Internships and fellowships

The Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks PGY1 Pharmacy Residency provides professional training in various clinical settings; inpatient and outpatient pharmacy services, pharmacokinetic dosing, patient education and counseling, and administrative services. 

Clinical rotations provide the opportunity to practice direct patient care in a variety of pharmacotherapy settings. 

Required 6-Week Learning Experiences

• Acute Care
• Home-Base Primary Care (HBPC)
• Mental Health
• Orientation
• Patient-Aligned Care Team (PACT)
• 1 Required "Selective" Learning Experience: possible learning experience options include: initial experience in Oncology or an additional learning experience in Acute Care, Mental Health, or PACT.

Required Longitudinal Learning Experiences

• Education and Drug Literature Evaluation: includes participation in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy Teaching Certificate Program
• Evaluation of Medication Use Systems and Resident Project
• Pharmacy Management and Staffing

• Paid administrative leave to attend local, state, and national pharmacy conferences
• Rotation flexibility and diversity
• Teaching opportunities with pharmacy students
• Required participation in the UAMS College of Pharmacy Teaching Certification Program; http://go.uams.edu/tcp 
• Vacation and sick leave that accrues through the year
• Ten days of paid holiday leave
• Health insurance with prescription coverage, dental, and vision
• Office space with computer
• Scrubs and professional lab coats provided

The complete list of the competencies, goals, and objectives commensurate with those of the ASHP Learning Objectives for PGY1 Residency Training will be provided to each successful candidate. The global competency area of the residency include, but are not limited to:

• In collaboration with the health care team, provide safe and effective patient care to a diverse range of patients, including those with multiple co-morbidities, high-risk medication regimens, and multiple medications following a consistent patient care process.
• Ensure continuity of care during patient transitions between care settings.
• Prepare, dispense, and manage medications to support safe and effective drug therapy for patients.
• Demonstrate ability to evaluate and investigate practice, review data, and assimilate scientific evidence to improve patient care and/or the medication use system.
• Demonstrate leadership skills.
• Demonstrate management skills.
• Provide effective medication and practice-related education to patients, caregivers, health care professionals, students, and the public (individuals and groups).
• Effectively employs appropriate preceptors’ roles when engaged in teaching (e.g., students, pharmacy technicians, or other health care professionals).

While the residency provides a wide range of learning experiences (as mentioned in the overview), the learning experiences listed below are required for completion of the program:

Pharmacy Orientation

The Pharmacy Orientation learning experience is a required learning experience for the PGY1 pharmacy resident. This is a 5-week learning experience in which the resident will be oriented to the facility, pharmacy service, and the PGY1 Pharmacy Residency program. The resident will receive specialized training with pertinent VA computer software. The resident will complete paperwork with Human Resources and begin Pharmacy Service orientation on Day 1.

The resident will be responsible for completion of an orientation checklist (to be provided by Pharmacy Supervisor or Residency Program Director) and will begin training as an Inpatient and Outpatient Clinical Staff Pharmacist. The resident will be provided training in VA ADERS, Prior Authorization Drug Review (PADR) Consults, and Lost-Opportunity Cost (LOC) initiatives. The resident will be provided a brief introduction to the Residency Learning System and PharmAcademic.

Acute Care

Acute Care (Internal Medicine & Critical Care) is a required, six-week learning experience at the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks (VHSO). This facility has 58 acute care beds, including 7 ICU beds, for both medical and surgical patients. During the Acute Care learning experience, the resident will be responsible for patients in the ICU and other patients on Ward 2A and 2B, as assigned.

While acting under the supervision of the Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, routine responsibilities of the resident include, but are not limited to: ensure safe and effective medication use prescribed to inpatients, address formal pharmacotherapy consults with monitoring and proper documentation, provide drug information to both patients and providers, conduct medication reconciliation where appropriate, perform counseling sessions for all patients admitted with or started on anticoagulants, and provide discharge counseling where appropriate.

Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT)

In this 6-week learning experience, the PGY1 pharmacy resident will provide pharmaceutical care in the ambulatory setting within the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT). The resident will interact with an interdisciplinary team including, physicians, midlevel providers, nursing staff, social workers, clerical staff, dieticians, patients, and caregivers. Emphasis within this experience will be placed on identifying, resolving, and preventing medication-related problems, as well as, effectively communicating with patients and health care professionals. The resident will actively participate in developing and documenting medication management plans, discover drug-induced problems, optimize drug therapy, and counsel patients. Teaching opportunities include providing pharmacy related education to patients, caregivers, and staff.

