Pharmacy Residency Program

As the referral center for veterans in much of the state of South Carolina, our facility provides the resident with exposure to a wide variety of patients. Our residents receive comprehensive training and our graduates currently serve in various roles including faculty positions at Colleges of Pharmacy, Clinical Coordinators, and clinical positions at various facilities.

We appreciate the opportunity to show you all that our residency can offer you.

Contact Information

Eric Sanderson

MaryAnne Maurer

About the Pharmacy Residency Program

Duration: 52 weeks

Number of Positions: Five (four PGY1, one PGY2 Ambulatory Care)

Application Deadline: January 2

Starting Date: Approx. July 1

Estimate Stipend: $47,000 (PGY1) to $50,500 (PGY2)

Special Requirements for Acceptance: Citizen of the United States eligible for federal employment

Facilities

The Columbia VA Health Care System is comprised of the Dorn VA Medical Center in Columbia, SC and seven community-based outpatient clinics throughout the state.  The system provides comprehensive health care to more than 80,000 veterans and conducts over 1 million outpatient visits each year.

The Dorn VA Medical Center is a 135-bed teaching facility with an average daily census of 65 acute and extended care patients.  The medical center is affiliated and shares its campus with the USC School of Medicine.  The Pharmacy Service has affiliations with colleges of Pharmacy at the USC, South University, and Presbyterian College.

Residency Special Features

PGY1 Program

The PGY1 Pharmacy Residency program at the Columbia VA Health Care System (Columbia VA) is a 52-week program based at the Dorn VA Medical Center in Columbia, SC that offers comprehensive training with a goal of producing well-rounded clinical pharmacists who, when finished, are well prepared to enter the role of a Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner or pursue specialized PGY2 residency training.  The program’s required rotations are well-balanced between inpatient and outpatient settings, but residents can customize their year with the multitude of available elective rotations.  Additional requirements include: practice management and pharmacy leadership, pharmacy operations, project management, medication event reporting, and participation in multidisciplinary committees such as Pharmacy Benefits Management (PBM).  

Projects will be presented formally and as a poster at local, regional, and/or national conferences.  PGY1 residents have the option to participate in a teaching certificate program administered by either the National VA Pharmacy Residency Program Office or the USC College of Pharmacy.

PGY2 Ambulatory Care Program

The PGY2 Ambulatory Care Residency program is a 52-week program, also based at the Dorn VA Medical Center in Columbia, SC, specializing in the VA patient population.  Practice components include pharmacy-run clinics, clinical interventions, formulary management, drug-use policy development, process improvement, medication event reporting, drug-use evaluation, and participation in Pharmacy Benefits Management (PBM) and other multidisciplinary committees.  

Residents will complete a process improvement project focused on ambulatory care which will be presented at facility Process Improvement Committee meetings as well as formally and as a poster at local, regional, and/or national conferences.  Residents also have the opportunity to participate in a teaching certificate program as mentioned above.

Benefits

Medical insurance including optional dental and vision insurance, free uniforms and on-site parking, 11 paid holidays, and accrual of a total of 26 days of vacation and sick leave.  Tuition, travel, and lodging are provided for 1 national pharmacy conference and 1 regional residency conference.

Application Information

Deadline for application submission is January 2nd and applicants are responsible for ensuring their application is complete by the deadline.  Candidates will be notified of interview status no later than January 20th.

Qualifications

It is illegal to discriminate against someone because of their race, color, sex, nationality, age, disability, or genetic information.  The residency programs at the Columbia VA abide by this law during the resident selection process by making the processes as fair, equitable, inclusive, and accessible as possible to recruit and select candidates that are the best qualified for the residency position based on their merit alone.

To be considered for a residency position at the Columbia VA, all applicants must be citizens of the United States eligible for employment by the federal government, must be graduates or anticipated graduates of an American Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredited Pharmacy degree program, and must be licensed or eligible for licensure in any state in the US.  Licensure must be obtained no later than September 30th for PGY1 residents and an active license must be maintained throughout the program by all residents.  Applicants to the PGY2 residency program must have completed a PGY1 residency.

Prior VA experience is not a requirement to be considered a potential candidate for any of the residency programs at the Columbia VA.

Appointment is contingent upon satisfactory completion of pre-employment screening to include a physical exam and drug test.

Recruitment Events:

The Columbia VA Pharmacy Residency Programs plan to participate in the following showcases:

• VA National Virtual Showcase- Thursday, 10/10/24 at 4:00-6:00PM EST
• SCSHP Showcase- Friday, 10/11/24 at 4:30-6:30PM EST
• Georgia Showcase- Friday, 10/18/24 at 12:00-3:00PM EST
• NCAP Showcase- Saturday, 11/2/24 at 10:30AM-1:00PM EST
• MUSC Virtual Career Showcase- Wednesday, 11/13/24 at 5:00-7:00PM EST
• SNPhA/ACCP Virtual Showcase- Thursday, 11/14/24 at 6:00-7:00PM EST
• ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting- Monday, 12/9/24 at 1:00-4:00PM CST (booth #4168)
• ASHP Midyear Virtual Showcase- Wednesday, 12/18/24 at 2:30-3:30PM EST

Application Requirements:

PGY1 Program

• Curriculum Vitae
• Letter of Intent
• Academic Transcripts from an ACPE-accredited pharmacy program
• Three Letters of Recommendation

PGY2 Program

• Curriculum Vitae
• Letter of Intent
• Academic Transcripts from an ACPE-accredited pharmacy program
• Three Letters of Recommendation
• PGY1 certificate of completion or statement of anticipated successful completion from your PGY1 Residency Program Director

Match Information

The residency programs at the Columbia VA participate in the National Matching System and PhORCAS for the application process.  This residency site agrees that no person at this site will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any residency applicant.

https://natmatch.com/

Links for Additional Information

Columbia VA Pharmacy Video

Columbia VA Facility Video