Birmingham VA Pharmacy Residency Programs

PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program

Application Requirements:

Applicants must possess a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from an accredited school or college of pharmacy, a B.S. or M.S. degree and equivalent training or experience. They must also be eligible for license to practice pharmacy in any state, and have completed a professional curriculum that includes significant clinical clerkship experience. All applicants must participate in the ASHP Residency Matching Process.

Application Materials Required:

• Completed phORCAS Application Form
  • Three references via the phORCAS Application
• VA Application Form VA_Form_10-2850d.pdf
• Curriculum vitae
• Official college of pharmacy transcripts
• Letter of intent, including career goals and objectives for seeking a residency

Procedure:

Applications must be submitted via phORCAS. Interviews will be scheduled on evaluation of the application. Applicants will be ranked for selection based on qualifications and a personal interview. Four positions are available beginning no later than July 1.

Program Number: 

173713

Application Deadline:

All application materials are due no later than January 3. Please use Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service, PhORCAS, to apply at http://www.ashp.org/phorcas.

PGY1 Residency

Overview:

The PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program at the Birmingham VA Health Care System is directed to focus on the development of knowledge, attitude, and skills needed to become a competent clinical practitioner. The training and education of residents will complement the existing clinical pharmaceutical care. The residents will be directly involved in providing patient oriented pharmaceutical services as well as participate in other pharmacy operations including management and assigned projects.

Purpose Statement:

The purpose of the program is to develop well-rounded, independent, competent clinical pharmacists responsible for medication-related care of patients with a wide range of conditions.  Residents will be provided the opportunity to accelerate their growth beyond entry-level professional competence in patient-centered care, pharmacy operational services, and to further the development of leadership skills that can be applied to any practice setting. Residents will also participate in ongoing service activities to expand clinical problem solving skills and their ability to work with others.  Further, the goal is to prepare residents to precept students, prepare for BPS certification, pursue a PGY2 residency, and, in the future, function as a residency preceptor

Objectives:

The objectives of the residency program are to prepare clinical pharmacists for the following:

• Direct patient care positions
• Adjunct faculty positions or non-tenure track clinical faculty positions
• PGY2 training in area of choice

Structure:

The program is a twelve-month, postgraduate training experience. At least six of the twelve months are comprised of required rotations in core subject areas that are considered to be essential for the pharmacy practitioner. A broad range of selective and elective rotations are available for the remaining months to permit the resident flexibility in attaining individual goals. Residents will practice alongside pharmacy students and, in conjunction with their preceptor, will gain experience teaching and precepting students.

Benefits:

• A competitive stipend of $48, 369
• Eleven (11) paid federal holidays per year
• Thirteen (13) days of paid annual leave
• Thirteen (13) days of paid sick leave
• Health, Dental, and Vision insurance available
• BLS and ACLS certification
• Residents attend ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and Southeastern Residency Conference (SERC)

Required Rotations

Orientation (one month required)

This rotation involves orientation to and development of proficiency in general pharmacy departmental and operational procedures. The purpose of this rotation is to provide the resident with an opportunity to understand policies and procedures as well as the operational functions of the Pharmacy Department. This rotation will also provide the resident with concentrated outpatient pharmacy and inpatient pharmacy training. The resident will become familiar with computer/education requirements, central pharmacy and IV room pharmacist functions, and pharmacy technician functions. Residents will also be required to obtain BLS certification during this rotation. Initially, the resident will be involved in hospital orientation (for 1 week), followed by the remainder of the month in Pharmacy Orientation.

Ambulatory Care (two months required)

On this rotation, pharmacy residents will participate in the Medication Management Clinic in primary care, where they monitor and manage drug therapy for chronic diseases to ensure optimal outcome as measured by VHA Clinical Performance Measures for veterans referred by PC provider per appropriate VHA Clinical Practice Guidelines. Residents will make drug and dosage adjustments as needed with clinical guidance of preceptor. They complete drug adherence assessment and assist the PC provider with medication management challenges (e.g. non-adherence, adverse drug event identification and reporting, polypharmacy, etc.) as needed. 

