The residency program is located at the Battle Creek VA Medical Center (BCVAMC), a teaching hospital that provides primary care, long term care and mental health services to eligible Veterans. Battle Creek is the regional referral center for mental health care across the state of Michigan. The facility consists of 276 total operating beds, including 55 inpatient mental health beds, 11 inpatient medical beds, 109 Community Living Center beds, and 101 Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (RRTP) beds.

In addition to our main facility in Battle Creek, Michigan, we offer services at four Community Based Outpatient Clinics.  These clinics are located in:

• Wyoming, Michigan
• Muskegon, Michigan
• Lansing, Michigan
• Benton Harbor, Michigan

The Postgraduate Year-1 (PGY1) Pharmacy Practice Residency at the Battle Creek VA Medical Center (VAMC) is an ASHP-accredited program established in 2010. While the residency program requires core pharmacy practice components, it also allows for flexibility in order for the resident to customize the program toward his/her interests. The resident will be working with pharmacists within the outpatient and inpatient pharmacies as well as in clinics and within the hospital.  In total, over 20 pharmacist preceptors provide guidance and instruction for the residents.

Two residency positions are available. Each resident will have longitudinal experiences that allow him/her to function similarly to the clinical pharmacist specialists within our facility. Residents completing a residency at the Battle Creek VAMC will be prepared to become clinical pharmacists who provide exemplary patient care in interdisciplinary teams, capable of leading the profession and working within the framework of a health care system.

Past graduates of the PGY1 Pharmacy Practice residency have gained employment in several different settings and institutions. Many have continued as clinical pharmacy specialists within the VA system, while some are now clinical faculty or ambulatory care pharmacists in the private sector. Others continued their training in PGY-2 Psychiatry pharmacy residency programs.

Required Rotations

o Anticoagulation

o Dispensing pharmacy

o Education and drug information

o Home-based primary care

o Inpatient psychiatry

o Interprofessional series

o Pharmacy management

o Pharmacy policy

o Pharmacy research project

o Primary care

Elective Rotations

o Erythropoietin-Stimulating Agents

o Learning Experience Development

o Medication Safety

o Population Management

o Psychosocial Rehabilitation

o PTSD

o Substance Abuse

o Women’s Health

• Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Programs
• Women’s Health

Fringe Benefits

• Leave
  • 4 hours annual leave every pay period
  • 4 hours sick leave every pay period
• 11 Federal holidays
• Participation in VA Health Insurance Plan 
• Opportunity to earn additional income after-hours

Basic Requirements

• Doctor of Pharmacy Degree (Pharm.D.) from an ACPE-accredited school or college.
• Licensure from any U.S. State Board of Pharmacy within 90 days. It is preferred if incoming residents are licensed prior to entering the program.
• U.S. citizenship.
• Registration with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ Matching Program and Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service (PhORCAS).
• Required application documents:
  • Curriculum vitae
  • College transcripts
  • Letter of intent
  • Three letters of recommendation from professional sources
  • Supplemental questions (See Below)
• An interview is required for all applicants.

Application Process

All interested candidates must use PhORCAS to submit an application to the program.

• Number of positions: 2
• Application deadline: January 1st of each year.

For more information about pharmacy residency programs at the Battle Creek VA Medical Center, please contact Residency Program Director Dr. Brad Baugh, Pharm.D., BCPS (terrence.baugh2@va.gov) or Residency Program Coordinator Dr. Angela Forrester, Pharm.D., BCPS (angela.forrester@va.gov)