Pharmacy Residency Programs

The VA Maryland Health Care System (VAMHCS) is a multi-facility network of medical centers and clinics with a total of 727 operating beds and six outpatient clinics serving over 55,000 patients throughout the state of Maryland. The Medical Center in Baltimore serves as the main campus and includes acute care, surgical services, psychiatry, oncology, ambulatory care, long-term care and extensive teaching and research. The Pharmacy department includes close to 100 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and provides 24/7 pharmacy services in Baltimore. Our health care system serves the diverse and unique health care needs of America’s veterans in Maryland by providing primary care, specialized care, and related medical and social support sources. 

Unique Learning Opportunities

• At least one journal club and case presentation required
• ACPE-accredited pharmacotherapy rounds presentation
• Select teaching activities in conjunction with the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
• Teaching certificate program available through the National VA Pharmacy Residency Program Office (PRPO)
• Presentation of the results of a research, quality improvement, or service development project at a regional pharmacy conference such as Eastern State Residency Conference Eastern States Conference for Pharmacy Residents and Preceptors (project dependent on residency program goals and objectives)

VA Employee Requirements

• U.S. citizenship
• Pre-employment background/security investigation
• Pre-employment physical exam and drug testing
• Doctor of Pharmacy degree (or equivalent)
• Full, current, and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the U.S. or District of Columbia
• For PGY2 programs: Completion of an ASHP-accredited PGY1 pharmacy residency 

Benefits

• PGY1 Residency salary: $53,650
• PGY2 Residency salary: $57,365
• 11 paid Federal holidays, 13 accrued vacation and 13 accrued sick days, and paid leave to attend approved professional meetings
• Vacation and sick leave accrued at a rate of 4 hours per two-week pay period
• Health benefits are available at standard government contribution rates
• Dual appointment may be available for additional reimbursement

Application Process

• Applications will be accepted through PhORCAS™ (Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service) ONLY. PhORCASTM application must include: letter of intent stating career goals, curriculum vitae, three letters of reference (If PGY2, one required by the PGY 1 residency director), and official pharmacy school transcripts. Application deadline PGY1 Pharmacy is January 6rd, 2024. Application for PGY2 Ambulatory Care and PGY2 Geriatrics is January 4th, 2024.

This program participates in the ASHP Residency Matching Program through the National Matching Service. The residency site agrees that no person at this site will solicit, accept, or use any ranking- related information from the residency applicant. Candidates will be notified of an interview no later than the second Friday of February. For additional information, please contact the Residency Program Director.

The VAMHCS PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program is accredited by American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and is committed to the following general purpose:

Residents in PGY1 residency programs are provided the opportunity to accelerate their growth beyond entry-level professional competence in patient-centered care and in pharmacy operational services, and to further the development of leadership skills that can be applied in any position and in any practice setting. PGY1 residents acquire substantial knowledge required for skillful problem solving, refine their problem-solving strategies, strengthen their professional values and attitudes, and advance the growth of their clinical judgment. The instructional emphasis is on the progressive development of clinical judgment, a process begun in the advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPE) of the professional school years but requiring further extensive practice, self-reflection, and shaping of decision-making skills fostered by feedback on performance. The residency year provides a fertile environment for accelerating growth beyond entry-level professional competence through supervised practice under the guidance of model practitioners. Specifically, residents will be held responsible and accountable for acquiring the outcome competencies based on the 2014 ASHP Competency Areas, Goals, and Objectives including: Patient Care, Advancing Practice and Improving Patient Care, Leadership and Management, and Teaching, Education and Dissemination of Knowledge.

Program Description

The VAMHCS PGY1 program provides exceptional opportunity for Residents to progressively develop their clinical skills. This 12-month ASHP-accredited Program is designed to build on Doctor of Pharmacy education and outcomes to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists responsible for medication-related care of patients with a wide range of conditions, eligible for board certification, and eligible for PGY2 pharmacy residency training. Residents will focus on optimization of pharmacotherapy, perform medication reconciliation, and collaborate with interdisciplinary teams. This residency places emphasis on clinical and distributive pharmacy services, using a comprehensive, hands-on, clinically focused approach. Through flexibility and opportunity, this program fosters a unique residency experience, serving a challenging and rewarding Veteran population. Most residents completing this program have been employed as Clinical Pharmacy Practitioners (CPPs) in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System.

The PGY1 resident will work closely with CPPs with advanced scopes of practice in multiple direct patient care areas, including but not limited to Acute Care, Ambulatory Care, and Long-Term Care. The VAMHCS is a teaching facility associated with the University of Maryland Medical Center, School of Medicine and School of Pharmacy. PGY1 Pharmacy Residents will experience several learning experiences that involve teaching and interdisciplinary teams (IDT) that may include physician attendings, medical residents, medical students, CPPs, pharmacy students, nurses, social workers, case managers and others. The resident will be expected to become an integral part of the interdisciplinary patient care team assuming responsibility for drug therapy for multiple Veterans.

