Program Overview:

Our program emphasizes the development of a Clinical Specialist in Psychiatric Pharmacy capable of serving as an independent practitioner, medication consultant, and formulary manager, as well as a contributing member of interdisciplinary healthcare teams.  They will also be able to provide education on mental health disorders and psychotropic medications to their pharmacist colleagues and trainees, other healthcare providers and patients.

With the specialized knowledge and skills gained during the program, graduates should be able to successfully achieve Board Certification in Psychiatric Pharmacy Practice, obtain employment as a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Psychiatry, and ultimately provide a high level of direct patient care.

Program Structure

Program Learning Experiences

1. REQUIRED (weeks):
   1. Pharmacy and Residency Orientation [3 weeks]
   2. Pharmacist Run Medication Management I, II, and III [12 weeks]
   3. Acute General Psychiatry [5 weeks]
   4. Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation Program (SARRTP) [5 weeks]
   5. Clinical Decision Making [5 weeks]
   6. Consult Liaison [8 weeks]
   7. Independent Clinical Competency [8 weeks]
2. REQUIRED (longitudinal)
   1. Psychiatric Pharmacy Practice Management [10 months]
   2. Research [11 months]
   3. Formulary Project [12 weeks]
   4. Medication Use Evaluation [12 weeks]
3. ELECTIVES – Resident will select ONE
   1. Academic Detailing [4 weeks]
   2. Geriatric Psychiatry [4 weeks]
   3. Pain Management [4 weeks]
   4. Virtual Substance Use Disorder Clinic (VA San Francisco) [4 weeks] [in development]
   5. NOTE: Teaching Certificate [10 months] is required if never previously completed a Teaching Certificate or had similar precepting experience

Facilities: The residents’ office will be located at the VA Medical Center in La Jolla, and most activities will be coordinated from this site.  Other clinical experiences will be conducted at community-based outpatient clinics in Kearney Mesa and Oceanside as well as a residential rehabilitation treatment program in Old Town San Diego.

Recruitment Brochure:

CA-SanDiegoPGY2-25-26-Pharmacy-Residency-Recruitment-Brochure-508.pdf (va.gov)

APPLICANT QUALIFICATIONS

• Participation in the ASHP Resident Matching Program
• United States citizenship with proof of naturalization if naturalized
• Possess a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from an accredited School or College of Pharmacy
• Completion of or be in the process of completing an ASHP-accredited PGY1 residency
• Eligible for licensure to practice as a pharmacist at VA San Diego within 120 days from the beginning of the residency program
• Must be able to show documented proof for each requirement and maintain eligibility for the duration of the VA appointment via the Am I Eligible? Checklist for Health Professional Trainees (HPTs) Training at VA Facilities: Am I Eligible? Checklist for VA Health Professional Trainees

APPLICATION PROCESS

• All application materials must be submitted through Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application (PhORCAS):
  • PHASE I DEADLINE is January 2, 2025 at 11:59PM EST
  • PHASE II DEADLINE if position available is March 24, 2025 at 11:59PM EST
• Submitted Materials must include:
  • General information requested by PhORCAS
  • Verified Transcripts  for Schools or Colleges of Pharmacy Only
  • Personal Statement / Letter of Intent 
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Three letters of recommendation using the standardized reference template in PhORCAS
• Selected applicants will be invited to a personal virtual or on-site interview occurring in Candidates who are not invited for an interview will be notified via e-mail
• We hope you will join us at the VA San Diego Healthcare System for your residency year. We look forward to receiving your application!

About VA San Diego Healthcare System

VA San Diego Healthcare System KEY FACTS Provided high quality health care to 116,500+ Veterans in the San Diego and Imperial Valley counties in Fiscal Year 2022 Offers a wide range of inpatient and outpatient health services at the medical center in La Jolla, seven community-based outpatient clinics located in Chula Vista, Escondido, Imperial Valley, Kearny Mesa, Rio, Oceanside, and Sorrento Valley and a residential rehabilitation treatment program Provides medical, surgical, mental health, geriatric, spinal cord injury, and advanced rehabilitation services Training site for 1,441 medical interns, residents and fellows, as well as 368 other health professionals from pharmacy, nursing, dental, and dietetics PROVISION OF CARE – PHARMACY SERVICE Pharmacy services provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week Decentralized unit-dose service with Barcode Medication Administration, IV Additive Service, Automated Dispensing Systems, Physician Order Entry and Automated Prescription Filling Our Ambulatory Care Clinical Pharmacists, Inpatient Clinical Pharmacists, and Clinical Specialists provide a wide range of pharmaceutical care services to veterans in the inpatient a...nd outpatient settings. OUR STAFF AND PRECEPTORS 75 pharmacists serve as preceptors to our resident trainees Most have greater than 5 years of experience with serving as a preceptor to residents Many are Board Certified as Pharmacotherapy Specialists (BCPS), Oncology Pharmacists (BCOP), Psychiatric Pharmacists (BCPP), Ambulatory Care Pharmacists (BCACP), Critical Care Pharmacists (BCCCP), Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (BCIDP) and Geriatric Pharmacists (BCGP) More than half possess Scopes of Practices which allow for prescriptive authority OUR TEACHING PROGRAM Multiple PGY1 and PGY2 residency training programs Have academic relationships with two Schools of Pharmacy – University of the Pacific (UOP) and University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Annually provide APPEs to approximately 30 students

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