VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System

We offer the following:

• PGY1 Pharmacy Residency (10 positions)
  • Optional Area of Focus in:
    • Acute Care
    • Ambulatory Care
    • Geriatrics
    • Neurology
• PGY2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Residency (2 positions)
• PGY2 Neurology Pharmacy Residency (2 positions)

Program Booklets and Information:

• tinyurl.com/VAGLA-PharmacyResidency

Program Structure:

The Primary Practice Site is located at West Los Angeles (WLA) campus. Other potential learning experience locations that may require traveling to the site include Sepulveda (SEP), downtown Los Angeles (LAO), and USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Virtual/Remote learning experiences are considered a part of the Primary Practice Site. The Primary Practice Site is used for a minimum of 60% of the training for all residents in the program. No other practice site is used for more than 25% of any resident’s training.

All residents are required to take Orientation (~2 weeks) at the beginning of the residency year.

BLOCK ROTATIONS

VAGLAHS PGY1 Pharmacy Residents are required to successfully complete 8 block rotations. Block rotation lengths are 5 to 7 weeks long depending on the time of year it is scheduled. Rotations are located at the Primary Practice Site unless otherwise noted.

REQUIRED (3 rotations)

1. GMED (General Medicine)
2. PBM (Pharmacy Benefits Management)
   1. with Management (as a subset of PBM)
3. Primary Care 1 – potential locations include: WLA, SEP, LAO, Virtual/Remote

ELECTIVES (choice of 5 rotations)

• Acute Care Setting:

1. CCU (Cardiac Care Unit)
2. ED (Emergency Department)
3. MICU (Medical ICU)
4. Neurology-Inpatient
5. SICU/TPN (Surgical ICU & Total Parenteral Nutrition)

• Ambulatory Care Setting:

7. HPACT (Homeless Primary Care)
8. Neurology-AmCare
9. Pain Management
10. Primary Care 2 – potential locations include: WLA, SEP, LAO, Virtual/Remote
11. Primary Care 3 – potential locations include: WLA, SEP, LAO, Virtual/Remote
12. Women’s Health & Specialty AmCare (experience includes all of the following: Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Women’s Health, MOVE! Clinic, and Transgender & Gender Diverse Care)

• Hybrid/Other Setting:

16. Geriatrics Acute Care/AmCare 1
17. Geriatrics Acute Care/AmCare 2
18. Geriatrics HBPC/CLC (Ambulatory Care, Long-Term Care)
19. ID/ASP (Infectious Diseases/Antimicrobial Stewardship Program) (Acute Care, Ambulatory Care)
20. Informatics/Pharmacoeconomics
21. Inpatient Psychiatry
22. Management 1
23. Management 2
24. Oncology (Acute Care, Ambulatory Care, Infusion Center)

LONGITUDINAL EXPERIENCES

VAGLAHS PGY1 Pharmacy Residents are required to successfully complete 3 longitudinal experiences (12-months long) located at the Primary Practice Site. Residents also have the option to take elective longitudinal experiences located at USC.

REQUIRED

1. Education/Teaching

For this required longitudinal experience, residents are required to be primary preceptor for at least 1 IPPE pharmacy students (Level I/II/III). Residents will also be required to develop a formal Noon Conference presentation which will be presented to all pharmacy staff and/or internal medicine residents/medical students.  Residents will also have the opportunity to precept APPE pharmacy students (Level IV) and will be taught and evaluated during various block rotation.

2. QI/Research Project

VAGLAHS utilizes the Flipped or Inverted Research Model (IRM) for residency projects. Residents work on 2 projects throughout the year: 1) Project #1 – Complete a pre-existing project started by a previous resident; 2) Project #2 (Flipped Model) – Initiate a new project to be completed by a following resident. Minimum resident requirements for Project #1: Abstract, PowerPoint, Manuscript, Poster, presented at regional conference, electronic Research Binder (for IRB projects only), and physical Research Binder (for IRB projects that require it only). Minimum resident requirements for Project #2: Project Description or Protocol, Abstract, IRB paperwork and submitted application (if applicable), Hand-Off Summary, and electronic Research Binder (for IRB projects only). Dedicated QI/Research Project Time occur a ½ Thursday once a month.