Home Based Primary Care

In this six-week learning experience, the residents will develop knowledge and understanding of the role of the Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (CPS). To achieve the desired level of familiarity, the resident will:

• Attend and participate in a weekly multidisciplinary meeting for Veteran's accepted into the HBPC program
• Function as the medication expert on the team by monitoring and coordinating both immediate and chronic pharmaceutical care needs for HBPC patients
• Review each patient's current medications for appropriate renal and hepatic dosing, indication, interactions, and adverse effects as well as monitoring parameters for both safety and efficacy. 
• Identify unnecessary medications and recommend discontinuation, as appropriate.
• Integrate preventative medicine into patient reviews including screening for vaccination indications, vitamin supplementation, smoking cessation, or non-pharmacological alternatives to improve outcomes

Mental Health 

In this six-week learning experience, the pharmacy resident will work in both inpatient and outpatient clinic settings and interact with all team members including physicians, APNs, nurses, social workers, psychologists, counselors, patients, and caregivers.   

This rotation is designed to allow the resident to gain independence as a pharmacist as a member of a multidisciplinary healthcare team and to improve literary retrieval skills and communication with patients and with other healthcare providers.  The resident is responsible for identifying, preventing, and resolving medication therapy issues for patients and serving as a drug information resource for the team.  Residents will actively participate in discovering drug-induced problems, adjusting doses when necessary, counseling patients on medications when appropriate, and making sure patients are on the optimal drug regimen for each condition or disease state.  Additionally, if applicable, the resident will have the opportunity to serve as a co-preceptor for 4th-year pharmacy students. 

This rotation is designed to develop the following skills:  presenting patients while utilizing the appropriate SOAP note format, completing medication reconciliation, selecting appropriate pharmacologic therapies, identifying potential and actual drug-related problems, performing polypharmacy reviews, monitoring medications, and assisting in the training of pharmacy students when they are present.

Evaluation of Medication Use Systems and Resident Project Longitudinal

This longitudinal experience provides the resident with experience in various aspects of the medication use systems at the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks (VHSO). The resident will become familiar with quality assurance, root cause analysis (RCA), adverse drug event and adverse drug reaction reporting, and medication use evaluations (MUEs).

Residents are also required to conduct and complete a residency project during their training.  Projects result in the improvement of patient care and/or increase adherence to medication prescribing practices at the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks.  Goals and responsibilities include: project design, writing abstracts, completing and submitting all appropriate research forms to gain approval of the R&D (Research and Development) Committee and IRB (Institutional Review Board), presenting at professional pharmacy meeting(s), and preparing a manuscript for publication.

​​​​​​​Education and Drug Literature Evaluation Longitudinal

This longitudinal learning experience includes the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Pharmacy Teaching Certificate Program. This learning experience provides the resident with a significant opportunity to further develop presentation and writing skills through quarterly journal club presentations, two formal presentations, a facility newsletter, and drug information queries.  While providing significant experience in drug information and evidence-based practice, the rotation provides flexibility to tailor some activities to personal areas of interest.  Residents are encouraged to explore areas of interest and develop learning activities around those areas.  ​​​​​​​

Pharmacy Management and Staffing Longitudinal

This longitudinal experience provides residents the opportunity to function in the role of a Clinical Staff Pharmacist at the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks (VHSO).  The resident will review, interpret, and verify medication orders for appropriateness, participate in patient medication profile review (allergies, drug interactions, labs, etc.), and provide drug and policy information to patients and medical center staff.

Residents will also participate in the management of pharmacy services while becoming familiar with the practical application of pharmacoeconomic principles commonly utilized in the VA healthcare environment.  Training will include independent readings, didactic sessions, and tasks requiring application of material learned. Projects may be assigned by the preceptor at the direction of committees, task forces, and informal groups and may involve independent or group learning experiences.

The resident will receive computer training to aid with the collection and analysis of information used in pharmacoeconomic analysis.  Resident may utilized parts of their 4 hours of dedicated administrative times to complete tasks associated with this learning experience or incorporate throughout other learning experience activities.

Projects common to this longitudinal experience may include:

- Prior Authorization Drug Review (PADR) Consult processing

- Assistance in achieving the Lost-Opportunity Cos (LOC) goals established for the facility

- Preparation of drug monograph

- Completion of Pharmacy e-consults, as assigned

- Recurring calls and meetings with facility leaders

All applicants must be graduates of an accredited pharmacy program in the United States and must possess an active license. United States citizenship is required.

