Pharmacy student and residency programs

At Minneapolis VA Health Care System, over 100 pharmacists play a vital role in the delivery of patient care; working closely with physicians, nurses and other health care team members to ensure America's Veterans receive the finest care.

Pharmacy students (pre-licensure)

• Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE) for 2nd/3rd year pharmacy students
• Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE) for 4th year pharmacy students
• Paid internships for post-2nd year pharmacy students

Student rotations are in the areas of acute care, ambulatory care, geriatrics, pharmacoeconomics and institutional pharmacy practice. Students work with licensed preceptor pharmacists in the areas of drug monitoring and optimization, interprofessional team development, patient counseling, formulary management, and drug product preparation. Rotations are full-time and range from 3 to 7 weeks.

Pharmacy student application forms and requirements are located on the registration page.

Pharmacy residency program (post-graduate training)

Minneapolis VA Health Care System is a teaching facility which operates over 300 acute care beds as well as long term care beds through the Community Living Center. In addition to offering primary, extended, and specialty care, Minneapolis operates VA Community Clinics such as Rice Lake and Hayward VA Clinics. Pharmacy Service at Minneapolis VA is affiliated with University of Minnesota, North Dakota State University, South Dakota State University, and Creighton University Colleges of Pharmacy. Minneapolis VA Health Care System is institutionally affiliated with University of Minnesota, School of Medicine.

Minneapolis VA Health Care System 2024-25 pharmacy residents.

By combining advanced technology with comprehensive clinical services, the Minneapolis VA Pharmacy Department continuously seeks new ways of improving patient care. Clinical services are provided in the following areas: internal medicine, critical care, cardiology, infectious diseases, geriatrics (long term care/home based primary care), anticoagulation, renal, ambulatory care general medicine, endocrinology, pain management, spinal cord, traumatic brain injury, women’s health, psychiatry and drug information. Examples of clinical services include pharmacokinetic monitoring, drug utilization evaluations, chronic disease state management, and overall monitoring to provide optimal pharmaceutical care.

Minneapolis VA Pharmacy Practice Residency was established in 1963 and is ASHP accredited. This program incorporates core pharmacy practice components while allowing for customization to the resident’s areas of interest. The resident will be working with pharmacists both within the outpatient and inpatient pharmacies as well as in clinics and on the hospital floors. By combining direct clinical services with staffing responsibilities, the resident will develop an understanding of the medication use system.

This residency program is designed to provide you with a comprehensive, well-rounded experience that will build a solid foundation for the future. Please see brochures for more information about our various PGY1 and PGY2 positions and do not hesitate to contact one of the PGY2 residents listed for questions about any of our PGY1 and PGY2 programs.

Q&A sessions and residency showcases for PGY1/PGY2 programs

To learn more about our PGY1/PGY2 residency programs prior to applying, an RPD and resident(s) will be attending the following residency showcase events. Please reach out to the individual hosting organizations to sign up to attend the following:

• Friday, Sep. 20, 2024, 3:30-5:00 p.m. CT: MSHP Midyear Clinical Meeting Residency Showcase
• Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, 4:30-6:30 p.m. CT: University of Minnesota Virtual Career & Internship Networking Fair
• Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, 3:00-5:00 p.m. CT: Federal Pharmacy Residency Virtual Showcase
• Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, 5:00-6:00 p.m. CT: ACCP x SNPhA Virtual Residency and Fellowship Showcase
• Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, 8:00-11:00 a.m. CT: ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting Residency Showcase
• Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. CT: ASHP Virtual Residency Showcase

We will also be hosting our own virtual Q&A sessions throughout fall and winter where preceptors will also be in attendance in addition to an RPD and resident(s). Sign up for a Q&A session here to have all your questions answered. For any questions regarding these sessions please reach out to a current resident. We look forward to meeting you all and appreciate your interest in our program!

Please see our interactive map of the facility for an overview of our campus prior to a more formal tour during interviews.

