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UW Veterinary Care > Veterinary Clinical Pharmacy Practice Residency Program

Veterinary Clinical Pharmacy Practice Residency Program

The School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is offering a one-year, ICVP accredited residency program in Veterinary Clinical Pharmacy Practice. The UW Veterinary Care (UWVC) Pharmacy is licensed by the State of Wisconsin Pharmacy Examining Board and is fully compliant with State and Federal regulations.

UW Veterinary Care has been the leader in animal health in Wisconsin since our doors opened in 1983. With the largest group of board-certified specialists, quality 24/7 care, and access to the latest treatments, we are dedicated to advancing the field of veterinary medicine with compassionate care and new discoveries. We have clinicians working in 20 areas of specialization and a brand new building expansion opening at the end of 2023.

About Our Team

Our pharmacy team is our family! And we are very excited that you are interested in joining our pharmily at UWVC! Our residency program is designed to prepare our resident to be a confident, competent, and independent veterinary pharmacist upon completion. We take great pride in our pharmacy and our residency training program. Residency is a challenging year that requires a lot of hard work and dedication, but it will be worthwhile, educational, and fulfilling.

Our team is comprised of 5 full-time pharmacists, 2 part-time pharmacists, 8 pharmacy technicians, 1 pharmacy resident, and numerous students and interns.

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, you’ll work closely with our veterinarians:

  • To ensure comprehensive treatment plans
  • Compound individualized formulations for specialized flavoring, concentrations, or other variations to make medication administration easier for all patients.

You will have opportunities to work with a wide variety of services seeing species from large animal, small animal, and special/exotic species. These services include acupuncture, diagnostic imaging, pain management, anesthesia, laboratory & pathology, and more.

Did You Know?

The University of Wisconsin-Madison employs 5 of the nation’s 62 board certified veterinary pharmacists, ensuring that you’re learning from the experts in the field. 

RESIDENCY OBJECTIVES

  1. To provide a non-degree postdoctoral education in veterinary clinical pharmacy and therapeutics.
  2. To prepare the resident for eligibility and certification by the Society of Veterinary Hospital Pharmacists (SVHP) as a Diplomate of the International College of Veterinary Pharmacy.
  3. To build a working knowledge of the regulatory aspects of drug use in animals and instill a strong sense of ethical responsibility in decision making regarding veterinary drug use.
  4. To build a working knowledge and skill set in preparing high quality, safe, effective, and legally acceptable compounded preparations for animal patients.
  5. To provide experience in performing research, data evaluation, and publication of seminal findings.

 

The veterinary pharmacy residency will develop both the resident’s therapeutic knowledge base and skills necessary to care for veterinary patients. The residency curriculum will reflect the value UWVC places on inter-professional education and practice. The resident will devote the majority of his or her time within UWVC providing clinical patient care and managing the pharmacy workflow. The resident can expect to interact with all the large and small animal patient care services within UWVC, including the many specialty services, such as cardiology, dermatology, oncology, neurology, and internal medicine as well as the surgical teams. The residency will also incorporate local and statewide learning experiences, especially as relates to food animal medication use. Opportunities for teaching veterinary and pharmacy students will be incorporated throughout the residency curriculum. A research project is also a requirement of the residency program.

Research Project

A research topic will be selected early in the residency and submitted to faculty mentors for approval. The research project is expected to produce results meaningful to UWVC and able to be completed within the scope of the residency. Project results will be presented formally to UWVC or SVM audiences as well as at the annual meeting of the Society of Veterinary Hospital Pharmacists. The latter will be presented in poster format as well as a formal presentation. Additional projects may be completed with residency director approval.

WHAT TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES ARE AVAILABLE TO RESIDENTS?

Pharmacy residents are required to complete a teaching certificate as part of their residency program. Residents can choose to participate in the Resident will take part in a teaching certificate program at the UW School of Pharmacy with other PGY1 residents in the Wisconsin area. Thise program includes creating a teaching philosophy, practicing teaching skills in a safe environment with feedback from education specialists, and learning about core principles of teaching, relevant for future pharmacist education. Residents can also choose to complete the Teaching Certificate for Pharmacists Program through ASHP, which is 100% virtual.
Teach a 1-credit elective at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy alongside UWVC pharmacists. Create lectures, quizzes, and other activities.
UWVC offers APPE rotations with the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy and Concordia University Wisconsin School of Pharmacy. With UWVC pharmacists, residents will organize journal clubs, topic discussions and presentations with APPE students.
Work with fourth year veterinary students completing a 1-week rotation in pharmacy. This rotation focuses on teaching veterinary students about pharmacy law, controlled substances, how to write prescriptions, and fundamental pharmacy concepts of commonly prescribed medications.
Resident will have opportunity to teach veterinary students, clinicians, and technicians about various pharmacy related topics, such as newly approved drugs, pharmacology, drug interactions, and much more!
Working with compounding pharmacists to create two veterinary patient cases along with teaching students how to compound for veterinary patients.
Option to teach second- and third-year pharmacy students in their pharmacotherapy course on various topics

WHAT OTHER ACTIVITIES ARE AVAILABLE FOR RESIDENTS?

