Pharmacy PGY2 Infectious Diseases Residency

About the program

Overview

The VA Oklahoma City Healthcare System is located adjacent to the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and is a 192-bed tertiary care facility that also serves more than 60,000 patients in primary care. We provide more than 630,000 encounters and process over 1,600,000 prescriptions annually.

Our specialty residency program provides an opportunity to train in a variety of infectious diseases pharmacotherapy settings which include:

• Assisting with the direction of an antimicrobial stewardship program
• Involvement in the infectious diseases consult service
• Pharmaceutical care of patients with HIV and other chronic infections in the Infectious Diseases Clinic

Residency components

Antimicrobial Stewardship Program

The Antimicrobial Stewardship Program consists of approval of restricted and non-formulary antibiotics and consulting on patients at the request of a medical or surgical team. The program's success has been documented in the literature and is associated with a 40% decrease in antimicrobial expenditures and improvements in quality of care such as decreased length of hospital stay. Throughout the year, the resident will mature into a clinician who can develop, manage, and justify an antimicrobial stewardship program.

Infectious Diseases Consult Service

The Infectious Diseases Consult Service provides expertise to the Oklahoma City VA Health Care System. The resident will be an active member of the service, directly responsible for the antimicrobial pharmaceutical care provided to Oklahoma City VA Medical Center patients being seen by the service. The resident will provide valuable antimicrobial pharmacotherapy information for the team.

Critical Care Stewardship and Interdisciplinary Rounds

The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (CPS) for Critical Care provides antimicrobial stewardship and pharmacotherapy expertise to the medical intensive care teaching team during daily interdisciplinary rounds. While on rotation with the CPS, the resident will be an active member of the team, directly responsible for the antimicrobial and pharmaceutical care provided to critically ill veterans in the ICU.

Infectious Diseases Clinic

The Infectious Disease Clinic provides state-of-the-art care for approximately 200 patients with HIV, as well as patients with other chronic infections.  The resident will assist the Infectious Diseases pharmacist in the clinic. Together, they are responsible for all pharmaceutical care given to the patients, as well as assisting the infectious diseases attending physicians with such matters as the appropriate selection and monitoring of antiretroviral therapy.

Elective rotations

Elective rotations are available in the residency. Rotations are available in the OKC VA Medical Center clinical microbiology laboratory, clinical research electives, and other potential settings.

Projects

The resident will be expected to complete at least one significant project within the residency year.  Projects may include clinical research, outcomes projects, pharmacoeconomic evaluations, etc.  The program director will provide guidance throughout the process.

Benefits

General

• Resident office space
• White coat
• Comprehensive health sciences library
• Free on-site parking and shuttle bus access
• Business cards

Travel

• Reimbursement for all reasonable resident expenses including meeting registration, travel, hotel, and meals
• Meetings include (but are not limited to): American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Midyear, Oklahoma Society of Health System Pharmacists Residency Research Conference, ID Week, etc.

Compensation

• PGY2 (2021-22) $45,000 paid bi-weekly plus optional pharmacist salary for staffing

Paid time off (PTO), leave, and holidays

• PTO: 13 vacations days and 13 days sick leave per year
• Professional Leave : paid administrative leave for attendance to approved educational meetings and conferences
• Holidays: 11 paid holidays per year (per federal calendar)

Health

• Federal Employees Health Benefit (FEHB) eligible health, vision, and dental insurance

Application information (Match # 565155)

Applicant requirements

• U.S. citizenship
• Pharm.D. graduate of an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education-accredited pharmacy program in the U.S.
• Active pharmacist’s license or eligibility for future license (must be licensed through any U.S. State Board of Pharmacy within 90 days of starting the program)
• Registration online with the National Matching Service and using the shared PhORCAS and Match registration portal
• Adherence to all rules of the ASHP Resident Matching Program Process
• Must successfully complete a PGY1 program

Required materials

• Completed PhORCAS application
• Letter of Intent
• Curriculum Vitae
• Transcripts from Doctor of Pharmacy coursework
• 3 standardized PhORCAS references

Interview requirements and scheduling

• Interview is required
• All candidates will be notified of their interview status by the end of January
• Candidates will have the option of completing an in-person (preferred) or virtual interview

Completed applications must be submitted through PhORCAS by 11:59 p.m. on January 8, 2022.

For questions regarding the application process, please contact:

Riley Williams II, Pharm.D., BCPS
PGY2 ID Pharmacy Residency Program director
Oklahoma City VA HCS (119)
921 NE 13th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73104

Phone: 405-456-5570
Email: riley.williams2@va.gov