Internal Medicine (two months required)

On this rotation, pharmacy residents will participate in medical team rounds and follow assigned patients. Pharmacy residents will provide and document therapeutic drug monitoring services for patients on the internal medicine team. The pharmacy resident is responsible for providing and documenting medication counseling to patients on their team who will be discharged. The resident will document progress notes in the computerized patient record system (CPRS) all pertinent clinical activities and recommendations.

Critical Care (one month required)

On this rotation, pharmacy residents will spend two weeks rounding with the cardiac critical care team (CCU) and two weeks rounding with the medical intensive care team (MICU). The pharmacy resident will provide and document all therapeutic drug monitoring services for assigned patients with supervision by preceptor. The pharmacy resident is responsible for providing and documenting medication counseling to all assigned patients who are being discharged from hospital. The resident will document progress notes in the computerized patient record system (CPRS) all pertinent clinical activities and recommendations.

Practice Management (one month required)

On this rotation, pharmacy residents will be exposed to pharmacy management including, but not limited to, budgeting, procurement, personnel related issues (Union contracts, hiring, scheduling, performance reviews), strategic planning and business plans, compliance with accreditation bodies (DEA, TJC, OIG, ASHP), formulary management, customer service, performance improvement, and patient safety. Throughout the experience, the resident will participate in hospital committee meetings and will assist with agenda’s and minutes for pharmacy ran committees.

Elective Wheel (one month required)

This rotation affords the pharmacy resident an opportunity to spend one-week intervals in various elective rotation sites. Residents will participate as part of the healthcare team during each experience. This experience is intended to give the residents a snapshot of the elective experience to better enable their choice for monthly elective rotations. 

Anticoagulation (two weeks required)

On this rotation, pharmacy residents will participate in the Coumadin Clinic, where they will monitor and manage anticoagulation therapy, including but not limited to warfarin, enoxaparin, and DOACs. Residents will make dosage adjustments as needed with clinical guidance of preceptor. They will utilize face-to-face and telephone interviews with patients to assess compliance, side effects, dietary changes, medication changes, and other factors that may affect the patient’s anticoagulation. Residents will also be an integral part of veteran education and will provide counseling to both patients and caregivers. Residents will also answer consults from providers regarding recommendations for anticoagulation and throughout the rotation will learn to manage a pharmacist-run clinic. The anticoagulation rotation will help residents develop skills in patient interviewing, communication with patients and providers, organization, and time management. They will significantly advance their knowledge in anticoagulation and will contribute to professional development. 

Longitudinal Rotations

Drug Information

This rotation is designed to enhance knowledge and skills of the pharmacist's role as a pharmacotherapy advisor. The pharmacy resident will function as a drug information specialist with supervision by the preceptor(s) to provide unbiased drug information to healthcare professionals. The intent of this experience is to prepare the resident to serve as an effective provider of drug information. Resident’s will also complete pharmacotherapy e-consults, which will allow residents to take lead on new clinical pharmacy questions. Residents will be a part of receiving the consult, locating the information, and accurately and effectively delivering an answer to the patient care team. This experience will drive interactions with patient care team as well as allowing for residents to more clinically and personally experience drug information research. In addition, the resident with be responsible for a 3 different MUETs (medication usage evaluation tracker) throughout the year and a single MUE.

Amiodarone Monitoring

On this rotation, pharmacy residents will be responsible for following patients in which amiodarone management via chart review is appropriate. At the request of cardiology service, a medication utilization evaluation was performed on amiodarone which revealed opportunities exist for improvement of documentation and monitoring of amiodarone therapy. A service agreement and protocol was developed by pharmacy and cardiology services to ensure continuous amiodarone monitoring. Residents are expected to review and be familiar with amiodarone monitoring guidelines as well as BVAMC’s amiodarone monitoring service agreement and protocol. Residents will be expected to discuss all plans of therapy with a preceptor or designee prior to instructing the patient or completing their documentation within CPRS. By the end of the rotation, the resident should be able to demonstrate an adequate knowledge of amiodarone monitoring and potential side effects.

