Purdue University announced that it is strengthening the connection between its College of Veterinary Medicine and College of Pharmacy to help pharmacists increase their knowledge about animal medicine.

In July 2015, the university will begin offering the third veterinary pharmacy residency program in the United States. It will be the first to house veterinary medicine and pharmacy colleges on the same campus. 

Brian Shepler, assistant dean of experiential education in Purdue's College of Pharmacy, explained in a university news release how pharmacists participating in the one-year residency will be able to better serve both human and animal patients.

"Pharmacists and veterinarians share the same goal for their patients: to offer the best and most successful treatments to them," said Shepler. "Whether filling a prescription for Frank or Fido, a pharmacist's role is to ensure that a medication and its dosage are safe and appropriate for a patient, to check for any potentially harmful interactions, and to offer advice on ways to minimize discomfort from side effects. This residency provides training to pharmacists so that they can help ensure an animal's safety and provide optimum care."

Other details of the residency program shared by the university reveal that participating pharmacists will:

• Rotate through different departments within the school's veterinary teaching hospital.
• Study the anatomy and physiology of various animals, as well as the ways those animals' body metabolize and interact with drugs.
• Learn how to prepare effective, safe compounded medications for animals.
• Explore the regulations and ethical considerations of drug use in animals.
• Gain experience in designing and performing clinical pharmacology research.

According to the university, it will offer one residency position starting in the summer. Applicants must have a doctor of pharmacy degree and be eligible for licensure to practice pharmacy in Indiana. 

The university instructed those interested to contact Wil Gwin, pharmacy director at Purdue's Veterinary Teaching Hospital, at [email protected].