Residency Showcase Program Listings

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

The Durham VA Health Care System (DVAHCS) PGY2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Residency Program is designed to develop a healthcare practitioner with advanced skills to support a specialized practice in the care of ambulatory patients. The practice sites deliver care to veterans following the PACT (patient-aligned care team) model which is a patient-driven, team-based approach that delivers efficient, comprehensive, and continuous care through active communication and coordination of resources. The PACT model places the veteran at the center of the care team. The care team also includes their family members, caregivers, and health care professionals—primary care provider, nurse care manager, clinical associate, and administrative clerk. When additional services are needed to meet the veteran's goals and needs, additional team members may be called in for support. These may include social workers, dietitians, pharmacists, mental health practitioners, specialists, and other non-VA health care professionals. The role of the clinical pharmacy specialist on each team is to design, implement, and monitor therapeutic drug plans to improve patient outcomes through direct interactions with patients and interdisciplinary healthcare team members. The residency program will build upon the competencies and experience acquired in a PGY1 residency and promote the development of proficient, independent clinicians with an expertise in ambulatory care pharmacotherapy. Graduates of the program will develop in-depth knowledge of primary care disease states and the therapies used to treat them. Additionally, upon completion of the PGY2 program, the resident should possess competencies that enable attainment of board certification in ambulatory care.

The Residency Experience

The DVAHCS is comprised of the Durham VA Medical Center (VAMC), Blind Rehabilitation Outpatient Clinic, Brier Creek Dialysis Clinic, Clayton-East Raleigh Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC), Greenville Health Care Center, Hillandale Road Clinic I, Hillandale Road Clinic II, Morehead City CBOC, Raleigh I CBOC, Raleigh II CBOC, and Raleigh III CBOC. Residents in the PGY2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Residency Program will have the opportunity to provide direct patient care at the Raleigh I CBOC, Raleigh III CBOC, Clayton-East Raleigh Clinic, Durham VAMC, and Hillandale Road Clinic I. The rotation schedule is developed at the beginning of the residency year based on the resident’s interests and career goals. The residency will begin on July 1 and end on June 30. The first month of the residency will be designed to orient the resident to the DVAHCS and to provide training for the staffing component of the residency. The resident will be introduced to the clinical team through topic presentations and will participate in pharmacy practice management discussions initially and through application of longitudinal experiences. The resident will complete all required rotations, one 1-month elective, and one 3-month elective block to allow for continuity in specialty care. The resident will choose 4-6 specialty learning experiences and spend ½ to 2 days per week in each area for 3 months. Additionally, the resident will have one project month dedicated to their research project and other scholarly activities. Schedules may be tailored throughout the year to meet the resident’s professional goals.

Required Learning Experiences

• Adverse Drug Event Reporting (3 months, ~40 hours)
• PACT I (3 months) 
• PACT II (3 months)
• Residency Research Project (12 months)
• Staffing (12 months, ~5 weekends per year under dual appointment)

Elective Learning Experiences 

1-Month Electives  

• Cardiology
• Emergency Medicine
• Hematology/Oncology
• Internal Medicine
• Mental Health     

3-Month Electives

• Academic Detailing
• Anticoagulation
• Endocrinology
• Home-Based Primary Care
• PACT Population Management
• Pain
• Pharmacogenomics
• Pulmonology
• Women’s Health

Additional Activities

Additional rotations outside of the above-mentioned will be authorized on a case-by-case basis based on the learning opportunity, including potential Duke and/or UNC affiliated experiences.

Teaching Responsibilities

The resident is expected to assist with precepting PharmD students during during PACT I. The resident may also serve as an instructor in the Pharmacy Skills Laboratory or similar course at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy during the fall semester, when available.

Conferences and Educational Opportunities

A variety of educational opportunities are available throughout the year to enhance the resident’s knowledge base and foster relationships within the professional community. The resident is expected to attend scheduled conferences, seminars, and workshops throughout the year.

• ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting
• Pharmacy Grand Rounds
• Quarterly Professional Development and Leadership Series
• Residency Clinical Conference
• UNC Research in Education and Practice Symposium
• VA Pharmacy Residents Conference Call Series

Accreditation Status 

The PGY2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Residency Program was founded in 2019, has been ASHP-accredited since 2019, and received an 8-year accreditation in 2021.

Stipend and 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. 

Eligibility Requirements

Qualified applicants are required to possess a PharmD degree from an accredited college of pharmacy, be a citizen of the United States, have an active pharmacy license in any state by the first day of the residency, and have completed an ASHP-accredited PGY1 residency training program.

How to Apply:

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

• Letter of intent indicating why advanced training through an ambulatory care residency program at the Durham VA is desired
• Curriculum vitae
• Professional transcripts
• 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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