Medication Safety

This rotation is designed to enhance knowledge and skills of the pharmacist's role as a medication safety expert. The pharmacy resident will be responsible for entering a specified number of adverse drug events in to the national VA database (VAADERS), attending medication error committee meetings and preparing minutes for those meetings, and presenting both med error reports and ADE reports to the P&T committee.

Presentation Series

This experience will help with the development and delivery of various professional presentations including but not limited to: journal club presentations, patient case presentations, in-service presentations, research presentations, etc. On this rotation, pharmacy residents will participate in scheduled lecture/discussion and an assigned series of presentations throughout the course of the residency year.

Research Project

The purpose of the project is to provide the resident with the opportunity to develop the skills and processes necessary to perform research. As part of this rotation, the following are required:

• Poster submission at ASHP Midyear
• Presentation at Southeastern Residency Conference

Staffing

The pharmacy resident will staff in central pharmacy one weekend per month and provide clinical coverage one Saturday per month.

Teaching Certificate Program

Residents may choose to participate in a longitudinal Teaching Certificate Program through the Samford University McWhorter School of Pharmacy to enhance their teaching, precepting, lecturing, and mentoring skills.

Elective Rotations:

• Emergency Medicine
• Endocrine
• Geriatrics
• Home Based Primary Care
• Infectious Diseases
• Mental Health
• Neurology
• Oncology
• Pain Management
• Palliative Care
• Pharmacy Informatics
• Women's Health
• Repeats of Acute Care and Ambulatory Rotations

Kaile Allen, Pharm.D., PGY1 Pharmacy Resident

Kaile’s hometown is Lexington, Alabama. She completed her pre-pharmacy coursework at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and received her Doctor of Pharmacy at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. While at Samford, Kaile was an active member of APhA-ASP, NCPA, and SSHP. In her spare time, she enjoys trail running, spending time with friends and family, or traveling.  Her practice interests include Ambulatory Care, Geriatrics, and is exploring options in other fields as well. Upon completing residency, she plans to work as a clinical pharmacy specialist or potentially pursue a PGY-2 residency. 

Owen C. Bradford, Pharm.D., MSN, PGY1 Pharmacy Resident

Owen is from Kimberly, Alabama. He completed his bachelors, Master of Science in Nutrition, and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees at Samford University, from which he graduated in April 2024. During his time at Samford University, Owen was involved professionally in CPF and SNPhA. Outside of his professional career, he enjoys music, photography, hiking, and spending time with his wife and friends. His clinical interests include ambulatory care, diabetes management and research, and pulmonology.  Upon completion of his PGY1 residency, he hopes to practice as a clinical pharmacist practitioner in primary care.

Sara Chirambo, Pharm.D., PGY1 Pharmacy Resident

Sara was born in Malawi, Africa and raised in Mobile, AL.  She completed her undergraduate education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and achieved her Doctor of Pharmacy at the Auburn University Harrison College of Pharmacy in 2024. During her time at Auburn, she served as an Ambassador and was actively involved in SNPhA, Phi Delta Chi Pharmacy Fraternity, and Phi Lambda Sigma. She also is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. In her free time, Sara enjoys cooking, traveling, working out,  and spending time with her cat, friends, and family. Her clinical interests include women's health, ambulatory care, and critical care. Upon completion of her PGY1 residency, she plans to practice as a clinical pharmacy specialist.

Connor Landers, Pharm D., PGY1 Pharmacy Resident

Connor grew up in Hartselle, Alabama, and began his undergraduate studies at the University of Alabama, where he majored in Biology. He later earned a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy Studies and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the McWhorter School of Pharmacy at Samford University. During pharmacy school, Connor was an active McWhorter Ambassador and participated in several student organizations, including the Pediatric Pharmacy Association (PPA), APhA-ASP (Operation Heart Committee), the International Pharmaceutical Students' Federation, the Student National Pharmaceutical Association, and the FeedBHM Liaison Team. Outside of academics, Connor enjoys golfing, smoking and grilling on his Oklahoma Joe, and spending time with his wife, Becca, and their dog, Dottie. His clinical interests include Critical Care and Cardiology. Upon completing PGY1 residency, he plans to practice as a clinical pharmacy specialist.