UWVC pharmacy residents are a vital part of our antimicrobial stewardship team. Together with our team, they make medication recommendations, consult on difficult cases, and work on research projects analyzing antibiotic use at UWVC.
Review the textbook, Pharmacotherapeutics for Veterinary Dispensing, by Dr. Katrina Mealey. Alongside other residents and APPE students, review current pharmacy practices and determine how to improve clinical pharmacist skills.
Join weekly ACVIM rounds and round on a variety of topics, such as Antimicrobial Stewardship, Pharmacokinetics, Drug-Drug Interactions, Arrhythmias, and much more!

WHAT WILL A RESIDENT’S SCHEDULE LOOK LIKE?

At UWVC we encourage our pharmacy residents to “choose their own adventure” when it comes to choosing their rotations and research project. We want our residents to take advantage of all the amazing opportunities UWVC has to offer and grow into a successful veterinary pharmacist.

The resident will be asked to work 40+ hours per week and will be on call approximately every 3 weeks.
  • Mon-Fri: 8am-6pm
  • Sat: 9am-4pm (outpatient closes at 1pm)
  • Sun: 9am-4pm (inpatient only)
  • 50% staffing
  • 30-40% clinical rotations
  • 10-20% projects and teaching
  • 10 vacation days
  • 12 days sick leave
  • Full medical benefits
The resident is required to independently staff one Saturday shift (9am-5pm) approximately every 3 weeks beginning in October. Weekly on-call is Tuesday-Monday matching the Saturday work rotation. In addition to being available to answer questions, the resident must be available to come in to the hospital if needed by UWVC staff or clinicians.
The pharmacy resident is responsible for covering Thanksgiving (including Saturday and Sunday), MLK, Easter weekend (Saturday and Sunday), and 4th of July.

Core Rotations

  • Anesthesia
  • Cardiology
  • CCU/ER
  • Food Production Elective
  • Large Animal Internal Medicine
  • Large Animal Surgery
  • Management and Leadership
  • Neurology
  • Medical or Radiation Oncology
  • Ophthalmology
  • Primary Care
  • Small Animal Internal Medicine
  • Special Species

Elective Rotations

  • Acupuncture
  • Compounding
  • Clinical Pathology
  • Antimicrobial Stewardship
  • Dentistry
  • Dermatology
  • Equine Reproduction Elective
  • Physical Therapy
  • Private Practice
  • Small Animal Surgery
  • Veterinary Teaching Hospitals
  • WisCARES
  • Zoological Medicine

Certification

Upon completion of the UWVC Pharmacy Practice Residency, the resident will be eligible for certification by the International College of Veterinary Pharmacy (ICVP) as a Diplomate. The title of Diplomate in the International College of Veterinary Pharmacy (ICVP) distinguishes those pharmacists who have met rigorous credentialing requirements and have passed an arduous examination to prove competence.

How To Apply

Minimum qualifications include graduation from an accredited School of Pharmacy, a current Wisconsin Pharmacy License in good standing or eligibility to obtain, and veterinary education or experience. The selection of residents is made on the basis of academic achievement, career objectives, letters of recommendation, pharmacy work experience, and education or experience in veterinary medicine or veterinary pharmacy.

Education or experience in veterinary medicine or veterinary pharmacy is required. Examples of veterinary experience include:
1. PCCA or ACVP Veterinary Compounding Course
2. A veterinary pharmacy elective
3. Work or shadow experience with a veterinarian
4. Work or shadow experience in a veterinary pharmacy
5. Veterinary pharmacy related continuing education courses
6. An APPE serving veterinary patients (i.e. A veterinary hospital or clinic, a veterinary pharmacy, a compounding pharmacy)
7. A research project focused on veterinary medications or patients

Applications must include:
1. Cover letter
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Copy of official school transcripts
4. Three letters of reference (sent directly to the residency director by writer)

Application materials are due by December 15.

Application materials (paper or electronic) can be sent to the residency director:
Shelby Williams, PharmD, DICVP, FSVHP
Pharmacy Manager, UW Veterinary Care
2015 Linden Drive
Madison, WI 53706
srwilliams5@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 263-9950

The University of Wisconsin - Madison

Founded in 1849, the University of Wisconsin-Madison is internationally known for its educational quality and outstanding faculty. The University ranks third among universities in the U.S. in federally funded research and first among all state supported universities in obtaining all types of research and development funds. The UW-Madison campus has more than 2,300 faculty members and 125 departments, including Schools of Law, Medicine, Nursing, Journalism, Agriculture, Engineering, Pharmacy, Business Education, Letters and Science, and Veterinary Medicine. Located a mile from the state capitol on a series of hills overlooking Lake Mendota, the attractive campus includes several gymnasiums which provide facilities for handball, racquetball, squash, swimming, jogging, basketball, badminton, tennis, and other sports.

Lucky Dog!

Did you know UW Veterinary Care patient Scout and members of the UW School of Veterinary Medicine's faculty and staff who have been part of his treatment journey are the stars of WeatherTech’s 2020 Super Bowl commercial. Learn more about Scout’s care and our work to treat and prevent cancer HERE.