Mission

The mission of the W.G. (Bill) Hefner VA Medical Center / Physician Assistant Residency in Primary Care is to graduate PAs who demonstrate clinical expertise in Primary Care. Participation in the PA Residency will allow residents to develop effective clinical skills, time to identify areas of clinical interest or specialty, and means to put their medical knowledge into practice. This will include development of strong leadership skills, ethics, professionalism in working with Veterans, colleagues, and participation in the education of PA students. The goal is to provide additional clinical training for applicants as they care for the health needs of Veterans in the Salisbury and surrounding communities.

Overview

Training for the year-long residency occurs at Salisbury VA Health Care System to expand experiences in both clinical and academic environments. The residents will be exposed to basic core curriculum rotations that will emphasize basic primary care principles.  The training will also include Resident’s preference in the selection of clinical electives after core requirements are met. Training is provided at inpatient and outpatient medical and mental health clinics, to include local CBOCs or Health Care centers.  Residents will have daily mentorship and supervision by outstanding physician or mid-level provider faculty.   As the curriculum progresses, PA Residents gain valued clinical experience and confidence to practice in a wide range of clinical specialties and settings.



Objectives

The overriding goal of the program is to provide additional medical education to assure that our PA residents will, by completion of the residency, exhibit competency in the following six areas: Patient Care, Medical Knowledge, Practice-Based Learning and Improvement, Interpersonal and Communication Skills, Professionalism, and Systems-Based Practice through increased mastery of knowledge, skills and attitudes required to function as a Primary Care provider within the VA and other settings. Upon meeting all program requirements, PA Resident will receive a Certificate of Completion from the Salisbury VA Health Care System.


 

Benefits

• Generous stipend: $75,914 for 2021-22, master’s level trainee
• VA Holidays, sick leave (13 days), annual leave (13 days)
• Eligible for health, vision, dental and life insurance
• Liability coverage

Educational Components

• PA Residency didactic lecture series
• Service-based specialty lecture content
• Grand Rounds/Conferences
• Affiliation with Wake Forest PA program: one-time lecture to PA students
• Faculty mentorship and supervision in clinical training
• PA Resident will present a National Didactic Lecture while in training. 

Residents complete Core Clinical Rotations to include:

• Cardiology/ Pulmonary Medicine
• Hospitalist/Internal Medicine
• ER/Urgent Care
• Primary Care (PACT) model, (to include Women’s health & Mental Health)
• Neurology/ Pain Management
• Gastroenterology

Additional Elective Rotations include:

• Dermatology/ Immunology
• Anesthesia
• Optometry/Ophthalmology/ENT
• Hematology/ Oncology
• Orthopedics/Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
• Geriatrics/Palliative Care/Hospice
• Nephrology
• Infectious Disease (focus on HIV & HCV)
• Urology
• Podiatry
• Mental Health (Substance Abuse, PTSD or acute MH care, acute inpatient or outpatient)   
• Surgery: General 
• Wound care

Admission Requirements

Qualified applicants must have each of the following by the time of application:

• Graduation or anticipated graduation from an ARC-PA accredited PA Program
• Certification by NCCPA
• US citizenship
• State PA licensure

Required documents include: transcripts from PA program and any graduate-level programs, documentation of NCCPA certification or eligibility, two letters of recommendation, and a personal essay. Competitive applicants will be interviewed. Please email to obtain applicant information.
*If accepted, students must graduate and receive board certification before beginning residency.

Applications are being accepted & positions filled as slots become available.
Please contact:

Susan Bollom, PA-C, Residency Program Director
Post-Graduate Physician Assistant Residency in Primary Care
W.G. (Bill) Hefner Veterans Affairs Medical Center
1601 Brenner Ave Salisbury, NC 28144
Tel: 704-638-9000, ext. 13026  
Email: susan.bollom@va.gov
 

Key Faculty

Susan Bollom, PA-C, Residency Program Director
Robin A, Hurley, MD, ACOS of Research & Academic Affairs, FANPA, Professor at WFSM
Frank Labagnara, DO, Director of Medical Education, Professor at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine

Setting

The Salisbury VA Health Care System (VAHCS) includes the W.G. (Bill) Hefner VA Medical Center in Salisbury, NC as well as Health Care Centers (HCCs) in Kernersville and in Charlotte as well as a Community Based Outpatient Clinic in Charlotte.  The Salisbury VAHCS provides medical, surgical, psychiatric, oncology and ambulatory care services to over 92,000 Veterans in the central Piedmont service area.

The Salisbury VAHCS is affiliated with multiple Schools of Pharmacy as well as Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine. It serves as a training site for students and residents in multiple disciplines, including: nursing, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, psychiatry, psychology, rehabilitation and medicine.