2021-2022

Rachel Buchanan, Pharm.D.; Outpatient Clinical Pharmacist, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

Victoria Donaldson, Pharm.D.; Inpatient Clinical Pharmacist, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

Brandon Duplantis, Pharm.D.; Inpatient Clinical Pharmacist, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

Morgan Rambo, Pharm.D.; PGY2 Pain Management and Palliative Care Resident, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

2020-2021

Megan Adams, Pharm.D.; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Ambulatory Care, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

Sara Burks, Pharm.D.; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Inpatient, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

Lacey Hughes, Pharm.D.; PGY2 Ambulatory Care Resident, Samford University/Christ Health Center, Birmingham, AL

Lindsey Ricchetti, Pharm.D.; Outpatient Clinical Pharmacist, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

2020-2021

Jonathan Ennis, Pharm.D.; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Inpatient, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

Courtney Lee, Pharm.D.; PGY2 Pain Management and Palliative Care Resident, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

Lydia Miller, Pharm.D.; Intermittent Pharmacy Specialist, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

Erin Sherwin, Pharm.D.; PGY2 Ambulatory Care Resident, University of Kentucky Healthcare, Lexington, KY

2019-2020

Ryan Case, Pharm.D.; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Outpatient – PACT/CBOC – Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, TN

Christy Goertz, Pharm.D.; PGY2 Geriatrics Pharmacy Resident, South Texas VA Medical Center, San Antonio, TX

Audry Hawkins, Pharm.D.; PGY2 Infectious Diseases Resident, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC

Kiara Parker, Pharm.D.; PGY2 Pain Management and Palliative Care Resident, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

2018-2019

Amanda Holloway, Pharm.D.; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Outpatient – Tele-Health, Atlanta VA Medical Center, Atlanta, GA

John “Buddy” Riles, Pharm.D.; Outpatient Clinical Pharmacist, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

2017-2018

Taylor Childress, Pharm.D.; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Augusta VA Medical Center, Augusta, GA

Brooke Ellard, Pharm.D., BCPS; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Inpatient, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

Nicole Little, Pharm.D.; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Grady Health System, Atlanta, GA

2016-2017

Courtney Beindorf, Pharm.D.; Pharmacy Specialist, Infusion Clinic, UAB Medical Center, Birmingham, AL

Seth Edwards, Pharm.D.; PGY2 Infectious Diseases Resident, Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI

Meredith Thompson, Pharm.D.; Intermittent Pharmacy Specialist, Inpatient, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

2015-2016

Daniel Bulger, Pharm.D.; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

Mary Martin McGill, Pharm.D. BCPP; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Ambulatory Care, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

Rose Wade Weldon, Pharm.D., BCPS; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Inpatient, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

2014-2015

Courtney Berg, Pharm.D.; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Ambulatory Care, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

Mary Kyle Hall, Pharm.D.; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Ambulatory Care, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

Jacob Parker, Pharm.D., BCPS; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Inpatient, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

Noopur Vakharia, Pharm.D.; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Med/Surg, Clear Lake Regional Medical Center, Houston, TX

2013-2014

Rachel Bumpus, Pharm.D., BCPS; Staff Pharmacist, UAB Medical Center, Birmingham, AL

Amber Higgs, Pharm.D.; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle, Columbus, MS

Lindsey Ellis Tesseyman, Pharm.D.; Staff Pharmacist, Bellevue Hospital Center, New York, NY

2012-2013

Barbie Gleaton, Pharm.D.; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Oncology, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

JP Chesser, Pharm.D., BCPS; PGY2 Pharmacy Administration Resident, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

2011-2012

Erica Cleckler, Pharm.D., BCPS; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Psychiatry, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

Melanie Siv, Pharm.D., BCPS; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Augusta VA Medical Center, Augusta, GA

2010-2011

Leslie Dawson, Pharm.D.; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

Roxanne Hotz, Pharm.D.; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Critical Care, Floyd Medical Center, Rome, GA

2009-2010

Lanie Walters, Pharm.D., BCPS; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

