Characteristics of Postgraduate Year 1 Pharmacy Residency Programs at Veterans Affairs Medical Centers

Abstract

Purpose: Although the characteristics of pharmacy postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) residency programs have been examined among large academic medical centers, there are no identified studies comparing the attributes of individual programs in the Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Administration System. The primary objective of this study was to describe and contrast characteristics of VA PGY1 residency programs. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey of VA pharmacy residency programs. An online survey was distributed electronically to residency program directors of VA PGY1 residencies. Results: Responses from 33 (33%) PGY1 programs were available for the analysis. Programs reported growth over the previous 2 years and expected continued expansion. There was a wide variety of learning opportunities, although experiences were customizable based on residents’ interests. Notably, many programs allowed residents to seek rotations at other locations if specific experiences were not available on-site. Additionally, most programs had a mandatory staffing component and required residents to present the results of residency research projects. Conclusion: There is a high degree of variability among individual VA facilities with regard to the requirements and opportunities available to PGY1 pharmacy residents. This assessment is able to characterize the currently established residency programs and allows for an active comparison of programs in a nationally integrated health care system.