Program Structure

The PGY1 Pharmacy Residency program begins with Orientation and the Hospital Pharmacy experience (Inpatient and outpatient pharmacy training) followed by eight “block” learning experiences with numerous concurrent longitudinal requirements. Block learning experiences are 4-6 weeks long (dependent of calendar year). The required and elective learning experiences are listed below.

Required Learning Experiences

• Orientation
• Hospital Pharmacy: Includes Inpatient and Outpatient Pharmacy Training and Staffing requirement (1 weekend [16 hours] per month)
• Internal Medicine
• Geriatrics/Long-term Care
• Cardiology (CICU and Floor)
• Ambulatory Care: One 4-6 block learning experience rotation as well as ½ day longitudinal clinic focusing on chronic disease state management such as AC, PACT, Lipid/risk reduction, etc.
• Practice Management/Administration
• Other Longitudinal Learning Experiences: Research/Quality Improvement Project, Medication Safety, Pharmacy Education Series (Journal Club (2), Case (1) presentation, Pharmacotherapy Rounds (CE)), Professional Development Seminar (PDS), Teaching, National VA Pharmacy Resident Monthly Teleconference

Elective Learning Experiences

• Psychiatry
• Infectious Disease and Anti-microbial Stewardship
• Critical Care
• Academic Detailing
• Home Based Primary Care (HBPC)
• Advanced Core Rotations: Internal Medicine, Critical Care, Geriatrics/Long-term Care/Palliative Care, Administration, Cardiology, Off-site non-VA rotations (Based on preceptor availability and scheduling)

Evaluation

A Residency Development Plan (RDP) for each resident will be formulated upon entry into the program. Updates and changes will be addressed quarterly by the Residency Program Director and/or Program Coordinator. Following the ASHP Accreditation Standard for PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency, this program includes the required ASHP Competency Areas, Goals, and Objectives for PGY2 Geriatric Pharmacy. Resident performance on each learning experience will be documented electronically in PharmAcademicTM.

Supplemental Information

ASHP Residency Directory

VAMHCS PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency Brochure

ASHP PGY2 Program Purpose

The VAMHCS PGY2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy is accredited by American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) is committed to the following general purpose:

Postgraduate Year 2 (PGY2) pharmacy residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and Postgraduate Year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy residency programs to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists in specialized areas of practice. PGY2 residencies provide residents with opportunities to function independently as practitioners by conceptualizing and integrating accumulated experience and knowledge and incorporating both into the provision of patient care that improves medication therapy. Residents who successfully complete an accredited PGY2 pharmacy residency should possess competencies that qualify them for clinical pharmacist and/or faculty positions and position them to be eligible for attainment of board certification in the specialized practice area (when board certification for the practice area exists).

Program Description

The VAMHCS 52-week ASHP-accredited PGY2 Ambulatory Care Residency is designed to develop proficient ambulatory care practitioners with excellent practice skills and leadership abilities to establish new ambulatory care pharmacy programs. 

The resident will be accountable for achieving optimal drug therapy outcomes as members of the health care team. They will exercise proficiency in communication and in educating other healthcare professionals, trainees and patients on drug related topics. The resident will develop teaching skills by participating in teaching opportunities with affiliated Schools of Pharmacy. Leadership skills will be enhanced through pharmacy administration and research experiences. Residents will demonstrate professional maturity by following the VAMHCS pharmacy mission, monitoring their own performance, and exhibiting commitment to the profession.

The resident will work closely with clinical pharmacy practitioners (CPPs) with an advanced scope of practice as well as other practitioners in ambulatory care clinics. A major emphasis of the residency is providing direct patient care with the supervision from respective preceptors. Resident responsibilities on rotation include but are not limited to the following: obtaining a pertinent patient history, performing an accurate focused physical exam, assessing pharmacotherapeutic issues and implementing an appropriate pharmacotherapy plan, ordering labs, electronic documentation of progress notes, and providing accurate drug information to patients and other health care providers.

Required Learning Experiences

• Orientation
• Patient Care Aligned Team (PACT) Primary Care Clinic
• Lipid Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Clinic
• Endocrine Diabetes Clinic
• Anticoagulation Clinic
• Home Based Primary Care (HBPC)
• Hepatitis C Clinic
• Heart Failure Clinic
• Women’s Health Clinic
• Population Management
• Clinical Pharmacy Administration
• PACT Practice Management/Health Analytics 
• Other: Residency Project/Research, Teaching/Precepting, Pharmacy Education Series, Pharmacotherapy Rounds

*Elective Learning Experiences

• Interdisciplinary Cognitive Assessment Clinic
• Outpatient Antimicrobial Stewardship
• Rheumatology Clinic
• VISN 5 Clinical Resource Hub Clinics (Pain, Mental Health, PACT) 
• Cardiology Non-Formulary Reviews 

*Other learning experiences may be developed based on resident interest and preceptor availability 

Program Structure

The PGY2 Ambulatory Care program is composed of an orientation period (2-4 weeks) and four separate blocks (~12 weeks each). Residents are scheduled to 5 to 6 half-day clinics per week with the remaining time available to fulfill other administrative residency responsibilities including research. The scheduled will be developed on an annual basis based on the residents prior experiences and interests, progress at quarterly meetings and preceptor availability.  Block 1 typically focuses on primary care (PACT) and core ambulatory care learning experiences, while Block 4 consists mostly of specialty practices with at least one PACT clinic for continuity of care.