Carla Veronese, Pharm.D., BCPS; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

2008-2009

Brian Gosa, Pharm.D., BCACP; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center, Tuscaloosa, AL

Holly Holladay, Pharm.D., BCPS; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Louisville VA Medical Center, Louisville, KY

2007-2008

Ellery Curtis, Pharm.D.; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center, Tuscaloosa, AL

Bridget Geveden Roop, Pharm.D.; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

2006-2007

Namrata Patel, Pharm.D., BCACP;  Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Wilmington VA Medical Center, Wilmington, DE

Tarrah Williams, Pharm.D., BCPS; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Kaiser Permanente, Atlanta, GA

Application Requirements:

Applicants must possess a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from an accredited school or college of pharmacy. He or she must be licensed to practice pharmacy in any state (unrestricted license) and have successfully completed a PGY1 pharmacy residency program.

Application Materials Required:

• VA Application Form VA_Form_10-2850d.pdf
• Curriculum vitae
• Three formal letters of recommendation via PORCAS
• Official college of pharmacy transcripts
• Letter of intent, including career goals and objectives for seeking a residency
• Interview

Application Deadline:

All application materials are due no later than 4th Friday in January. Please use Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service, PhORCAS, to apply at http://www.ashp.org/phorcas. ASHP Program Code 51022. NMS Code: 610573

Procedure:

Applications must be submitted via phORCAS. Interview will be scheduled on evaluation of the applications. Virtual interviews may be available in case of national emergency, pandemic or physical injury. Approval for virtual interview is required. Please email courtney.lee1@va.gov to request virtual interview and reasoning. Applicants will be ranked for selection based on qualifications and personal interview. Only one position available to start on no later than July 1.

PGY2 Program Overview

The PGY2 Pharmacy Pain Management and Palliative Care Residency is a second-year specialty residency directed to develop knowledge, attitude and skills needed to become a clinical pharmacist practitioner with expertise in complex pain management treatments. The residency program includes advanced training in a variety of pain-related inter-professional areas within two different VA hospitals: Birmingham VA Healthcare System and Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center. The resident will be accountable for achieving optimal drug therapy outcomes through monitoring, evaluating, and refining patient drug therapy both independently and as part of an inter-professional team. By completing this comprehensive advanced training program, the resident is equipped with excellent leadership and clinical skills to practice as a proficient, well-rounded independent clinical pharmacy practitioner in a pain management, substance abuse and mental health/pain setting.

Purpose Statement

PGY2 Pharmacy Residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and PGY1 pharmacy residency programs to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacist in specialized areas of practice. PGY2 residencies provide residents with the opportunities to function independently as practitioners by conceptualizing and integrating accumulated experience and knowledge and incorporating both into the provision of patient care or other advanced practice settings. Residents who successfully complete an accredited PGY2 pharmacy residency are prepared for advanced patient care, academic or other specialized positions, along with board certification, if available.

Program Goals and Objectives

Provide comprehensive medication management to patients requiring pain management in a team-based setting

• Interact effectively with health care teams to manage medication therapy for patients requiring pain management and palliative care.
• Interact effectively with patients requiring pain management, their family members, and caregivers.
• Collect and analyze information on which to base safe and effective medication therapy for patients requiring pain management.
• Develop, implement, and document safe, effective pain therapeutic medication management plans patients requiring pain management.

Provide whole health approach to patients requiring pain management in a team-based setting

• Utilize motivational interviewing to elicit patient behavioral change and shared decision making around pain management.
• Recognize and address co-morbid mental health conditions that may be impacting pain management by providing comprehensive medication management for low complexity MH disorders or referring to specialized MH care.
• Understand Complimentary and Integrative Health (CIH) Options available at facilities and provide patient education and referrals.
• Identify co-morbid substance use disorders in patients with pain and provide appropriate management.

Provides pain management services to patients at high risk of opioid overdose or suicide

• Understand and utilize population management tools to identify patients at high risk for opioid overdose or suicide.
• Provide both medication management services and medication management recommendations to interdisciplinary teams managing high risk patients.
• Understand and implement risk mitigation strategies to minimize risk of adverse outcomes in patients on opioids or with history of OUD.
• Work collaboratively within interdisciplinary teams and other healthcare teams to provide high risk patients with seamless transitions between practice settings.

