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PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program

The Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center PGY1 Pharmacy Residency is a one-year, post-graduate, experiential education program that provides a well-rounded training experience through inpatient and outpatient rotations.

Why Wichita?

The largest city in the state of Kansas, Wichita offers many areas of interest, including museums, music theatres and restaurants. We are known for our amazing zoos (we have 2!) and Botanica. Take a walk along the Arkansas river and check out the unique art along the way. Our downtown area is growing with many new apartments, parks, and breweries to discover.

If you like sports, check out the Wichita Wind Surge, Wichita Thunder, Wichita Force, and the Wichita State University basketball team! Interested in checking out a concert? Wichita offers both a large venue with INTRUST Bank Arena and smaller venues downtown for musical entertainment. Wichita has all the amenities of a large city with the feel of a small town, including low cost of living and short commute times. Come check us out!

You can watch other videos about Wichita's features and amenities at Visit Wichita's YouTube Page.

Main Components of the Program

Residents will gain professional experience through:

  • various required block rotations:
    • Anticoagulation/Cardiology
    • Critical Care
    • Emergency Medicine
    • Home Based Primary Care/Geriatrics
    • Infectious Disease
    • Operations/Clinical/Staffing
    • Orientation
    • PACT (Primary Care/Patient Aligned Care Team)
    • Pharmacogenomics/Long Term Care
  • required longitudinal rotations:
    • Research/Quality Improvement
    • Medication Use Evaluation
  • and selective rotations:
    • Behavioral Health
    • Substance Use Disorder

Program Highlights

Affiliated with KU School of Medicine and KU School of Pharmacy - Wichita division

  • Each year, the facility hosts approximately 115 medical residents, 100 medical students, 75 nursing students, and 20 midlevel practitioner students
  • Pharmacy residents will be offered the opportunity to complete the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy or VA Teaching Certificate and aid in precepting students.
  • Additional teaching opportunities are available for interested residents

In addition to resident salary, residents can earn pharmacist wages during weekend staffing requirements  

Most expenses for residency conferences, such as ASHP and Midwest Pharmacy Residency Conference are covered by the facility

13 days sick leave, 13 days annual leave, and 11 paid federal holidays

Program Start Date: June 19 (subject to change, please contact program for specifics)

Number of Positions: 2

Annual Salary: $47,397 (subject to change, please contact program for specifics)

Application Deadline: Per PhORCAS Matching Services

About the Program

Opened in 1933 as the Wichita Veterans Hospital, the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center serves Veterans living in 59 counties across Kansas through our main facility and five Community-Based Outpatient Clinics in Dodge City, Hays, Hutchinson, Parsons, and Salina. 

The Pharmacy serves 22,000 Veterans, processes over 52,000 prescriptions per month, and oversees 24 Clinical Pharmacy Practitioners (CPP). CPPs maintain an independent scope of practice to monitor and adjust drug therapy in Acute Care, Behavioral Health, Cardiology, Home Based Primary Care, Infectious Disease, Nephrology, Oncology, Pain Management, Pharmacogenomics, Primary Care, and Short-Stay Rehab Departments. The facility has a large percentage of rural patients, so pharmacy residents are exposed to virtual modalities for taking care of patients. This experience will help the resident develop many talents to be successful in pursuing a pharmacy practice or matching with a PGY2 residency at the completion of the year.

Our program also provides introductory and advanced experiential practice rotations for pharmacy students from the University of Kansas and Creighton University pharmacy schools. Residents are provided the opportunity to instruct and precept students while on service.

How to Apply

Thank you for your interest in the PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program at the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center.  Our PGY1 program currently offers 2 positions through the ASHP National Matching Service. All applications must be completed online via the Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service (PhORCAS) website.

Standard Requirements for an application in PhORCAS include:

  1. Completion of required PhORCAS application
  2. Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  3. Letter of Intent
  4. Three (3) Letters of Reference
  5. Official PharmD program transcripts

Additional Requirements: U. S. Citizenship

Application Deadline: January 2 (subject to change, please refer to PhORCAS for specific dates)

Interview offers are typically made early- to mid-January, with interviews typically scheduled for mid-late January through the end of February.

Questions

If you have any questions, please contact us!

Residency Program Director:
Nicholas Nelson, PharmD, BCPS, BCGP
nicholas.nelson@va.gov

Residency Program Coordinator:
Natalie Wissman, PharmD
natalie.wissman@va.gov

Additional Resources

PGY-1 Resident Presentations