VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System
PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency Program - Omaha
The residency program at the Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System in Omaha, NE is designed to develop clinical pharmacists who are confident in the provision of medication-related care to veterans with a wide range of conditions. The resident will provide drug information and education to veterans, other healthcare professionals and students. The resident will develop self-reflection and self-management skills throughout the year. The residency is flexible and provides the resident with a wide range of experiences to fit his or her individual interests.
VA Mission:
“To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s Veterans.
Purpose Statement:
PGY1 pharmacy residency programs build on Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) education and outcomes to contribute to the development of clinical pharmacists responsible for medication-related care of patients with a wide range of conditions, eligible for board certification, and eligible for postgraduate year two (PGY2) pharmacy residency training.
About the Hospital:
Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System (NWIHCS) serves an estimated Veteran population of 161,000 in 101 counties in Nebraska, western Iowa, Kansas and Missouri. The Omaha VA Medical Center is a tertiary facility that provides inpatient and outpatient health care through comprehensive primary care, medicine, surgery, psychiatry, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, oncology, gynecology, dentistry and geriatrics. The Grand Island VAMC provides outpatient primary, speciality and mental care, pharmacy, radiology, prosthetics and laboratory services, as well as a residential substance abuse program. A Community Living Center (CLC) provides short-stay rehabilitation, skilled-nursing care, respite and long-term care. The Lincoln VA Clinic provides a wide range of services including team-based primary care services, specialty medicine, surgery, mental health, physical medicine and rehabilitation, pain clinic, sleep clinic, smoking cessation clinics and others as well as polytrauma, audiology, optometry and dental. The VA clinics in Norfolk, North Platte, Holdrege, Bellevue and Shenandoah, Iowa and O’Neill, Nebraska, provide primary care, mental health and telehealth in the following areas: audiology, mental health, nutrition, MOVE (wellness and weight-loss) program and home telehealth. VA Veterans Centers are located in Omaha and Lincoln, with a Move Vet Center through the Lincoln office.
The Omaha VA is a regional hospital that has affiliations with two academic centers located in Omaha, Nebraska. The Omaha VA offers an academic model since it staffed by residents and attendings from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Creighton University Medical Center. The practice site is unique because it offers strong experiences in both ambulatory care and inpatient services. The pharmacy has decentralized clinical pharmacists who are responsible for pharmacokinetic monitoring and dosing, multi-disciplinary care team rounding, antimicrobial stewardship, anticoagulation monitoring and management, IV to PO conversions, drug information and overall pharmacotherapy monitoring and dosing.