Provide effective education on pain management issues to patients, clinicians, trainees, and the public in both individual and group settings

• Develop effective pain educational activities and materials.
• Use effective presentation and teaching skills to deliver education related to pain management in group settings.
• Understand how to identify priority providers.
• Conduct effective academic detailing outreach visits on pain related campaigns and assess impact of visits.
• Effectively employ appropriate preceptor roles when engaged in teaching students, pharmacy technicians, or fellow health care professionals in pain management.

Demonstrate leadership and management skills

• Demonstrate personal, interpersonal, and teamwork skills critical for effective leadership in pain management.
• Apply a process of ongoing self-evaluation and personal performance improvement in the provision of care for pain management patients.

Demonstrate ability to conduct a quality improvement or research project

• Assess gaps in pain management care at both VA practice sites utilizing data resources to identify opportunities to improve or initiate a new pharmacy service.
• Develop, present, implement, and evaluate a proposal for an improved or new pain management pharmacy service.

Program Structure

This program is a twelve-month postgraduate training program that begins after successful completion of a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency. The Resident will rotate through the Birmingham VA Medical Center and the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center Central Alabama Healthcare System (54 miles away). Resident is expected to travel within facilities at least 12 weeks of the residency year. Lodging accommodations can be discussed.

Annual Core Longitudinal Rotations

• Pain Stewardship
• Research

Required Core Learning Experiences

• Orientation
• Interdisciplinary Pain Rehabilitation Program I
• Interdisciplinary Pain Rehabilitation Program II
• Behavioral Pain Management and Outpatient Mental Health Clinic
• Outpatient Pain Management
• Acute Psychiatry and Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program
• Palliative Care and Acute Pain Management
• Primary Care Pain Management, Opioid Safety and Whole Health
• Addiction Medicine and Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)

Elective Learning Experiences (1 elective)

• Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R)
• Academic Detailing

Benefits

• Estimated stipend for PGY2: $ 50,946 per year
• Attendance at professional meetings:
• Eleven (11) paid federal holidays per year
• Thirteen (13) days of paid annual leave
• Thirteen (13) days of paid sick leave
• Health/Life insurance (optional)
• BLS and ACLS certification

Required Core Experiences

Pain Stewardship (Longitudinal)

• The Resident will be responsible for Pain Management E-consults, Urine Drug Screen E-consults, pain prior authorization/non-formulary consults, and Opiate Advisory consults offered at BVAHCS for both inpatient and outpatient veterans. The primary target of these consults is the primary care providers seeking assistance with opioid and non-opioid treatment alternatives, UDS interpretation, opioid rotations, PDMP reviews, opioid tapering schedule recommendations, etc. Resident will also attend Pain Management Committee and Opiate Advisory Team (Pain management subcommittee) to provide opioid metrics. Resident will also serve as the manager for Stratification Tool for Opioid Risk Mitigation (STORM) to provide recommendations to primary care and specialty providers on risk mitigation strategies for very high-risk patients of a suicide- or opioid-related event.

Research (Longitudinal)

• This learning experience is a longitudinal, 12 month required rotation for the PGY2 resident.  A completed medication use evaluation (MUE) and research project are required for completion of the residency program.  The purpose of these projects is to provide the resident with the opportunity to develop the skills and processes necessary to perform different types of clinical pharmacy research. The data obtained should contribute to the development of the pharmacy department or the profession as a whole. It is the intent of the residency program to provide an experience that will extend the knowledge of pharmacotherapy by publishing the results of research studies in pharmacy or medical journals.

Orientation (4 weeks)

• Resident will be exposed to pharmacy services at Birmingham VA Healthcare System (BVAHCS) and Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center including distribution, processing, clinical pharmacy services, administration, and others depending on the needs of the individual resident.