Evaluation

A Residency Development Plan (RDP) for each resident will be formulated upon entry into the program. Updates and changes will be addressed quarterly by the Residency Program Director and/or Program Coordinator. Following the ASHP Accreditation Standard for PGY2 Pharmacy Residencies, this program includes the required ASHP Competency Areas, Goals, and Objectives for PGY2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy. Resident performance on each learning experience will be documented electronically in PharmAcademicTM.

Supplemental Information

ASHP Residency Directory

VAMHCS PGY2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Residency Brochure

ASHP PGY2 Program Purpose

The VAMHCS PGY2 Geriatric Pharmacy Residency is accredited by American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) is committed to the following general purpose:

Postgraduate Year 2 (PGY2) pharmacy residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and Postgraduate Year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy residency programs to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists in specialized areas of practice. PGY2 residencies provide residents with opportunities to function independently as practitioners by conceptualizing and integrating accumulated experience and knowledge and incorporating both into the provision of patient care that improves medication therapy. Residents who successfully complete an accredited PGY2 pharmacy residency should possess competencies that qualify them for clinical pharmacist and/or faculty positions and position them to be eligible for attainment of board certification in the specialized practice area (when board certification for the practice area exists).

Program Description

This 52-week ASHP accredited PGY2 Geriatric Pharmacy Residency is designed to develop the resident to be proficient in optimization of geriatric pharmacotherapy, performance of medication reconciliation and medication management in older adults, and collaboration with the different roles of the interdisciplinary team in the assessment and management of the older patient.

The resident will be accountable for achieving optimal drug therapy outcomes in older adults as members of the health care team. The PGY2 Geriatric Pharmacy Residency will exercise proficiency in communication and in educating other healthcare professionals, trainees, and patients on drug related topics. They will develop teaching and/or precepting skills by participating in teaching opportunities with affiliated Schools of Pharmacy. Leadership skills will be enhanced through pharmacy administration and research experiences. Residents will demonstrate professional maturity by following the VAMHCS pharmacy mission, monitoring their own performance, and exhibiting commitment to the profession.

A major emphasis of the residency is providing direct patient care with the supervision from respective preceptors. Resident responsibilities on rotation include but are not limited to the following: obtaining a pertinent patient history, assessing pharmacotherapeutic issues and implementing an appropriate pharmacotherapy plan as related to geriatric patients, electronic documentation of progress notes, and providing accurate drug information to patients and other health care providers. The resident will be expected to become an integral part of the interdisciplinary geriatric team.

Required Learning Experiences

• Orientation
• Long Term Care
• Home Based Primary Care (HBPC)
• Interdisciplinary Cognitive Assessment Clinic
• Patient Care Aligned Team (PACT) Primary Care Clinic
• Heart Failure Clinic
• HBPC Anticoagulation
• Infectious Diseases/Antimicrobial Stewardship
• Internal Medicine
• Geriatric Pharmacy Administration
• Other Longitudinal Learning Experiences: Geriatric Pharmacy Administration, Pharmacy Education Series, Residency Project/Research, VA PRPO Teaching and Precepting Certificate Program, Physical Assessment Series, Professional Development Series

Select Elective Learning Experiences

• Cardiovascular Lipid Risk Reduction Clinic
• VISN 5 HUB Pain Clinic
• Anticoagulation Clinic
• Inpatient Psychiatry
• Academic Detailing
• Advanced learning experience in any of the above learning experiences

Program Structure

This residency program is structured as a mix of block and longitudinal learning experiences. Block learning experiences are 4-6 weeks long (dependent on the calendar year) and longitudinal learning experiences are at least twelve weeks long. The first half of the year is focused on core geriatric practice settings (i.e. long term care, home based primary care, ambulatory care), while the second half of the year incorporates specialty geriatric practice settings (i.e. heart failure, cardiovascular risk reduction, psychiatry, etc.).

Evaluation

A Residency Development Plan (RDP) for each resident will be formulated upon entry into the program. Updates and changes will be addressed quarterly by the Residency Program Director and/or Program Coordinator. Following the ASHP Accreditation Standard for PGY2 Pharmacy Residencies, this program includes the required ASHP Competency Areas, Goals, and Objectives for PGY2 Geriatric Pharmacy. Resident performance on each learning experience will be documented electronically in PharmAcademicTM.

Supplemental Information

ASHP Residency Directory

VAMHCS PGY2 Geriatric Pharmacy Residency Brochure