice (hospital-based or ambulatory care). The following institutions in Ontario offer a Year 2 residency program:
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre - Antimicrobial Stewardship
Toronto, Ontario (UT) - Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre - Thromboembolism
Toronto, Ontario (UT) - University Health Network* - HIV
Toronto, Ontario (UT)
*This position is a joint program of UHN and McGill University Health Centre, in conjunction with UT.
Pharmaceutical Industry Residency Program
Overview
The Pharmaceutical Industry Residency Program (PIRP) is a twelve month educational program administered and certified by the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto. In cooperation with participating pharmaceutical companies, the PIRP is intended to provide solid foundational knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry and build critical skills for Pharmacy degree program graduates. Individual company programs will provide focused experience in functional areas, such as regulatory affairs, medical affairs, market access, and compliance. Residents will be exposed to other areas through committees, teams, projects and/or mentorship to better appreciate the complexities of commercializing medications and key issues globally and in Canada.
In addition to their work at the pharmaceutical company, residents are expected to complete a major project and participate in educational webinars, events, and activities. A pharmaceutical industry residency completion certificate is awarded by the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. There were 34 residency positions offered at the following companies for the PIRP in 2025-26:
- AbbVie
Montreal, Quebec - Alexion Astra Zeneca
Mississauga, Ontario - Amgen
Mississauga, Ontario - AstraZeneca
Mississauga, Ontario - Bayer
Mississauga, Ontario - Boehringer-Ingelheim
Burlington, Ontario - Eisai Canada
Mississauga, Ontario - Eli Lilly Canada
Toronto, Ontario - Gilead
Mississauga, Ontario - Novo Nordisk
Mississauga, Ontario - Pfizer
Toronto, Ontario - Roche
Mississauga, Ontario - Sanofi
Mississauga, Ontario
Eligibility
Applicants to the PIRP must be:
- Legally eligible to work in Canada
- A pharmacist who graduated in the past 5 years or a pharmacy student in their final year of study. All pharmacy degree requirements must be completed before starting the residency.
- A graduate with a recognized professional degree in pharmacy from a university accredited within Canada by CCAPP or the USA by ACPE.
Other programs may be approved, based on review of the applicant's university transcripts. A license to practice pharmacy is strongly recommended but not mandatory. Previous work experience in the pharmaceutical industry is not required.
Objectives
PIRP is a certified, experiential program to educate residents in at least one functional area within the pharmaceutical industry. Residents are expected to meaningfully contribute to and/or lead suitable, diverse projects. Residents should be exposed to other areas through committees, teams, shadowing, projects and/or mentorship to better appreciate the complexities of commercializing medications and key issues globally and in Canada.
Upon completion of the PIRP, supervisors will ensure residents can:
- Appreciate the complexities of drug commercialization and the related regulations and compliance
- Understand key policies/issues that affect the pharmaceutical industry both locally and globally
- Describe the roles and responsibilities of different functional areas in a pharmaceutical company
- Describe the interrelationships among the functions in a pharmaceutical company
- Identify external stakeholder groups for the pharmaceutical industry and appreciate their role
- Apply principles of critical appraisal, strategic thinking and creative problem solving
- Meaningfully contribute to projects at either a brand or functional level
- Reliable prepare and deliver high quality presentations and written reports
Success Criteria
Success of the PIRP will be assessed regularly in the following parameters:
- Number of companies involved year over year
- Number of residency positions offered year over year
- Number of PIRP applicants year over year
- Percentage of available residency positions successfully filled
- Percentage of residents that complete all requirements and ear the certificate
- Career path of residents upon completion
- Periodic surveys of residents, supervisors and other stakeholders to assess:
- Development of resident's skills/competencies
- Satisfaction with the PIRP
- Opportunities for program improvement
Start and Finish Dates
Residents must complete all pharmacy academic requirements including examinations, clinical and other rotations, and projects prior to starting their residency. Residents start the PIRP between July 1 and September 30. The PIRP finish date is twelve months after the start date.
Certificate Requirements
- Pharmaceutical company learning and employment for 12 months
- Complete on time, all activities assigned in University of Toronto's Quercus system
- Attend PIRP professional development webinar sessions (at least 6 of 8 per year)
- Major Project - approval of the written report and at least one presentation within the company
- Attend and present on their major project at the PIRP Annual General Meeting (AGM)
The PIRP is level three certified by the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto. To receive the PIRP certificate, the resident must complete all the above requirements. In addition to the Quercus records, the company supervisor must inform the Residency Coordinator of the resident's successful completion and approval of the major project report.
Major Project
The major project is a long-term, meaningful initiative with a high-quality final report on the progress and project findings. It is not meant to be a series of role specific duties or experiential work. The company supervisor is to provide the resident with a list of potential projects that are of value for the company, feasible and can be completed within the available time frame. The company supervisor and/or their delegate will take full responsibility to ensure the resident's work on this project is high quality and on track. Residents who require Research Ethics Board (REB) approval for their major project are to follow their company's standards and procedures for conducting high quality research and related publications. The final project written report must be submitted one-month prior to the completion of the residency for review and approval y the company supervisor. Residents are expected to present their project in detail to appropriate internal stakeholders and a high-level overview at PIRP related events such as the AGM or poster event, typically held in June. The formal, written report is normally between 2500-5000 words and should be well organized and include references.
Financial Compensation and Benefits
The residents will be an employee of the company, on a one-year contract basis contingent upon participation in the PIRP. The same salary will apply to each residency position offered in the program. For the 2025-26 residency cohort, the salary was $58,000 CAD. While the salary and two weeks of vacation is uniform at all participating companies, the benefits offered may differ. Benefits may include flexible work arrangements, additional vacation time, health benefits, PIRP fee support, payment of professional fees and/or attendance at conferences. The applicant should seek information about potential benefits directly from the companies or their brochures.
To help fund this program, the program fees are as follows:
- Pharmaceutical company fee based on the number of residency positions offered in a year:
- Positions #1 to #3 $5,000 per position, then
- Positions #4 to #10 $3,000 per position, then
- Positions >10 $2,000 per position
- Applicant and resident fees:
- Application non-refundable fee: $250 (Due in September)
- Resident non-refundable fees: $2,250 payable in ACORN (Due August)
- $2,500 payable in ACORN (Due November)
Faculty Liaisons
Dean of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy appoints Faculty Liaisons with diverse expertise, usually for a 3-year, renewable term. These professionals are available to the PIRP residents to address questions, support their major project and/or mentorship as needed.
- Provide the resident with ongoing mentorship, guidance, advocacy and support
- If requested, advise residents in the development of their major project to ensure its quality and feasibility
- If requested, propose potential project collaboration and/or support, where possible
- Offer input and suggestions for quality improvement of the PIRP program
- Help select the annual PIRP Award winner
- Attend the PIRP Annual General Meeting
2025-26 Faculty Liaisons: David Dubins, Monica Gautam, Paul Grootendorst, Certina Ho, Heather Kertland, and Cindy Natsheh.
