The Durham VA Medical Center (VAMC) is a 271-bed tertiary care referral, teaching and research facility affiliated with Campbell University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy, and the Duke University School of Medicine. The Medical Center provides general and specialty medical, surgical, psychiatric inpatient and ambulatory services, and serves as a major referral center for North Carolina, southern Virginia, northern South Carolina, and eastern Tennessee. Special programs at Durham include a comprehensive Women’s Health Center; a Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) program; a Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC); the VISN 6 Mental Illness, Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIREC), the Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care; the Southeast Epilepsy Center of Excellence; and the Epidemiology Research and Information Center (ERIC).
Appointment Tuesday, July 1, 2025 – Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Salary $50,721 (does not include staffing stipend)
Benefits
Annual Leave 4 hours every 2 weeks (accrued)
Sick Leave 4 hours every 2 weeks (accrued)
Health Insurance Variety of carriers and plans
Dental Insurance Variety of carriers and plans
Vision Insurance Variety of carriers and plans
VA residents are not offered life insurance or retirement benefits
Authorized Absence: NC Resident’s Conference, ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Research in Education and Practice Symposium, North Carolina Association of Pharmacists (NCAP) Annual Meeting Residency Showcase
*Please note that program financial support for required professional meeting attendance is not guaranteed. In lieu, residents will receive payment at the current staff pharmacist hourly rate for the required staffing experience once licensed and fully trained.
Holidays: Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, Juneteenth, President’s Day, Memorial Day
Program Purpose
The ASHP Accredited PGY1 Residency at the Durham VAMC offers a rewarding and challenging experience designed to refine skills necessary to become an independent practitioner. With this residency, the Resident will have the opportunity to become an integral member of the healthcare system to provide complete and detailed pharmacotherapeutic interventions to improve patient care services. As a member of this healthcare team, the Resident will work in a multi-disciplinary environment that provides active learning, instruction, mentoring and evaluation to develop and enhance pharmaceutical care.
Goals and Objectives
PGY1 residency programs build upon Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and outcomes to develop pharmacist practitioners with knowledge, skills, and abilities as defined in the educational competency areas, goals, and objectives. Residents who successfully complete PGY1 residency programs will be skilled in diverse patient care, practice management, leadership, and education, and be prepared to provide patient care, seek board certification in pharmacotherapy (i.e., BCPS), and pursue advanced education and training opportunities including postgraduate year two (PGY2) residencies.
Other elective learning experiences may be developed based on resident interest and preceptor availability
Required Longitudinal Learning Experiences
Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting (3-month block to review and verify reported adverse drug events, 2-4 hours per week plus 2 months to prep and present adverse drug event report to the Durham VAHCS P&T Committee, 1-2 hour per month)
Anticoagulation (4 hours every other week for 6 months, Jan-June)
Telephone based
Drug Information (4 months to complete 4 formal medication related question write-ups, 2-4 hours per month plus 3 months to complete and present 1 drug monograph, 1-2 hours per month)
Medication Use Evaluation (9 consecutive calendar months, approximately 1 hour per week)
Collaborative project with co-residents
Staffing (9 months, 1 weekend shift a month that includes 8 hours Saturday and 8 hours Sunday, approximately 144 hours total)
Dual appointment for all staffing after orientation
Shift: Sat and Sun 10:00am – 6:30pm
Required: 1 Saturday or Sunday 8-hour shift prior to the first official staffing weekend; 9 weekends remainder of residency year
Optional: evening and weekend opportunities often available
PGY1 Pharmacy Practice and Professional Development
Professional Development Series – quarterly 2-hour series with co-residents and Associate Chief of Clinical Operations
Residency Clinical Conference: One 15-minute research protocol presentation, one 25-minute case presentation, one 50-minute grand rounds presentation, two 12-minute Research in Education and Practice Symposium practice presentations
UNC Teaching Assistant for PY2 Skills Lab (if available, 4 hours weekly for 11 weeks)
Formal Mentorship Program: Residents self-identify mentor after orientation month for added support of both professional and personal development. Meetings with mentors are resident-driven and time commitment varies on resident needs and utilization (11 months, mostly residents meet with their mentor at least 1 hour monthly).
Optional: VA PRPO Clinical Teaching Certificate Program (30 minutes per week)
Residency Project (12 months, approximately 1.5 hours per week)
Choose project of interest, develop protocol, obtain IRB approval, collect data, analyze results, and present at regional residency conference.
Guidance from Pharmacy Research Advisory Committee (PRAC)
Eligibility Requirements
Doctor of Pharmacy degree from an accredited College of Pharmacy or a Bachelor of Pharmacy with equivalent clinical experience
Citizen of the United States
Pharmacist Licensure/eligibility for licensure in any state in the U.S.
PGY1: licensure within 90 days of residency start date
PGY2: licensure by the first day of the residency
Completion of an accredited Pharmacy Practice or PGY1 Residency Program (PGY2 Only)
Federal Appointment of health professions trainees is also contingent on fulfillment of requirements of the Federal Government. These requirements include, but may not be limited to, the following:
US Citizenship or Documented Immigrant, Non-Immigrant, or Exchange Visitor
US Social Security Number
US Selective Service System Registration, if applicable
Proof of Identity
Health Requirements
Trainees must be mentally and physically fit to perform the essential functions of the training program
Trainees must be immunized following current CDC guidelines for healthcare workers to protect themselves, other employees, and patients while working in a healthcare facility.
Trainees must have baseline tuberculosis (TB) screening and ongoing TB evaluation per CDC healthcare personnel guidelines.
Fingerprint Screening and Background Investigation
VA Onboarding Forms
Application for Health Professions Trainees (Form 10-2850D)
Declaration of Federal Employment (OF 306)
HPT Random Drug Testing Notification and Acknowledgement Memo
Appointment affidavits/oath of office (Standard Form 61)
The residency program and local education services will assist incoming residents with the onboarding process. Questions during the application process may be directed to the residency program directors. Additional eligibility information may be found at https://www.va.gov/oaa/hpt-eligibility.asp
Application Procedure
The Durham VA Pharmacy Residency programs will utilize the Pharmacy Online Centralized Application Service (PhORCAS) for processing all applications outside of the early commitment process. For more information visit the PhORCAS website. Requirements:
About PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program - Durham VA Health Care System
The Durham VA Medical Center (VAMC) is a 271-bed tertiary care referral, teaching and research facility affiliated with Campbell University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy, and the Duke University School of Medicine. The Medical Center provides general and specialty medical, surgical, psychiatric inpatient and ambulatory services, and serves as a major referral center for North Carolina, southern Virginia, northern South Carolina, and eastern Tennessee. Special programs at Durham include a comprehensive Women’s Health Center; a Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) program; a Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC); the VISN 6 Mental Illness, Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIREC), the Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care; the Southeast Epilepsy Center of Excellence; and the Epidemiology Research and Information Center (ERIC).