Addiction Medicine and Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) (4 weeks)

• As part of the Mental Health service, the resident will collaborate with the psychiatrist specializing in addiction medicine for the treatment of diverse substance abuse disorders including Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). The resident will provide medication management recommendations for buprenorphine +/-naloxone (Suboxone or Subutex) for the treatment of OUD, as well as alternative treatment approaches in the mental health setting.

Interdisciplinary Pain Rehabilitation Program I (12 weeks)

• The Interdisciplinary Pain Rehabilitation Program (PRP) Clinic rotation is a learning experience over 8-12 weeks . This clinic is a tertiary referral center for our most complex cases where veterans may be seen jointly by a pain physician, pain pharmacist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, health coach, and pain psychologist. This clinic is a part of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Clinic and patient referrals must come from primary or specialty care. This clinic often functions as a second opinion for complex care where practitioners can collaboratively review the patient case, discuss potential solutions, and present a plan of care. The purpose of this rotation is to develop direct patient care experience for high risk and complex patients and integrate into an interdisciplinary team of pain specialists at the highest level. The pharmacy resident will be relied upon to coordinate clinic activities including triaging which patients are appropriate for referral to the PRP.  

Acute Psychiatry and Substance Abuse RRTP (4 weeks)

• The Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (RRTP) and Acute Psychiatry is a 4 week rotation at the Tuscaloosa VAMC. The role of the RRTP Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (CPS) is to provide comprehensive medication management for all RRTP veterans.  The CPS completes an admission medication regimen review note for each new patient admitted to the unit(s), as well as a 30-day medication review note (if applicable).  These reviews are to include thorough medication reconciliation. The CPS is also responsible for clinical pharmacy consults on this unit(s), which may include drug information, targeted drug level monitoring, anticoagulation monitoring, etc.  The CPS will also provide drug information and education to healthcare professionals, patients, and caregivers, as required. The role of the Acute Psychiatric CPS is to perform a medication review on each patient admission to determine what labs are needed for appropriate drug therapy monitoring. The CPS is responsible for entering the appropriate lab orders (chem 8, drug levels, hepatic function test, lipid panel, hgba1c, vit d levels, etc.) and adjust doses of various medications while collaborating with the psychiatrists. The acute psych CPS will also attend psychiatric emergencies to assist with ensuring the  appropriate medications and dosing of medications for administration.

Palliative Care and Acute Pain Management (8 weeks) 

• The acute pain management/palliative care rotation is designed to provide the resident with an advanced experience in the inpatient pain management setting. The resident will provide pain pharmacotherapy recommendations for several inpatient attending providers and their medical or surgical teams when they have pain management concerns. The resident will gain experience on transitions of care both during the admission and discharge process to assure pain concerns are addressed and patients can be transitioned smoothly.

Primary Care Pain Management, Opioid Safety and Whole Health (4 weeks) 

• This rotation involves two different approaches to pain management at the primary level of care. The resident will be exposed to shared medical appointments (SMA) which focus on pain management through a Whole Health approach. The whole health model is a holistic consideration of the many areas of life that can affect health — work environment, relationships, diet, sleep patterns, and more. The pharmacy goal is to provide medication safety counseling including opioid safety and naloxone education (to prevent accidental opioid overdose) and general pain treatment alternatives to empower Veterans to seek safer treatment alternatives. Opioid Safety is a primary care clinic created to provide close monitoring of high risk patients within the primary level of care.

Behavioral Pain Management and Outpatient Mental Health Clinic (4 weeks)

• The outpatient mental health clinic learning experience rotation is a 4 week required rotation offered at the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center. The resident will be working with several psychiatrists and nurse practitioners in interviewing the mental health patients in the mental health clinic. The resident will review veterans for drug interactions and appropriate use of medications for various mental health disorder and neurologic disorders. The Resident will be able to perform PHQ 2 or 9 depression psychological testing and report to the psychiatrist the results. The Resident will monitor clozapine veterans on a weekly basis, checking for stability, ANC values, and metabolic parameters as required per policy. The resident will also work with the veterans in the suboxone program and COSAT (Comprehensive Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment) program and will interview patients and monitor UDS (urine drug Screen) and therapy of veterans in this program. The Resident will also be able to conduct AIMS test and EKG as required. The purpose of this learning experience will be to expose the resident to all the possibilities of working as an outpatient Mental Health Pharmacist Specialist. The resident will provide efficient, effective, evidence-based, patient centered treatment for patients requiring chronic pain and mental health symptom co-management and for treatment of specified disease states.