Application Instructions

• Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service (PhORCAS):
  • All materials should be submitted through the PhORCAS portal
    • https://www.ashp.org/phorcas?loginreturnUrl=SSOCheckOnly
• Current C.V.
• Official copy of college of pharmacy transcript
• Three letters of recommendation
• Application deadline: January 2, 2024
• Interviews are required and will be scheduled during the months of January and February

Interviews

December

Our program will host supplemental video conference sessions during the month of December. Applicants may choose to attend one of the sessions for the opportunity to learn more about our program as well as meet the RPD, current residents, and various preceptors.  To attend a session, please see dates, times, and Microsoft Teams links below.

• VHSO Pharmacy Residency Informational Meeting #1

Thursday, December 14th from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (Central)

Click here to join the meeting

• VHSO Pharmacy Residency Informational Meeting #2

Friday, December 15th from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Central)

 Click here to join the meeting

January and February

• Applications received prior to the deadline will be reviewed, a brief virtual pre-interview (<10 minutes) will be completed, and virtual interviews will be offered in January.
• Interviews are offered on Tuesdays and Fridays from the end of January through February.
• Interviews last approximately 2.5 hours.

Requirements to Receive Residency Certificate

• Contribute to optimal patient care and achieve the mission and goals of VHSO
• Compliance with all institutional and departmental policies
• Completion of 2080 hours of training
• Completion of all assignments and projects as defined by the preceptors and Residency Program Director
• Resident must have at least 75% of the ASHP Required Educational Goals and Objectives marked as Achieved for the Residency for successful completion of the program. A minimum of Satisfactory Progress is required for those Educational Goals not marked as Achieved for the Residency.
• Completion of the first six (6) months of the UAMS College of Pharmacy Teaching Certificate Program. This includes at least one semester of Therapeutics Recitation and/or Supplemental Instruction
• Completion and formal presentation of a residency project
• Presentation of two lectures: (1) one 50-minute educational lecture (Grand Rounds presentation of drug class review, monograph, treatment guideline or protocol) and (2) one 50-minute presentation of residency project at Grand Rounds.
• Presentation at and participation in at least one Journal Club every 3 months
• Participation in at least one Medication Use Evaluation through the MUE Committee
• Attend at least one professional local, state or regional meeting and one national meeting as approved by the RPD and Chief of Pharmacy Service
• Participation in recruiting activities for the residency
• Prescription processing as assigned
• Quarterly submission of the updated Resident Development Plan

For more information

Contact Marcus Costner, PharmD, BCPS, at ext. 65986 or email at marcus.costner@va.gov or Jennifer Stark, PharmD, BCPS, FCCP, at ext. 65248 or email at Jennifer.stark2@va.gov .

• Dr. Ashley Mendez, PharmD: Dr. Mendez was born and raised in McAllen, Texas. She attended the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley for her Undergraduate studies before going on to receive her Master of Business Administration and Doctorate of Pharmacy from Union University in Jackson, TN. During her time at Union University, she served as a student ambassador and class secretary for all four years of pharmacy school. She was an active member of many organizations, including ASHP, APhA, TPA, Phi Lambda Sigma, Kappa Psi, and CPFI, where she served as President. Her primary professional interests include ambulatory care and mental health. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new hiking trails, photography, and browsing local thrift stores.
• Dr. Lauren Owen, PharmD: Dr. Owen grew up in West Monroe, Louisiana. She received her Doctorate of Pharmacy from Harding University College of Pharmacy in May of 2023. She has numerous personal interests including ambulatory care, cardiology, acute care and academia. In her free time, she enjoys playing pickle ball, going hiking, and hosting game nights.

We have been an APPIC member program since September 2015 and have been fully accredited by APA since July 2018. The program participates in the Match process and abides by the selection procedures used by APPIC. Our APPIC Match Number is 233711.

Our program has three funded intern positions for the 2024-25 training year, which will begin on the last Monday in July. The psychology internship at VHSO provides generalist training while also offering the opportunity to focus on PTSD treatment, Neuropsychology, or Primary Care-Mental Health Integration through your choice of major rotation. A focus in Neuropsychology will include 50% clinical effort in Neuropsychology for the full year, meeting Houston guidelines. We enjoy a collegial environment and pride ourselves on our flexible, individualized approach to training. Faculty and interns collaborate in selecting minor rotations and other clinical experiences that best suit each intern’s needs and objectives for training. In accordance with VA policy, doctoral students in American Psychological Association (APA) or Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) accredited doctoral programs in Clinical, Counseling, or Combined psychology or at Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) accredited programs in Clinical Science are eligible to apply. All coursework for the doctoral degree must be completed prior to the start of the internship year, as well as any qualifying, comprehensive, or preliminary doctoral examinations. Because of the intensity of the training year, we prefer candidates whose doctoral dissertations will be completed, or nearly completed, before the internship. However, because internship is part of the pre-doctoral training requirement, interns must not be granted their degree by their academic institution prior to successful completion of the internship year.

