Boise VA Medical Center Pharmacy Resident Program

To access a 'Sample Schedule' please click here.

To access a list of 'Past Residents' please click here.

To access a list of 'Current Residents' please click here.

To access a list of 'Pharmacy Preceptors' please click here. 

Pharmacy Department

Our goal is to provide excellent pharmacy services to our veterans.  Our pharmacists are specially trained as medication experts, and are committed to providing safe, high quality, evidence-based comprehensive medication management care that fosters efficient and effective drug therapy management in collaboration with other healthcare team members. In accordance with the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) model, clinical pharmacists are located in five outpatient firms and provide disease state management under an approved scope of practice.  Pharmacist-managed clinics include: MOVE (weight loss), hypertension, hyperlipidemia, insulin titration, and smoking cessation.  Pharmacists are also involved with specialty services, such as infectious disease, nephrology, and hepatitis.  Our inpatient pharmacy provides unit dose, intravenous admixture, total parenteral nutrition and oncology services for inpatients and after hours prescription filling services for outpatients.  Service is available on a 24-hour/7-day week basis.  Each inpatient clinical pharmacist has privileges associated with anticoagulation, antimicrobial stewardship and vancomycin dosing.  Inpatient pharmacists round with the inpatient teams and participate in teaching the medical residents in an interdisciplinary team setting.  Recently, our pharmacy services have expanded to include a mental health pharmacist and an oncology pharmacist.  Many of our pharmacists our preceptors for our pharmacy residents and are committed to helping residents become independent clinical pharmacist practitioners who provide excellent patient centered care.  As a group of pharmacy professionals, we are dedicated to serving our veterans, and our fellow healthcare professionals through leadership, teamwork, and integrity.

Program Overview

The Boise VA Medical Center offers an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists accredited PGY-1 Residency for four residency candidates. The program has enjoyed ASHP accreditation since 1985. The residency program starts in early July and runs through June of the following year.

The program is highly oriented around the resident’s pharmacy practice interests and individual career goals. Based on the resident’s previous experience, areas of interest, and residency goals an individualized learning plan is developed and continually evaluated throughout the program.

Teaching is another important aspect of the residency program. Residents will be expected to participate in the precepting of Pharm.D. students. Additionally, residents will have the option to complete an elective rotation in academics, participate in a Teaching Certificate program, deliver didactic lectures and manage other classroom activities in association with the Idaho State University College of Pharmacy.  

Program Purpose

The PGY-1 Residency Program develops pharmacists who are well equipped to enter a wide variety of pharmacy practice environments or pursue PGY-2 residency training. Residents at the Boise VAMC, as members of the health care team, are responsible for providing evidence based, patient centered care. Residents will develop professional maturity through demonstrating leadership and practice management skills, evaluating their own performance in the program, and educating patients and providers all while promoting the practice of pharmacy.

Training Site Overview

The Boise VAMC is part of VA NW Health Network (VISN 20), which includes facilities in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.  The Boise VAMC is a 46-bed facility with an adjacent 32-bed extended care unit which houses nine beds for inpatient substance abuse.  The Boise VAMC also operates Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) in Twin Falls and Caldwell, Idaho, an Outreach Clinic in Burns, Oregon and Salmon, Idaho and Behavioral Health services at the Boise Veterans Center. The Boise VAMC is an acute care teaching hospital, providing a full range of patient care services, with state-of-the-art technology as well as education and research.  Comprehensive health care is provided through primary care, secondary, and long-term care in areas of medicine, surgery, psychiatry, physical medicine and rehabilitation, oncology, dentistry, geriatrics, and extended care.

PGY1

Program Requirements

PGY-1 Residents at the Boise VA Medical Center are required to complete a minimum of 2,000 clock hours over a 12-month period. During this time residents will complete an orientation period, six required rotations, longitudinal requirements, and various elective opportunities.
Longitudinal Requirements:
• Manage consulted ambulatory care patients through clinic visits and regular telephone follow-up
• Select and present a research or medication use evaluation project at the ISHP Fall Meeting
• Complete a final manuscript of your chosen research or medication use evaluation project
• Present to the medical house staff at Noon Conference
• Fulfill discharge staffing requirement (every fourth Thursday, Saturday, Sunday)
• Precept Doctor of Pharmacy Students
• Participate in management meetings led by VA and local program directors

Evaluation

Residents are evaluated on required and elective ASHP outcomes, goals, and objectives. Residents receive formal quarterly feedback throughout the residency as well as rotation specific feedback at the conclusion of each block.