Outpatient Pain Management Clinic (4 weeks)

• The outpatient pain management learning experience rotation is a 4 week required rotation offered at the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center. The purpose of this rotation is for the resident to become familiarized with the interdisciplinary pain management team, which includes a Physician, Nurse Practitioner, Pharmacist, Social Workers, Psychologists, Psychiatrist, and administrative assistants. The resident will provide efficient, effective, evidence-based, patient centered treatment for patients requiring chronic pain and mental health symptom management and for treatment of specified disease states. The resident will review veterans for drug interactions and appropriate use of medications for various mental health, pain, and neurologic disorders. The resident will provide appropriate follow-up as clinically indicated for each practice area in the outpatient setting. The resident will be given the opportunity to be independent in this setting, making independent clinical decisions and documentation into the facilities medical chart utilizing CPRS. The rotation will give the resident the opportunity to further enhance their time management skills in managing a clinic work load as a clinical pharmacy specialist while also completing consults and longitudinal projects.

Interdisciplinary Pain Rehabilitation Program II (whole clinic) (4 weeks)

• The Interdisciplinary Pain Rehabilitation II at BVAHCS is a one-month rotation that will expose the resident to the role of the pharmacist serving as the primary provider of pain management for Veterans. The resident will participate in the provision of pharmaceutical care to outpatients followed in the Pharmacy Pain Management Clinic. This rotation is designed to give the resident the opportunity to provide clinical pharmacy services as a part as the primary provider of pain management, both providing recommendations for treatment as well as patient counseling, and providing follow-up care in treating chronic non-malignant pain. Patients are enrolled in the clinic through the Pharmacy Pain Evaluation Consult, where a plan is developed regarding pain management. Resident will have the opportunity to apply knowledge and perform as the interdisciplinary pain team member independently.

Elective Learning Experiences: (4 weeks total, 1 rotation)

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) (BVAHCS)

• The General Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation rotation is an elective 4 week learning experience at the Birmingham VA medical clinic for the resident. The resident will work closely with attending faculty on the outpatient rehabilitation service. Educational impact will be significant, as residents will have intensive exposure to complex, traumatic brain injury, amputations and orthopedic trauma/polytrauma, neuropathy, myopathy and debility. Resident will be key contributor to the management of a diverse group of patients. Trainees will learn during the PGY2 year how to function effectively as part of a coordinated team, how to take medical histories, order appropriate diagnostic tests and labs, and how to interpret the results. They will be educated on utilizing history and physical data to appropriately establish goals and outcomes for each patient.

Academic Detailing (elective, 4 weeks at BVAHCS)

• The purpose of Academic Detailing is to provide educational outreach to healthcare providers based on National and VISN initiatives. This rotation includes reviewing and learning evidence-based medicine, developing and/or promoting educational material that include key messages, providing Academic Detailing outreach to VA providers, identifying and resolving barriers, socializing new campaigns, and conducting patient chart reviews for opioid safety measures. This rotation will also include one clinic day a week in the interdisciplinary pain clinic.

Past PGY2 Pain Management and Palliative Care Residents

2021-2022

Courtney Lee, Pharm.D.; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Outpatient Pain Management, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

2020-2021

Kiara Parker, Pharm.D.; Pain Management Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL

2019-2020

Mary Elizabeth O’Barr, Pharm.D.; Pain Management Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner, Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System, Montgomery, AL

Past PGY2 Health - System Pharmacy Administration Residents

2017-2018

Gavin McNatt, Pharm.D.; Clinical Coordinator of Pharmacy Services/PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Director, Mobile Infirmary Medical Center, Mobile, AL

2015-2016

Jamekia Owens, Pharm.D.; Pharmacy Specialist, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL


2013-2014

JP Chesser, Pharm.D., BCPS; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Birmingham VA Health Care System, Birmingham, AL