For eligibility requirements please visit the Office of Academic Affiliations.

Questions regarding the program's accreditation status should be directed to the APA Commission on Accreditation.

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation American Psychological Association                750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC  20002                                                                                                    Phone:                                                                                                                                                             Email: apaaccred@apa.org                                                                                                                                       Web: APA Accreditation

The application deadline is November 9, 2023.

Our clinical rotations currently offer structured experience in:

• Trauma Recovery Program
• Neuropsychology
• Primary Care-Mental Health Integration
• Home Based Primary Care
• Substance Use Disorder Clinic

Our rotation offerings sometimes change with changes in staffing. When possible, we work with interns to find or create training experiences that fit their goals. Please see the brochure or talk to us for more information.

The VHSO Psychology Internship participates in the APPIC Internship Matching Program (the Match) and complies with the policies and rules of the Match. Application to the VHSO Psychology Internship can only be made with the APPIC Application for Psychology Internship Online (AAPI Online). We invite applications from doctoral students in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, combined clinical/counseling psychology, psychological clinical science, or from students in accredited respecialization programs.

The VHSO is an equal opportunity training program, and we are constantly seeking to increase the diversity of our trainees and faculty. We believe that our field is best served when it draws on the richness of a wide range of cultures, subcultures, personal characteristics, and theoretical perspectives. Diversity is inherent in all aspects of human relations, and we are committed to the ideal that recognizing and respecting our diversity improves our ability to provide quality training and clinical services as well as facilitating personal and professional growth. Applicant screening and selection is merit based, with no preference based on age, sex, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual or gender orientation, political affiliation, or disability status. Members of groups that have been underrepresented in professional psychology are particularly encouraged to apply and share their perspectives with the patients and staff.

We will consider all applications for the 2024-2025 training year that are received by or on November 9, 2023. Applicants should identify in their application material the area of emphasis (PTSD, Neuropsychology, or Primary Care-Mental Health Integration) in which they are most interested. We aim to match with one applicant in each of these three areas of primary training emphasis.

We plan to conduct interviews by video conference on two days. The tentative dates are Friday, December 15 and Thursday, January 4. We will make alternative arrangements for applicants who do not have access to compatible technology or who are not available on either of our scheduled interview days.

To apply for the VHSO Psychology Internship, you should:

• Register for the APPIC Match through National Matching Services.
• Complete the AAPI Online, including a cover letter, three letters of recommendation, a curriculum vitae, and graduate transcripts.
• Inclusion of a psychological evaluation report is strongly preferred, particularly for applicants interested in a primary emphasis in neuropsychology. All patient identifiers should be scrubbed from this report before submission.
• Include a description of your rotation preferences or interests and your interest in the Psychology Internship at VHSO in your cover letter to the Internship Training Director.
• Ensure that all application materials reach us by November 9, 2023.

For questions about the AAPI Online or APPIC Match, please contact APPIC directly at 202-347-0022, or see their webpage at www.appic.org for more information.

For detailed information about eligibility for federal employment and VA internships, please see our brochure or https://www.va.gov/oaa/hpt-eligibility.asp.

For any other questions, contact the Training Director or Assistant Training Director:

James M. Fuendeling, PhD, Training Director at 479-443-4301 Ext. 67515 or James.Fuendeling@va.gov

or

Hilary Casner, PhD, Assistant Training Director at 479-443-4301 Ext. 65702 or Hilary.Casner@va.gov

• 13 days (or approximately 104 hours) of annual leave
• 13 days of sick leave
• All federal holidays
• Paid administrative leave available for postdoc interviews, dissertation meetings and defense, or other academic activities such as presenting at conferences
• Health insurance for intern, spouse, and legal dependents
• Life insurance
• All interns are assigned their own private office and computer

Date Program Tables are updated: August 5

Program Disclosures

As articulated in Standard I.B.2, programs may have “admission and employment policies that directly relate to affiliation or purpose” that may be faith-based or secular in nature. However, such policies and practices must be disclosed to the public. Therefore, programs are asked to respond to the following questions.

Patient care experience encompasses a wide range of patients. These include non-medically compromised as well as medically compromised patients, both ambulatory and non-ambulatory. The AEGD resident  provides comprehensive dental care to patients with an emphasis on the diagnosis of oral and maxillofacial disease and the thorough assessment of patients’ general health and functional ability.

