Residency Showcase Program Listings

Website: https://www.va.gov/durham-health-care/work-with-us/internships-and-fellowships/pharmacy-residents-and-trainees/

The ASHP-Accredited Postgraduate Year Two (PGY2) Medication Use Safety and Policy Residency Program at the Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System (DVAHCS) is designed to develop a health care practitioner with advanced skills in the practice of medication use policy, medication safety, drug information, literature evaluation, medical writing and editing, teaching and education, clinical problem solving, and project management skills.  The Medication Use Safety and Policy Program will build upon the competencies and experience acquired in the PGY1 residency and will be flexible to accommodate the interests and goals of the resident. Graduates of the program will be prepared for a variety of activities including medical writing, developing evidence-based materials, presenting in a variety of settings including small group and didactic lectures, leading medication policy development, managing drug shortages, and planning educational experiences for students and residents on rotation in drug information.  Additionally, upon completion of the PGY2 program, the resident should possess competencies that enable attainment of board certification or further credentials.

Site Description

The residency is hospital-based and includes formalized learning experiences with the site’s centralized Formulary Management/Pharmacoeconomic team, Drug Information Service (DIS), and with various clinical pharmacist specialists within the organization. The Formulary Management team is composed of three dedicated clinical pharmacists that support the Pharmacy Service through involvement in quality improvement and medication use policy development by facilitating medication safety and cost-savings programs such as therapeutic interchange and evidence-based use guidelines. The DIS is a comprehensive, hospital-based drug information service that supports drug information requests from the Health Care System’s providers. The DIS responds to approximately 50-100 requests per year and is also a training site for PGY1 and PGY2 residents.

Expected Learning Opportunities:

• Developing and implementing medication use policies and resources
• Conducting medication use evaluations and other quality management reviews
• Assisting in coordination of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics committee
• Coordinating the adverse drug reaction reporting program
• Involvement in the provision of drug information services to healthcare professionals
• Participation in the administrative aspects of maintaining a drug information service
• Training and precepting pharmacy students and residents
• Formal lectures and teaching experiences at UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and Campbell University College of Pharmacy
• Optional participation in a teaching certificate program
• Completion of a formal resident research project
• Medical writing, publishing, and peer reviewing
• Participation in the Investigational Drug Service
• Involvement with continuous quality improvement initiatives of the Pharmacy Service
• Optional participation in the teaching certificate program through UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy

 Required Rotations:

• Medication-Use Policy (11 months)
• Medication Safety (12 months)
• Drug Information Practice I (12 months)
• Investigational Drug Service (12 months)
• Administration (11 months)
• Medical Writing (3 months)
• Residency Research Project (12 months)
• Staffing (11 months, 5 weekends per year under dual appointment)
• Orientation (1 month)

Elective Rotations (up to 3 months): The resident may select from a variety of elective rotations to augment their specific areas of interest. Potential electives may include:

• Academic Detailing
• Pharmacogenomics
• Anticoagulation or other Clinical Practice Rotations
• Non-VA Medication Use Policy or Medication Safety
• Additional rotations outside of the VA system will be authorized on a case-by-case basis based on the learning opportunity

Program Benefits

The Veterans Health Administration sets annual residency stipends (currently $47,167) and benefits for all VA residency programs. Each resident is offered 13 days each of accrued vacation and sick leave/family care, 10 paid federal holidays, and a health care benefits package. Pharmacy residents may also receive educational leave with pay to attend and present at local and national conferences. The resident may also be eligible for a faculty appointment with the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.

How to Apply:

By January 6, 2023, interested individuals should submit an application through PhORCAS with the following components:

1. Letter of intent indicating why advanced training through a medication use policy and safety residency program at the Durham VA is desired
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Professional transcripts
4. PhORCAS recommendation form from three references

About Durham VA Health Care System

The Durham VA Health Care System (DVAHCS) - Medical Center is a 271-bed tertiary care referral, teaching and research facility affiliated with Campbell University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy, and the Duke University School of Medicine. The Medical Center provides general and specialty medical, surgical, psychiatric inpatient and ambulatory services, and serves as a major referral center for North Carolina, southern Virginia, northern South Carolina, and eastern Tennessee. Special programs at Durham include a comprehensive Women’s Health Center, a Home Based Primary Care program, a Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC), the VISN 6 Mental Illness, Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC), the Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care, the Southeast Epilepsy Center of Excellence, and the Epidemiology Research and Information Center (ERIC). Pharmacy Residents at the Durham VA will practice under the guidance of a department of over 100 staff members with a team of over 40 Clinical Pharmacy Specialists (CPS). The department provides 24-hour centralized services in additi...on to clinical support provided by our CPS team. The CPS provide progressive, multi-disciplinary, patient-centered care in a wide variety of clinical areas under a scope of practice that grants prescriptive privileges. In addition to their clinical responsibilities, many of our residency program preceptors also serve as preceptors for the regional schools of pharmacy, conduct clinical research projects, participate in scholarly activities, and serve as leaders for numerous state and national pharmacy organizations. The department also offers a VA Learning Opportunities Residency (VALOR) program for pharmacy students. Beyond the traditional learning experiences of a residency program, our residents will also have the opportunity to participate in teaching certificate programs, co-precept pharmacy students on APPE rotations, and serve as a teaching assistant for a clinical practice lab at UNC. Residents will also receive support and guidance from the Residency Program Director, the Residency Advisory Committee, the Research Advisory Committee, and a formal mentorship program.

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