Psychiatry Pharmacy Residency Program

The Postgraduate Year Two (PGY2) Psychiatry Pharmacy Residency Program at the Minnesota Direct Care and Treatment (DCT) is an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) accredited 52-week program. 

Program Background 

  • One position
  • ASHP accredited 
  • Program since 2019 
  • Estimated stipend $69,000 
  • Benefits include full support to go to the AAPP annual meeting, health insurance, sick leave, PTO accrual, 11 paid holidays, mileage coverage, monthly project days 
  • 9 preceptors have BCPP accreditation 
  • 3 preceptors have BCPS accreditation 
  • Required staffing and teaching component 
  • Optional teaching certificate program 

Qualifications

  • PharmD 
  • Completion of PGY1 residency or equivalent experience 
  • Eligible for state licensure 
  • College transcripts 
  • CV 
  • Three letters of rec 
  • US citizenship 

Program Summary

The Postgraduate Year Two (PGY2) Psychiatry Pharmacy Residency Program at Minnesota Direct Care and Treatment (DCT) is an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) accredited program. It is a 52-week program of full-time education and training, including extensive experience providing comprehensive medication management within the specialty area of psychiatry. The patient population includes those with mental illness, developmental disabilities, chemical dependency, and traumatic brain injury, as well as those who pose a risk to society.

Practice Site Descriptions

The PGY2 pharmacy resident will spend time at three primary locations: Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center (AMRTC), St. Peter Regional Treatment Center (SPRTC), and Southern Cities Clinic (SCC). AMRTC is a 110-bed, acute care psychiatric facility. It is comprised of six 16-bed units of varying demographics. These patients are frequently admitted from jails after being found mentally not competent to stand trial in relation to some sort of legal changes, though some will come from the community or transfer from other sites in our system. SPRTC is home to the Forensic Mental Health Program (FMHP), which is a long-term, residential treatment facility for patients with a psychiatric diagnosis who are involved in the legal system. Approximately 385 patients are treated within the secure inpatient hospital, supervised residential settings, and a nursing home. SCC provides psychiatric care for patients diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Approximately 900 patients are followed by members of the treatment team. All three of these facilities include a clinical pharmacist as a core part of their multidisciplinary treatment teams. 

Rotations 

Required

  • Orientation
  • Acute Adult Inpatient Psychiatry
  • Forensic Services
  • Ambulatory Services
  • Drug Information/Formulary Management
  • Teaching
  • Leadership and Staffing (8 hours every 2 weeks in first half then 8 hours every 6th weekend in second half)
  • Research Project 

Electives

  • Geriatrics
  • Acute Adult Inpatient Psychiatry 2;
  • Peds/Adolescents
  • Mental Health Inpatient Consultant
  • Forensic Services - Special Populations

Other experiences: 

  • Precepting PharmD students
  • Grand rounds

* Link to the manual 

Current and Past Residents 

  • Andrea Richard, 2019-2020 
  • Mary Accomando 2020-2021 
  • Sara Leistico, 2021-2022 
  • Amanda Smith, 2023-2024 
  • Gabrielle Flesher, 2024-2025 
  • Jason Shooshtari, 2025-2026 

For more information, please contact Andrew Zwack at andrew.l.zwack@state.mn.us.