Lower Mainland Pharmacy Services (Mental Health & Substance Use)

*Accreditation-Pending*

Note - Once accreditation is gained by a program, it becomes retroactive to the date that the application seeking accreditation was filed with CPRB. Therefore, programs with Accredited or Accreditation-Pending status may confer a credential such as “Accredited Canadian Pharmacy Resident/ACPR” upon their graduates.

Address:
2733 Heather Street
Heather Pavilion, Level D
Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

Director:
Dr. Michael Legal, BSc (Pharm), ACPR, PharmD, FCSHP
Director, Lower Mainland Pharmacy Services

Coordinator:
Dr. Cindy Luo, BSc (Pharm.), PharmD, ACPR, BCPS
Clinical Pharmacy Specialist - Solid Organ Transplant
Vancouver General Hospital
Phone: 604-341-4264

For more information please visit the program website at https://www.lmpsresidency.com/year2program/overview

Program

Type: Mental Health and Substance Use

Focus: Acute and ambulatory care, other selected mental health and/or substance use experiences across LMPS.

Established in: 2023

Number of Positions: 2

Application Deadline: January 15

Start Date: September

Stipend: $55,000 per annum + benefits

Vacation/Holiday Leave: 10 paid days

Education/Conference Leave: Financial support and time are provided to support residents to attend a conference during the residency year. The amount is reviewed each year.

Program Highlights: 

The LMPS Advanced (Year 2) Pharmacy Residency in Mental Health & Substance Use is a 52-week specialty training program.  The purpose of the program is to develop and refine the resident’s skills as an advanced practitioner, educator and leader in pharmacy practice. Another major emphasis of the program is on critical appraisal and research skills. The program builds upon the competencies established through completion of an accredited year one pharmacy residency and/or a post-graduate clinical pharmacy degree.  The program is designed to comply with the accreditation standards of the Canadian Pharmacy Residency Board for Advanced (Year 2) Residency programs.

The Year 2 program in Mental Health & Substance Use is offered through Lower Mainland Pharmacy Services and draws on our nearly 50 years of experience providing residency training. Residents in the program will have access to a large group of highly experienced preceptors who possess advanced training and who are recognized leaders in pharmacy practice. The program is based primarily at Vancouver General Hospital and St. Paul’s Hospital, located within Vancouver, BC. Other LMPS rotation sites include Redfish Health Center, a leading-edge center for mental health and addiction treatment and research in BC, and multidisciplinary outpatient psychiatry clinics.

These programs were designed based on the Canadian Pharmacy Residency Board accreditation standards for Advanced (Year 2) Pharmacy Residencies. Each specialty undergoes accreditation separately.  The Critical Care program received accreditation in 2020 and the Internal Medicine and Pediatrics programs in 2021.The Mental Health and Substance Use program will seek CPRB Accreditation in Fall 2024. Program accreditation is retroactive to prior program graduates and all successful graduates may use the ACPR2 designation.

Candidates for the Mental Health & Substance Use Advanced (Year 2) Residency program must be highly motivated learners and committed to clinical leadership, leading the profession as advanced practitioners within the health care system.

Core/Required Rotations:

Direct Patient Care (4 week learning experiences):

  • Mental Health & Substance Use I
  • Mental Health & Substance Use II & precepting
  • Mental Health & Substance Use III (Capstone)
  • Urban Health
  • Addictions Medicine
  • Redfish Healing Center
  • Outpatient Psychiatry

Longitudinal Rotations/Experiences:

  • Research Project 
  • Critical Appraisal, Research Methods & Medical Statistics
  • Quality Improvement & Medication Safety
  • Leadership in Professional Practice 
  • Formal Teaching (University) opportunities
  • Professional Conference attendance

Elective Rotations:

  • Internal Medicine
  • Opioid Stewardship
  • Road to Recovery
  • ADHD Clinic
  • Pediatric and Adolescent Psychiatry
  • Maternal/Obstetrics Substance Use
  • Academic Research

The above are examples of potential elective rotations available.  Additional electives are available based on the resident’s interest. 

Minimum Required Credentials: Candidates will have successfully completed an advanced clinical pharmacy degree (Doctor of Pharmacy as a second professional degree or Master's degree in advanced pharmacotherapy) OR an accredited pharmacy residency (CPRB or ASHP Commission on Credentialing) prior to starting the Advanced Pharmacy Residency (Year 2).

Candidates must be eligible for licensure or licensed with the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia.

 

Organization

Type: Lower Mainland Pharmacy Services (tertiary and quaternary academic health centres)

Number of Beds: Variable by site

Name of Site(s) Residents Attend for Rotations:

  • Vancouver General Hospital
  • St. Paul's Hospital

Affiliation: Lower Mainland Pharmacy Services