The dental resident will enhance his/her knowledge and skills in all phases of dentistry through clinical and didactic training. Advanced experience and knowledge is gained in all of the disciplines of dentistry such as endodontics, implants, oral surgery, periodontics, prosthodontics, and restorative dentistry.

The clinical activities take place at the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks. The majority of the resident’s time is spent at the VA dental clinic performing comprehensive dentistry on ambulatory outpatients with supervision from full and part-time faculty. The patients treated by the AEGD residents often present with complex dental treatment needs that require expertise in many dental disciplines to appropriately diagnose and treat. These patients also have a wide range of medical conditions that need to be considered prior to treatment.

Residents are assigned their own dental operatory and work with an assigned dental assistant.   Specific rotations in anesthesia, oral surgery, and periodontics are included throughout the year.

The didactic portion of the program includes weekly and monthly seminars by VA faculty, webinars, and courses in advanced cardiac life support and advanced dental diagnosis.

Diagnosis and Treatment Planning

Residents will receive lectures and presentations in providing comprehensive care to patients. Strong emphasis is placed on proper diagnostic skills.

Restorative Dentistry

Clinical work in this area provides the resident with varied experiences to improve his/her proficiency in operative procedures. Lectures and demonstrations are presented throughout the year.

Oral Surgery

The resident will spend considerable time in oral surgery under the supervision of our oral surgeon. Residents will perform extractions and be trained in surgical procedures in the dental clinic and the Medical Center operating rooms. Oral surgery performed will include removal of impacted teeth (often with IV sedation), osseous and soft tissue surgery, implant placement and biopsies.

Prosthodontics

The resident will plan, place, and restore single unit and multiple unit implants. The resident experiences all phases in the fabrication of full dentures, partial dentures, crowns, bridges, and immediate dentures.

Periodontics

Diagnosis etiology and rationale of periodontal treatment are presented. The importance of follow-up home care and professional maintenance is stressed. Specific periodontal treatment is presented by lecture, demonstration and supervised treatment by the periodontist.

Endodontics

Both the theory and techniques of conventional endodontics are presented. Training includes use of rotary system, warm vertical condensation, use of apex locater and microscope.

Clinical Experience

The clinical program is oriented toward a general practice schedule, with the exception of rotations dedicated to time with the oral surgeon, periodontist, and anesthesiologist.   However, most dental treatment is provided as a private practice so that each day is varied and residents are able to control their own appointment schedules. It is a flexible program where residents may pursue individual interests while completing required assignments in various fields of dentistry.

The goals of this program encompass the required CODA goals of general dentistry, resident education, patient care, and community service. They include:

• Provide the resident with clinical experience (patient care) as the primary provider of general dentistry to a variety of patients including medically compromised.
• Provide residents with education (didactic and clinical oversight) in general dentistry techniques above and beyond the level currently taught at dental schools.
• Understand the oral health needs of communities and engage in community service.

Requirements

• Be a graduate (by June 30 of start year) of an ADA accredited dental school
• Be a U.S. citizen

PASS

VHSO participates in PASS. Please enroll in this service so that we can obtain the required documents by identifying our program (VA Medical Center, Fayetteville) as one to which you want a completed PASS application sent.

Deadline

For academic year starting in July 2023-June 2024 - the application deadline is October 15, 2022.

Interviews will be held November 2022.

Selection of residents and letters of notification will be sent on or around December 1, 2022.

Residency dates: July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023.

Be aware that when applying through PASS, the deadline for submitting all required material is approximately two weeks prior to our program deadline.

Curriculum

Utilizing the 15 CODA required areas of competency - we have put together a clinical and didactic schedule which includes:

• Clinical experience with assigned patients and a general dentist on the clinic floor assigned for supervision at all times
• 12 monthly treatment planning sessions with all general dentist staff
• ACLS certification – coordinated with Nursing Education
• 2 week Anesthesiology rotation – coordinated and planned with Chief, Anesthesia
• 1 day per week focused Oral Surgery rotation with consultation as needed throughout the year
• Endodontic consultation as needed throughout the year
• Focused prosthodontic consultation as needed throughout the year 
• Involvement in 1 community project outside of the VA dental service
• Weekly didactic meetings to include presentations, literature reviews and ADA certified Webinars.  These will be coordinated by Residency Director, with presenters including all general dentists and specialists regarding their various areas of expertise or specialty.
• In addition, residents will have the opportunity to gain experience in advanced techniques including: implant placement and restoration, dental lasers and endodontics utilizing a microscope.

Hours/Salary:

Clinic hours: Monday-Friday; 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Salary:  $58,000

For more information about the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks and the Advanced Education in General Dentistry program, please contact the residency director, Dr. Ericksen at .