OGJVAMC makes history
The Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center has been funded for two pharmacist residents as part of an inaugural pharmacy residency training program, a first in the history of any medical facility in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
“We are extremely excited to be the first ASHP (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists) pharmacy residency training program in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan,” said Ashley Lorenzen, associate chief of pharmacy. “This opportunity will bring learners to the rural areas of the state in hopes to train and retain excellent pharmacists in our area.”
The VA requires that all residency programs are funded through the office of academic affiliations, to which no new funding has been granted in more than ten years. Twenty-one rural VA sites nation-wide were invited to apply for funding in 2021 to start post-graduate year-one residency programs with two positions each. Oscar G. Johnson VAMC was one of five sites nationwide awarded funding.
“After a lot of hard work and training I was so excited that our facility was granted a post-graduate year-one pharmacy practice residency,” said Katie Zeier, clinical pharmacist practitioner, mental health. “I am ecstatic to have matched both positions, particularly for a brand-new rural residency in its very first year, with two stellar candidates and future pharmacists.”
Residents submit their applications to the programs of their choosing. A residency advisory group reviews applications and scores them based on a pre-determined set of criteria. Offers to interview are then extended.
“During the interview process, the pharmacy staff were incredibly welcoming and genuinely excited to have residents,” said Brianna Filtz, doctorate of pharmacy from University Wisconsin-Madison. “They made it abundantly clear that they were interested in us personally and we were not just another number. I told all my family and friends that it was my top choice.”
“I loved how friendly and welcoming the pharmacy staff was during my interview and at the residency showcase,” explained Lindsay Christensen, doctorate of pharmacy from Ferris State University, Michigan. “All these different factors are very important to me and that’s when I knew this residency was the right fit. The location of this program was a bonus, especially knowing I would be able to spend more time exploring the outdoors.”
The candidates are interviewed by members of the pharmacy team. After interviews are conducted, candidates rank programs they interviewed with, and programs rank the candidates they interviewed and would like to have as their selections. An extensive algorithm matches candidates with programs.
“On match day, I was ecstatic to see I had matched with Oscar G. Johnson VA,” Filtz said. “Ashley Lorenzen, our residency program director, was clearly just as excited because I was on the phone with her within minutes.”
During their last year of school, residents go on month-long rotations to shadow pharmacists from different practice types to learn what’s involved with each.
After graduation, during a residency, they are fully licensed pharmacists. However, they have elected to take an extra year of training to be able to practice as a clinical pharmacist practitioner, like a nurse practitioner. They are independently able to see patients and modify medication therapy to help patients meet their health care goals.
“The goal is to keep the pharmacy residents on after graduation from residency and increase retention rates,” Lorenzen said. “We will recruit for two new residents each year for the one-year post-graduate resident training program. Future goals would be to create a post-graduate year-two specialty residency in pain management and mental health.”
A residency is not required to get a job but helps them gain further education and practice-based learning to get higher level clinical positions.
“The pharmacy team is close knit, kind of like a family, which makes work a lot of fun,” Filtz said. “I feel honored to be able to serve veterans and their families. I am honored to represent Oscar G. Johnson VA, and I am excited to spread the word about this residency program to current pharmacy students.”
In the pharmacy, we focus on a team-based atmosphere with everyone jumping in to help each other, Lorenzen said. We do potlucks, birthday recognitions, shout outs, grill outs and often get together outside of the workday.
“I’m super excited to be a part of this new residency,” Christensen added. “I’m ready to put my personal stamp on this program and make the most of it. I immediately called my parents, grandma and fiancé jumping with joy. I could not have been happier.”