Salisbury VAHCS has clinical pharmacy specialists with prescribing privileges in primary care, pain management, long-term care, home-based primary care, mental health, infectious disease, hematology/oncology, and acute care. The medical center also provides an in-house Community Living Center and hospice care for Veterans.

Salisbury is conveniently located near several major North Carolina cities, including Charlotte, Winston-Salem and Greensboro. Salisbury is within driving distance of the mountains (3 hours) and beaches (4 hours). It has a rich history and plays host to many cultural events year-round.

Post Graduate Training

The Salisbury VA Healthcare System (VAHCS) pharmacy service is dedicated to the higher education and training of pharmacy professionals. We currently offer two residency programs providing various leadership and growth opportunities; prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion principles; and emphasize resident well-being. Our American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)-accredited programs include a Postgraduate Year One (PGY1) Pharmacy Residency with 5 available positions and a Postgraduate Year Two (PGY2) Psychiatric Pharmacy Residency with 1 available position.

PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program PGY1 Brochure 2022-2023

The twelve-month PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency Program builds 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. Please see attachment for more information and specific residency experiences.

PGY2 Psychiatric Pharmacy Residency Program PGY2 Brochure 2022-2023

The twelve-month PGY2 Psychiatric Pharmacy Residency Program will prepare each resident to enter a clinical practice setting in psychiatric pharmacy as an integral member of the interprofessional healthcare team. Upon completion, the resident will be prepared for a clinical pharmacy specialist (CPS) position in mental health and/or academia in either the outpatient or inpatient setting and position them to be eligible for attainment of board certification in psychiatric pharmacy. Please see attachment for more information and specific residency experiences.

Application Procedure

The Salisbury VA Healthcare System (VAHCS) programs will utilize the Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service (PhORCAS) for processing all applications. For more information: www.ashp.org/phorcas. Requirements include: application, letter of intent, curriculum vitae, professional transcripts, and PhORCAS standardized form from three references. Qualifications include: Doctor of Pharmacy degree from an accredited College of Pharmacy or a Bachelor of Pharmacy with equivalent clinical experience, licensure/eligibility for licensure in the U.S., and U.S. citizenship. PGY2 applicants must also successfully complete an accredited PGY1 Residency Program.

Application deadline for the PGY1 & PGY2 Programs is January 1

 
Contacts

Camille P. Robinette, PharmD, BCACP, CDCES PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program Director

704-638-9000 Ext. 13160

Camille.Robinette@va.gov

Hannah Rabon, PharmD, BCPS PGY2 Psychiatric Pharmacy Residency Program Director

336-515-5000 Ext. 21232

Hannah.Rabon@va.gov

W.G. (Bill) Hefner Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Co-Directors of Training in Psychology

• Dr. Brandon Bryan (704)-638-9000 Ext. 13175
• Dr. Holly Miskey (704)-638-9000 Ext. 14570

W.G. (Bill) Hefner Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Co-Directors of Training in Psychology

• Dr. Brandon Bryan (704)-638-9000 Ext. 13175
• Dr. Holly Miskey (704)-638-9000 Ext. 14570

Applications may be submitted by e-mail to Brandon.Bryan@va.gov and/or Holly.Miskey@va.gov. Please include a cover letter, personal statement, CV, and 3 letters of reference. Application deadline is December 15.

W.G. (Bill) Hefner Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Co-Directors of Training in Psychology

• Dr. Robert Shura (704) 638-9000 Ext. 12392
• Dr. Holly Miskey (704) 638-9000 Ext. 14570

MIRECC Advanced Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship programs are designed to train allied health professionals with the goal of becoming outstanding clinical researchers in high priority areas of mental health.

Our 2-year program additionally focuses on training in clinical neuropsychology and meets Houston Conference Guidelines with the intent to produce graduates who would qualify for board certification in neuropsychology. The Co-Directors of training are both board certified in neuropsychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). The Mid-Atlantic MIRECC focuses on post deployment mental health, and the Hefner VAMC MIRECC more specifically focuses on traumatic brain injury (TBI), blast exposure, and neuropsychology. Fellowship sites have national interaction and collaboration through weekly video and audio conferencing of didactics. This site also provides weekly on-site didactics, such as functional neuroanatomy and neuropsychology seminars in conjunction with our academic affiliate, Wake Forest School of Medicine (WFSM). Fellows devote the majority of their time to patient-oriented research and education, and up to 25% to direct patient clinical care with a focus on neuropsychology. Fellows may develop and implement a research project, publish and present findings, participate in grant writing, and utilize the latest technology for educational activities and clinical service delivery.