Proposed Revision to the Existing Specialty and Specialist Certification Framework for Pharmacy Practitioners

Abstract

Consistent with the American College of Clinical Pharmacy's vision that future clinical pharmacy practitioners who provide direct patient care should be board-certified specialists, a new framework for pharmacist specialty board certification is proposed. This White Paper describes the current and projected needs of the pharmacy profession regarding board certification, provides a rationale for the new framework, and discusses the potential ramifications of changes in the current board-certification process.

Psychiatric Pharmacy Residency Training

“…'' 23 ACCP also has noted that professional organizations both within pharmacy and in other health care professions recognize that the first professional pharmacy degree from an ACPE-accredited school of pharmacy and licensure as a pharmacist are not sufficient to prepare the clinical pharmacist for advanced pharmacy practice. 24 The Board of Pharmacy Specialties requires that clinical pharmacists who sit for board certification examinations have graduated from an ACPE-accredited pharmacy program, hold a current US pharmacy license, and have completed either (1) 4 years of pharmacy practice with at least 50% of time spent in psychiatric pharmacy activities or (2) a PGY2 residency program in psychiatric pharmacy and have an additional year of practice where at least 50% time is spent in psychiatric pharmacy activities. In order for the pharmacy profession to advance its ability to positively impact both patient outcomes and economic burden, it must embrace both the need for accredited PGY1 and PGY2 residency training programs and board certification in pharmacotherapy and/or a specialty pharmacy area.…”

Board Certification of Pharmacist Specialists: American College of Clinical Pharmacy

“…Additional ACCP papers have discussed the necessity for pharmacists who provide direct patient care, including those in academic positions, to have appropriate credentials. [2][3][4][5][6] There are currently three principal types of credentials for pharmacists: the professional degree granted by a college or school of pharmacy, the license to practice issued by a board of pharmacy, and advanced, voluntary credentials, including completion of postgraduate training and board certification. Although numerous credentials are available beyond licensure, the process of board certification is the only one that validates a pharmacist's knowledge in a given specialty area through a rigorous examination and recertification process.…”

“…6 Most recently, in a 2009 paper, ACCP advocated for changes in the framework by which specialty practice areas are recognized and practitioners are certified by BPS. 3 In articulating this strong support, ACCP nevertheless acknowledges that board certification is not a substitute for other credentials (e.g., professional degree, licensure, postgraduate training) and does not measure important personal qualities, such as initiative, responsibility, or a caring and collaborative attitude, which are equally important to ensuring that individuals are competent to provide care to patients and to teach students and residents.…”

Comparison of Practice Patterns Between Inpatient Cardiology Pharmacists With and Without Added Qualifications in Cardiology

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] The American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) anticipates that the recognition of specialized pharmacists' knowledge and skill will be important and advocates that all clinical pharmacists engaged in patient care be board certified. 5,9 In addition, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) requires residency program directors Practice Pattern Comparison of AQCV vs Non-AQCV Pharmacists of postgraduate year 2 (PGY-2) programs to be board certified, if board certification is available, in order to achieve accreditation. 8 Current pharmacist credentialing is optional for pharmacists and is done primarily through the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS).…”