PGY2 psychiatric pharmacy residency program

Emphasis is placed on direct patient care responsibilities, and residents also receive management, education and research experience. Residents are provided with ample opportunities to teach in clinical clerkship and didactic settings.

Points of contact

Pharmacy service

VA Palo Alto health care consists of 3 inpatient facilities located at Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Livermore, in addition to 4 Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) in San Jose, Capitola, Monterey, and Fremont, as well as 2 residential homes for Veterans in the Compensated Work Therapy program. VA Palo Alto health care operates over 600 beds, including 3 nursing homes and a 100-bed homeless domiciliary - all to serve more than 67,000 unique Veterans.
Learn more about VA Palo Alto health care

The health care system is affiliated with Stanford School of Medicine, and the pharmacy service is affiliated with University of the Pacific (UOP) School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California (USC) School of Pharmacy, and Touro University California School of Pharmacy.

The VA Palo Alto pharmacy service provides 24-hour coverage, 7 days a week. Patient care is provided by a staff of more than 200 pharmacists, residents, students, and technicians practicing in the inpatient and ambulatory care setting. The pharmacy also provides a Pharmacoeconomics Center, and staff to participate in local, regional, and national committees.

About our program

After completing this residency program, the psychiatric clinical pharmacy practitioner will be well-prepared to confidently and effectively serve as the psychiatric medication expert in both outpatient and inpatient settings. Graduates of the residency will become essential members of interdisciplinary teams, providing care for individuals with psychiatric and neurologic disorders and taking responsibility for patient-centered medication therapy.

The program offers a wide variety of experiences in psychiatry, information technology, research, and management, equipping residents with the knowledge and skills needed to excel as psychiatric clinical pharmacy practitioners within their health care organizations and to become leaders in the field of psychiatric pharmacy.

Learning experiences

Core rotations (8 weeks)

• Outpatient Mental Health Clinic I
• Inpatient Psychiatry I
• Geriatric Psychiatry I
• Pain Management
• Harm Reduction
• Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program*
• Inpatient Substance Use Disorder*

Longitudinal rotations

• Outpatient Substance Use Disorders Clinic
• Outpatient Mental Health Clinic
• Pharmacy Benefits Management and E-Consult
• Quality Improvement Project
• Clozapine Tracking Team

Elective rotations (4 weeks)

• Academic Detailing
• Addiction Treatment Services
• Inpatient Psychiatry II
• Geriatric Psychiatry II
• Management/Pharmacoeconomics
• Outpatient Mental Health Clinic II
• Psychiatry Consult Service
• Ambulatory Care**
• Internal Medicine**

*Only one of these two experiences is required for program completion.
**Only one non-psychiatric elective may be completed.

How to apply

Our program participates in the ASHP PhORCAS system and National Matching Service. This residency site agrees that no person at this site will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any residency applicant.

NMS Number: 709166

Eligibility requirements

Prior to match:
1. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen.

After the match:
2. Return signed resident appointment letter by the stated deadline.
3. Successfully pass a pre-employment physical exam.
4. Pharmacist licensure in at least one state secured within 120 days of starting residency.

Candidates wishing to apply are required to submit the following via PhORCAS:

1. A “letter of intent” stating why you are pursuing a residency position in our program (max. 1 page)
2. A current curriculum vitae
3. VA form 10-2850D - Application for health professions trainees
4. A current official School of Pharmacy transcript
5. Three letters of recommendation. One of the reference writers must be a clinical rotation preceptor. All 3 reference writers should use the standard PhORCAS template to submit their recommendation.

PHORCAS applications are due January 10, 2025.