PGY1 - Pharmacy Practice Residency

• 3 positions: Pharmacy Practice
• 1 position: Pharmacy Practice – Mental Health

PGY2 - Psychiatric Pharmacy Residency

• 1 position: Psychiatric Pharmacy Practice

PGY2 - Geriatric Pharmacy Residency

• 1 position: Geriatric Pharmacy Practice

PGY2 - Pain Management/Palliative Care Pharmacy Residency

• 2 positions: Pain Management/Palliative Care Pharmacy Practice

PGY2 - Pharmacy Informatics Residency

• 1 position: Pharmacy Informatics Practice

PGY1 residency application procedure

• Participation in PHORCAS (Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application) plus required supplemental materials as follows:
  • Question & Answer Style Letter of Intent (Q&A LOI): You may briefly introduce yourself, then answer the following questions in question/answer format within the body of your letter of intent:
    • How have you prepared yourself to complete a residency? 
    • What most excites you about the Minneapolis VA Health Care System residency program? 
    • Describe the community you come from. How do you think your values and sense of community will contribute to our community at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System? 
    • Is there anything else you think we should know about you? 
  • Additional information and an example of the Q&A LOI:

• Letters of reference: We require applicants to submit 3 references. References should be submitted through the PHORCAS Standardized Reference form. We prefer references submit “free text” comments formatted similar to a traditional Letter of Recommendation in this PhORCAS form.
• Submit the required application materials through the PhORCAS on or before January 2nd each year. The PhORCAS website is available at http://www.ashp.org/phorcas or https://phorcas.liaisoncas.com/applicant/. 

PGY2 residency application procedure

• Please contact PGY2 RPD for up-to-date information.

Contact information

PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Programs

Shannon Tulk, PharmD, BCPS
Residency Program Director
Minneapolis VAHCS,
One Veterans Drive (119),
Minneapolis, MN 55417

Email: Shannon.Tulk@va.gov

PGY2 Psychiatric Residency Program

Jacob Held, PharmD, BCPP
Residency Program Director
Minneapolis VAHCS,
One Veterans Drive (119),
Minneapolis, MN 55417

Email: Jacob.Held@va.gov

PGY2 Geriatric Residency Program

Jordan Risher, Pharm D. BCACP, BCGP
Residency Program Director
Minneapolis VAHCS,
One Veterans Drive (119),
Minneapolis, MN 55417

Email: Jordan.Risher@va.gov

PGY2 Pain Management/Palliative Care Residency

Ashley Fike, Pharm D., MPH
Residency Program Director
Minneapolis VAHCS,
One Veterans Drive (119),
Minneapolis, MN 55417

Email: Ashley.Fike@va.gov

PGY2 Pharmacy Informatics Residency Program

Tessa Kemp, Pharm D., BCGP
Residency Program Director (RPD)
Minneapolis VAHCS
One Veterans Drive (119)
Minneapolis, MN 55417

Email: Tessa.Kemp@va.gov

Anders Westanmo, Pharm D., MBA, FAMIA
Residency Program Coordinator (RPC)
Minneapolis VAHCS
One Veterans Drive (119)
Minneapolis, MN 55417

Email: Anders.Westanmo@va.gov

Internship program

Lisa Shivnarine
Evening Pharmacy Supervisor
Minneapolis VAHCS,
One Veterans Drive (119),
Minneapolis, MN 55417

Phone:
Email: Lisa.Shivnarine@va.gov

IPPE/APPE Student Educational Program

Lindsey Timm, PharmD, BCACP
Associate Chief of Pharmacy, Quality Assurance and Education
Minneapolis VAHCS,
One Veterans Drive (119),
Minneapolis, MN 55417

Email: Lindsey.Timm@va.gov

PGY2 Psychiatric Resident

Claudia Epland, PharmD

Email: Claudia.Epland@va.gov

PGY2 Geriatric Resident

Hannah VanTruong, PharmD

Email: Hannah.VanTruong@va.gov

PGY2 Pain Management/Palliative Care Residents

Steven Chen, PharmD

Email: Steven.Chen1@va.gov

Jacob Mozer, PharmD

Email: Jacob.Mozer@va.gov