3. Staffing

Residents are required to function as a pharmacist in the inpatient setting for average 1 day every weekend for 3 rotations of the year, as well as at least 2 days in the outpatient setting (total 18 weekend days). Inpatient staffing covers IV room, ICU, ward, VA community living center (CLC), and ED patients, in addition to patients on PK and heparin per pharmacy medications. Additional outpatient staffing experience is integrated into ambulatory care rotation(s), where the residents will assist in reviewing and processing computerized prescriptions, and dispensing/operations.

ELECTIVE

• USC Teaching Certificate Program

Residents have the option of a joint academic appointment with the USC School of Pharmacy which offers opportunities to teach and lecture to Level I, II and III Pharm.D. students, and undergraduate pre-pharmacy students. Residents are provided the opportunity to participate in various scheduled coursework and seminars developed to enhance the residency experience. Those residents participating in this affiliation will receive faculty appointment and earn a teaching certificate from the university. This is a 10-month long longitudinal experience that occurs ½ day every Thursday. 

General Program Information:

 Requirements:

Application:

Applications must be complete and meet yearly established deadlines to be considered. Only applications and materials submitted via PhORCAS™ will be accepted. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

VAGLAHS Pharmacy Residency Programs participate in the ASHP Resident Matching Program and follow ASHP Match Rules. This residency agrees that no person at this residency will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any residency applicant. Download the Application Agreement from www.natmatch.com/ashprmp.

Download Program Information

The most updated versions of the VAGLAHS Pharmacy Residency PGY1 and PGY2 Program Booklets, and Residency Showcases and Open House Information are available for download at the following link:

• https://tinyurl.com/VAGLA-PharmacyResidency

About VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System

The VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS) is one of the largest health care facilities within the Department of Veterans Affairs. It is one component of the VA Desert Pacific Healthcare Network (VISN22) offering services to Veterans residing in Southern California and Southern Nevada. VAGLAHS consists of two ambulatory care centers, a tertiary care facility and 8 community based outpatient clinics. VAGLAHS serves Veterans residing throughout five counties: Los Angeles, Ventura, Kern, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo. There are 1.4 million Veterans in the VAGLAHS service area. VAGLAHS is affiliated with both UCLA School of Medicine and USC School of Medicine, as well as more than 45 colleges, universities and vocational schools in 17 different medical, nursing, paramedical and administrative programs. The West Los Angeles Healthcare Center (WLA) is a tertiary care teaching facility dedicated to providing a wide array of acute and ambulatory patient care services to our nation’s veterans. The comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services provided include a broad range of medical, surgical, and psychiatric care. Internal medicine subspecialties include cardiology, ...infectious diseases, gastroenterology, allergy, pulmonology, nephrology, endocrinology, rheumatology, and hematology/oncology. Major surgical subspecialties include orthopedics, urology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, plastics, ENT, podiatry, and cardiothoracic surgery. In addition to the main acute care hospital, there is a 180-bed nursing home, a hospice unit, and Home-Based Primary Care. The Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center (SACC) offers a state-of-the-art ambulatory care facility. The center has specialty outpatient programs in spinal cord injury, stroke rehabilitation, women's health, preventative medicine, dentistry, and mental health, and chemical dependency. Extended care activities include a 120-bed Academic Nursing Home and a Home-Based Primary Care Program. The facility hosts extensive clinical and basic science research, including Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) and Field Program for Health Science Research and Development (HSR&D). The HSR&D program evaluates provider practice and patient outcome studies in the delivery of ambulatory health care. The Los Angeles Ambulatory Care Center (LAACC) is located in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles. It serves as a centrally located facility for the diverse veteran population of the city of Los Angeles, focusing on primary care and mental health services. The clinic provides special services in post-traumatic stress disorder, day treatment, medical service, and mental health services.

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