Residents are expected to continually evaluate their own performance as well as establish and modify personal goals and objectives to be achieved over the course of their residency training.

Benefits

A competitive annual stipend is provided to residents as well as 13 paid holidays, annual leave, sick leave, health care benefits, personal office space, and free parking.

Additionally, residents can participate in Resident Forum which consists of weekly meetings with other Boise area residents. Through Resident Forum, residents have the opportunity to complete a teaching certificate, participate in BCPS review sessions, and solidify their post residency plans through CV reviews, and panel discussions.

The Boise VA Medical Center is also one of five facilities in the nation chosen to participate in the VA Centers of Excellence in Primary Care Education. The goal of this program is to foster transformation of clinical education by preparing graduates of health professional programs to work in and lead patient‐centered interprofessional teams that provide coordinated longitudinal care. Both PGY-1 and PGY-2 Pharmacy Residents will be involved in this exciting program. More information on this exciting program can be found here: http://www.va.gov/OAA/coepce/

Rotations

* Residents may repeat any required rotation to gain additional experience

Required Rotations

AC - Ambulatory Care
G - Geriatrics
IM - Adult Internal Medicine
IP - Inpatient
PA - Pharmacoeconomics/ADPAC
AAC - Advanced Ambulatory Care
 
Elective Rotations (4 weeks)

O* - Oncology
MH* - Mental Health
ID* - Infectious Disease
A* - Academics
AG* - Anticoagulation

PGY2 Ambulatory Care

Program Requirements

• Ambulatory Disease Management Rotation
• Silver Team Pharmacist Block
• Community-Based Outpatient Clinic Pharmacist Rotation
• Discharge Staffing longitudinal experience
• Practice Management longitudinal experience
• Group residency project including IRB approval
• Teaching Certificate
• BCPS Preparation

Electives are chosen to match candidate’s interests and goals. A wide variety of elective options exist including: academics, outpatient specialty clinic experience, pharmacoeconomics, , and oncology.

Program Purpose: The PGY-2 Ambulatory Care residency program at Boise VAMC is designed to produce advanced pharmacy practitioners in primary care. Graduates may find employment in academia and in institutions as ambulatory care clinical pharmacy specialists or clinical coordinators.

We are honored to be one of five “Centers of Excellence in Primary Care Education”. Each PGY2 resident will participate as the clinical pharmacist for the medical resident continuity clinic and will complete a team project related to the provision of patient care in an ambulatory care setting.

 

Application Process PGY1

Applicants must be a graduate of a College of Pharmacy accredited by the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and must be a U.S. citizen. Additionally, the candidate must participate in the Matching Program and include their National Matching Service (NMS) applicant number with their application.

Competitive candidates will demonstrate leadership abilities, professional competence, communication skills, scholastic achievement, dependability, and the ability to work well with others.

Interested applicants must submit the following information by the first Monday in January via Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service (PhORCAS):

1. Curriculum Vitae
2. Letter of Intent
3. Three professional letters of recommendation
4. Transcripts from pharmacy school

Contact Information:

Paul Black, Pharm.D., BCPS
PGY-1 Residency Director
Boise VA Medical Center
500 W. Fort Street (119)
Boise, ID 83702
Phone: 208.422.1000 X 7909
Email: Paul.Black2@va.gov

 
Application Process PGY2 - Ambulatory Care

Interested applicants must submit the following information by the second Monday in January via Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service (PhORCAS):

1. Completed Application
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. Letter of Intent - describing your PGY-1 experiences and how you think an ambulatory care residency will solidify your ability to create an innovative pharmacy practice at another site (500-750 words).
4. Two professional letters of recommendation
5. Transcripts of all college work

Contact Information:

Amber K. Fisher PharmD, BCPS
PGY2 Ambulatory Program Director
500 West Fort Street (119)
Boise, ID 83702
Phone: (208) 422-1085
Fax: (208) 422-1088
E-mail: amber.fisher3@va.gov