Internships and fellowships
VA El Paso health care provides training programs for students at the college, university, and postgraduate levels. Explore our training programs to find out about how we can help you start your career as a health care professional.
Psychology Internship Program
The El Paso VA Psychology Internship Program is committed to close supervision and competency-based training in a collegial setting. Our philosophy is that all practicing psychologists should have a strong foundation in general clinical psychology and the ability to apply empirical data to clinical procedures and assessments. We adhere to a Practitioner-Scholar model of psychology.
The program follows a traditional one-to-one apprenticeship model in which the intern works closely with their supervisor. Primary skills areas are clinical assessment and intervention, consultation, scholarly inquiry, and awareness of and sensitivity to professional, ethical, legal, and diversity issues. We believe that training in clinical and counseling psychology at the doctoral level should generally be broadly based. Still, we are happy to support interns interested in developing burgeoning expertise in health psychology, trauma, or couples psychotherapy.
Diversity Statement
The El Paso VA Psychology Internship Program places diversity and inclusion at the core of our training philosophy. We take very seriously our responsibility to contribute to the development of psychologists who are prepared to provide patient-centered, evidence-based treatment to individuals of diverse, intersectional identities. We promote diversity at every level within our training program and under the larger umbrella of Behavioral Health Service, in which our training program operates.
As a federal employer, the El Paso VAHCS strictly follows all EEOC policies on fair recruitment and other personnel practices. We aim to take diversity beyond mere representation of different identities towards authentic inclusion. We recognize that gains with regard to representation of diverse groups in our training program will not be sustained if our work environment does not promote the engagement of all team members. We are committed to recognizing and celebrating the intersecting identities of our psychology trainees and staff; working to create brave spaces in didactics and supervision where challenging conversations about practicing psychology in a diverse world can occur.
Eligibility
Consistent with VA policy, internship funding can be provided only to students who are U.S. citizens and are enrolled in an APA, CPA, or PCSAS-accredited clinical or counseling psychology doctoral program. In addition, we require that a prospective intern's university advisor or director of training verify readiness for internship on the Application for Psychology Internships (AAPI Online). Interns are subject to fingerprinting and background checks. Selection decisions are contingent on passing these screens.
- Applications Due: November 22, 2024
- APPIC Program Number: 2400
- NMS Match Number: 240011
Accreditation Status
The El Paso VA Psychology Internship Program at the El Paso VA Healthcare System (EPVAHCS) is a funded VA Internship site with (2) positions. This internship is Fully Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association.
Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation. Contact information is provided below.
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Phone:
Point of Contact:
Patrie C. Williams, Ph.D.
Director of Psychology Training-El Paso VA Psychology Internship
Email: Patrie.williams@va.gov
Office Phone:
Emilia Candelario, Ph.D, ABPP
ACOS, Behavioral Health Service
Email: Emilia.Candelario@va.gov
Office Phone:
South Central VA Wellness Clinic
350 Revere St., El Paso, TX 79938
2025-2026 Internship Training Year Brochure
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Click the link to learn more about internship benefits, selection procedures, training setting, program structure, training resources, and requirements for completion.
Postgraduate Year One (PGY1) Pharmacy Residency Program
The El Paso VA Health Care System (EPVAHCS) is a Joint Commission accredited complexity level three, outpatient facility that provides a broad range of medical services to an estimated 31,000 Veterans in the West Texas and Southern New Mexico areas. The main facility is located in El Paso, Texas with six VA-staffed Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC) located throughout El Paso, Texas and Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Residency Purpose/Goal:
The 12-month ASHP-accredited PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program is designed to provide the resident with the knowledge, expertise, skills and abilities required in ambulatory care pharmacy practice. In addition, the program is meant to provide the resident with a concentrated clinical experience along with exposure to all available aspects of administrative pharmacy practice. The ultimate goal of the program is to enhance the resident’s competence and skills as a productive member of the health care team and to obtain an in-depth working knowledge of all other areas of clinical and administrative pharmaceutical practice. Quality improvement projects and continuing educational activities are included in the residency.
Residency Program Specifics
Duration: 12 months
Positions Offered: 2
Application Deadline: January 6th
Start Date: July 1st
Stipend: Competitive salary plus benefits (paid federal holidays; 13 paid days each of annual and sick leave; health insurance; travel support for ASHP Midyear and Southwestern States conferences)
Requirements:
- U.S. Citizenship is required
- Doctor of Pharmacy Degree Pharm.D.) and minimum 3.0 GPA from an ACPE-accredited college of pharmacy
- Licensure may be through any U.S. State Board of Pharmacy
- Letter of intent
- Curriculum Vitae
- 3 letters of recommendation
- Official pharmacy transcript
- Virtual Interview
Learning Experiences:
Required Rotational Learning Experiences
Orientation – 4 weeks
Anticoagulation- 4 weeks
Primary Care-Chronic Disease Management I- 6 weeks
Pharmacy Management – 6 weeks
Outpatient Operations/Pharmacoeconomics- 6 weeks
Primary Care-Chronic Disease Management II- 6 weeks
Infectious Disease- 4 weeks
Required Longitudinal Experiences
Major Quality Improvement Project
Primary Care- Chronic Disease Management
Medication Use Evaluation
Outpatient Operations/Staffing
Professional Development
Elective Rotational Learning Experiences (4 weeks)
Home Based Primary Care/Polypharmacy
Mental Health
Pain Management
Population Health Management/Data Analytics
Inpatient Adult Medicine (William Beaumont Army Medical Center)
Elective Longitudinal Experiences
VA Teaching Certificate Program
Longitudinal of Choice
PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Leadership Team:
Melissa Carrillo, PharmD, CDCES
PACT Program Manager
PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Director
Brittany Dickhaus, PharmD, MBA, BCPS
Clinical Pharmacist
PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Coordinator
JoAnne Savage, PharmD, BCACP, CACP
Associate Chief of Pharmacy
Anualita Mbarusha, PharmD, BCGP
Chief of Pharmacy
Contact Us:
Melissa Carrillo PharmD, CDCES
PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Director
El Paso VA Health Care System
5001 N. Piedras
El Paso, TX 79936
Phone:
Email: melissa.carrillo@va.gov
