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Pharmacy Residency Programs

The Southern Arizona VA Health Care System (SAVAHCS) offers a Postgraduate Year One (PGY1) pharmacy residency and a PGY2 oncology pharmacy residency program. The PGY1 pharmacy and PGY2 oncology residencies have been accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) since 1984 and 2010, respectively.

The Rose Garden, fountain and building two of the Tucson VA.

Pharmacy Residency Programs

The 52-week PGY1 residency program is designed to provide ongoing clinical pharmacy activities while promoting individual resident's needs. The program provides clinical experience with a broad range of patients and disease states in various rotation settings while working collegially with physicians and nurse practitioners. The learning experiences during the PGY1 program include:

  • medicine acute care
  • primary care
  • critical care
  • pharmacy operations
  • longitudinal primary care clinic
  • medication management

Three electives specific to the resident’s identified areas of interest are provided.            

The PGY2 oncological pharmacy residency program offers one residency position and is 52 weeks of education and experiences on oncology-focused pharmacy practices designed to provide ongoing pharmacy clinical activities. The resident’s experiences throughout the program include:

  • outpatient oncology
  • surgical oncology
  • inpatient oncology
  • administrative oncology
  • hospice/palliative care
  • therapeutic drug monitoring
  • drug information
  • drug policy development

Additional electives are provided that are specific to the practice of oncology pharmacy.

At SAVAHCS, we are committed to fostering and sustaining an environment that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion in our pharmacy service.  We embrace our differences as individuals and unite as a pharmacy team with a common goal: deliver safe, optimal, patient-centered care for our nation’s Veterans.

Facility Overview

Since 1928, SAVAHCS has provided—and continues to provide—comprehensive, world-class health care to Veterans. SAVAHCS is an integrated Veterans Affairs health care system consisting of over 250 hospital beds, multiple ambulatory care and specialty clinics, two urban community outpatient clinics, and five community outpatient clinics across southern Arizona that, together, serve 60,000 Veterans annually. A wide range of inpatient and primary care services are provided in the medical center, including acute care medicine, surgery, neurology, infectious diseases, nephrology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, rheumatology, pulmonology, cardiology, oncology, mental health and emergency medicine. The 90-bed Community Living Center (CLC), located on the Tucson campus, provides advanced rehabilitation and transitional care services, including hospice, palliative care, interim care, medical rehabilitation, neurogeriatrics, geripsychiatric and respite care. SAVAHCS is an Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND) Polytrauma Amputation Network Site (PANS), specializing in post-acute polytrauma rehabilitation and case management. SAVAHCS has the Southwest Blind Rehab Center a residential program providing skill training assisting blinded Veterans to increase their level of independence. SAVAHCS also offers Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC), a comprehensive in-home primary care program provided by a physician-supervised interdisciplinary service, including heavy involvement by Pharmacy Services, for both long-term chronically ill Veterans and those needing short term services. SAVAHCS has an active Institutional Review Board supporting research.

SAVAHCS Pharmacy Service is a highly integrated and progressive clinical practice model that encompasses approximately 130 pharmacy staff members, including 61 Clinical Pharmacy Practitioners (CPP) in a variety of practice settings.  Additionally, the Pharmacy Service is a technology and patient safety leader assisted by the extensive use of robotics and automation.  As a principal academic affiliate for the University of Arizona’s Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health and Pharmacy, more than 700 physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals receive training at SAVAHCS annually.

Recruitment

SAVAHCS's residency programs pride themselves on matching with well-rounded applicants who demonstrate passion and enthusiasm for providing high-quality Veteran health care.

Please join us either in person or virtually at the following events to learn about our team and our residency programs.  For details please see the Recruitment PDF below.

Virtual Pharmacy Residency Showcase Events

ASHP Midyear Residency Showcase on Tuesday, December 5th, 2023, from 8-11am at Booth 5461

Learn about the preceptor team by reading their autobiographies below.

Read the resident autobiographies to learn more about the Class of 2024!

2023 Pharmacy Residents and Preceptors

PGY1 Residency Program Information

PGY2 Oncology Residency Program Information

Stephanie Davis PharmD, BCACP

Pharmacy Education Program Manager

VA Southern Arizona health care

Phone: 520-792-1450 extension 12036

Email: stephanie.davis4@va.gov

Megan Banaszynski PharmD, BCOP

Clinical Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Specialist

VA Southern Arizona health care

Phone: 520-792-1450 extension 14505

Email: megan.banaszynski@va.gov