Pharmacy student and residency programs

At Minneapolis VA Health Care System, over 100 pharmacists play a vital role in the delivery of patient care; working closely with physicians, nurses and other health care team members to ensure America's Veterans receive the finest care.

Pharmacy students (pre-licensure)

• Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE) for 2nd/3rd year pharmacy students
• Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE) for 4th year pharmacy students
• Paid internships for post-2nd year pharmacy students

Student rotations are in the areas of acute care, ambulatory care, geriatrics, pharmacoeconomics and institutional pharmacy practice. Students work with licensed preceptor pharmacists in the areas of drug monitoring and optimization, interprofessional team development, patient counseling, formulary management, and drug product preparation. Rotations are full-time and range from 3 to 7 weeks.

Pharmacy student application forms and requirements are located on the registration page.

Pharmacy residency program (post-graduate training)

Minneapolis VA Health Care System is a teaching facility which operates approximately 273 acute care beds as well as 104 long term care beds through the Community Living Center. In addition to offering primary, extended, and specialty care, Minneapolis operates VA Community Clinics such as Rice Lake and Hayward VA Clinics. Pharmacy Service at Minneapolis VA is affiliated with University of Minnesota, North Dakota State University, South Dakota State University, and Creighton University Colleges of Pharmacy. Minneapolis VA Health Care System is institutionally affiliated with University of Minnesota, School of Medicine.

Minneapolis VA Health Care System 2022 pharmacy residents.

By combining advanced technology with comprehensive clinical services, the Minneapolis VA Pharmacy Department continuously seeks new ways of improving patient care. Clinical services are provided in the following areas: internal medicine, critical care, cardiology, infectious diseases, geriatrics (long term care/home based primary care), anticoagulation, renal, ambulatory care general medicine, endocrinology, pain management, spinal cord, traumatic brain injury, women’s health, psychiatry and drug information. Examples of clinical services include pharmacokinetic monitoring, drug utilization evaluations, chronic disease state management, and overall monitoring to provide optimal pharmaceutical care.

Minneapolis VA Pharmacy Practice Residency was established in 1963 and is ASHP accredited. This program incorporates core pharmacy practice components while allowing for customization to the resident’s areas of interest. The resident will be working with pharmacists both within the outpatient and inpatient pharmacies as well as in clinics and on the hospital floors. By combining direct clinical services with staffing responsibilities, the resident will develop an understanding of the medication use system.

This residency program is designed to provide you with a comprehensive, well-rounded experience that will build a solid foundation for the future. Please see brochures for more information about our various PGY1 and PGY2 positions and do not hesitate to contact one of the PGY2 residents listed for questions about any of our PGY1 and PGY2 programs.

PGY1 - Pharmacy Practice Residency

• 3 positions: Pharmacy Practice
• 1 position: Pharmacy Practice – Mental Health

PGY2 - Psychiatric Pharmacy Residency

• 1 position: Psychiatric Pharmacy Practice

PGY2 - Geriatric Pharmacy Residency

• 1 position: Geriatric Pharmacy Practice

PGY2 - Pain Management/Palliative Care Pharmacy Residency

• 1 position: Pain Management/Palliative Care Pharmacy Practice

PGY1/PGY2 virtual tour and Q&A sessions

We are offering three preceptor and resident Q&A sessions throughout the fall and winter: Sign up for a Q&A session.

You can use our interactive map of the facility.

Please reach out to a PGY-2 resident with any questions regarding the Q&A sessions.

PGY1/PGY2 residency application procedure

• Participation in PHORCAS (Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application) plus required supplemental materials as follows:
  • Letter of Intent: For PGY-1 residency positions, please specify which residency you would like to apply for; the PGY-1 general residency based at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System or the PGY-1 residency with a focus in mental health or both. If interested in two positions, please submit a separate application for each program.
  • Essay (PGY-1 Programs only): In 500 total words or less please describe a situation that has shaped who you are today. How will this experience help you in a residency?
  • Example of Written Work (PGY-2 Program only): Additional required supplemental material includes one (1) example of written work from PGY1 residency. Examples of written work may include a drug information response or a completed pharmacy consult (with patient identifiers removed).
• Letters of reference: We require applicants to submit 3 references. References should be submitted through the PHORCAS Standardized Reference form. We prefer references submit “free text” comments formatted similar to a traditional Letter of Recommendation in this PhORCAS form.
• Submit the required application materials through the PhORCAS on or before January 2nd each year. The PhORCAS website is available at http://www.ashp.org/phorcas or https://portal.phorcas.org/.

Contact information

PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Programs

Tess Kemp, PharmD BPACP, BCPP, BCGP
Residency Program Director
Education Program Manager
Minneapolis VAHCS,
One Veterans Drive (119),
Minneapolis, MN 55417

Phone: 612-467-5423
Fax: 612-727-5654
Email: Tessa.Kemp@va.gov

PGY2 Psychiatric Residency Program

Kara Wong, PharmD, BCPP
Residency Program Director
Minneapolis VAHCS,
One Veterans Drive (119),
Minneapolis, MN 55417

Phone: 612-467-3884
Fax: 612-727-5654
Email: Kara.Wong3@va.gov

PGY2 Geriatric Residency Program

Melissa Atwood, Pharm D. BCPS, CDCES, BCACP, BCGP
Residency Program Director
Minneapolis VAHCS,
One Veterans Drive (119),
Minneapolis, MN 55417

Phone: 612-467-3008
Fax: 612-727-5654
Email: Melissa.Atwood@va.gov

PGY2 Pain Management/Palliative Care Residency

Vinh Dao, Pharm D., BCPS
Residency Program Director
Minneapolis VAHCS,
One Veterans Drive (119),
Minneapolis, MN 55417

Phone: 612-467-5535
Fax: 612-727-5654
Email: Vinh.Dao@va.gov

Internship program

Lisa Shivnarine
Evening Pharmacy Supervisor
Minneapolis VAHCS,
One Veterans Drive (119),
Minneapolis, MN 55417

Phone: 612-467-3115
Fax: 612-727-5654
Email: Lisa.Shivnarine@va.gov

IPPE/APPE Student Educational Program

Lindsey Timm, PharmD, BCACP
Associate Chief of Pharmacy, Quality Assurance and Education
Minneapolis VAHCS,
One Veterans Drive (119),
Minneapolis, MN 55417

Phone: 612-725-2040
Fax: 612-727-5654
Email: Lindsey.Timm@va.gov

PGY2 Psychiatric Resident

Jesse Upton, PharmD

Email: Jesse.Upton@va.gov

PGY2 Geriatric Resident

Hailee Griffin, PharmD

Email: Hailee.Griffin@va.gov

PGY2 Pain Management/Palliative Care Resident

Christy Varghese, PharmD

Email: Christy.Varghese@va.gov