The Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) has approved a five-component professional development program, to be developed and delivered by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) for the recertification of Board Certified Pediatric Pharmacy Specialists (BCPPSs).

The five components provide opportunities for BCPPSs who elect to recertify by continuing education to earn more than the 100.0 hours of continuing pharmacy education (CPE) credit required over a 7-year period. ACCP will record and report directly to BPS the recertification credit earned by BCPPSs in each component.

The five components, available annually, include:

1. Pediatric Pharmacy Preparatory Review and Recertification Course
2. Pediatric Pharmacy Updates Plus Webinar
3. Pediatric Self-Assessment Program (PedSAP)
4. From Theory to Practice: Clinical Reasoning Series in Pediatric Pharmacy
5. Fundamentals of Biostatistics and Clinical Trial Design Workshop

Each component will cover the domains, tasks, and knowledge statements as delineated by the BPS Specialty Council on Pediatric Pharmacy and published in the content outline for the Pediatric Pharmacy Specialty Certification Examination. BCPPSs may select from among these annual components to earn the required number of hours during their certification cycle. Each component, priced separately, will include a Web-based posttest.

The table below summarizes the minimum recertification credit hours to be offered each year by each program component. In total, the program will offer a minimum of 61.0 credit hours toward BCPPS recertification each year with a total of 403 hours offered over 7 years. Of these 403.0 hours, a minimum of 298.0 will be available to individual BCPPSs. Factored into the total minimum eligible hours is a limitation on the use of the Pediatric Pharmacy Preparatory Review and Recertification Course and the Fundamentals of Biostatistics and Study Design Workshop, which may be used no more than twice and not in 2 consecutive years.

The Pediatric Pharmacy Preparatory Review and Recertification Course will provide a comprehensive review of pediatric pharmacy topics within the scope of services provided by pediatric pharmacists. The Pediatric Pharmacy Preparatory Review and Recertification Course is offered as a home study product each year, and the course will be available by June 15 each year.

A minimum of 20.0 hours of recertification credit will be available for participants each year. To earn recertification credit from the Pediatric Pharmacy Preparatory Review and Recertification Course, BCPPSs must either attend the live program or complete the instructional materials for home study and successfully complete the Web-based posttest by the deadline. Only completed tests will be eligible for credit.

Note: The Pediatric Pharmacy Preparatory Review and Recertification Course may be completed for recertification credit, in either live or home study format, up to two times, in nonconsecutive years, during the 7-year certification cycle.

The Pediatric Pharmacy Updates Plus Webinar, to be presented live and audio-recorded for home study, is designed to cover new knowledge and developments in the specialty that have been released since the previously delivered live review and recertification course. The webinar will be presented in February each year. The home study version will be available by March 15 each year. A minimum of 2.0 hours of recertification credit will be available for participants each year. BCPPSs must either attend the live program or complete the instructional materials for home study and successfully complete the Web-based posttest by the deadline. Only completed tests will be eligible for credit; no partial or incomplete tests will be processed.

PedSAP is an online study program that will provide BCPPSs with previously unpublished material on contemporary topics related to the Pediatric Pharmacy specialty. PedSAP online books will be released twice a year in March and September. PedSAP will provide a minimum of 30 recertification hours annually. BCPPSs who wish to earn recertification credit must read the instructional materials and successfully complete the Web-based posttest by the deadline for each PedSAP module. Only completed tests are eligible for credit; no partial or incomplete tests will be processed.

Note: BCPPSs may use as many PedSAP modules as they need to attain the required CPE credits during their 7-year certification cycle.

The Clinical Reasoning Series in Pediatric Pharmacy, available as a web-based program for home study, will explore cutting-edge, contemporary therapeutic topics and develop scientifically sound clinical reasoning and decision-making skills. Each offering of the annual program employs active learning exercises designed to advance the skills and abilities of BCPPSs to critically evaluate scientific evidence and clinical trials and effectively incorporate significant findings into daily practice, leading to effective and safe patient care.

A minimum of 6.0 hours of recertification credit will be available for participants each year through the Clinical Reasoning Series. To earn recertification credit for the Clinical Reasoning Series, BCPPSs will be required to attend the live program or participate in the home study version of the program and successfully complete the Web-based posttest. Only completed tests are eligible for credit; no partial or incomplete tests will be processed.

The Fundamentals of Biostatistics and Clinical Trial Design Workshop, to be presented during ACCP’s spring meeting, Updates in Therapeutics®, is designed to provide participants with an in-depth and hands-on experience using biostatistical and study design concepts. A minimum of 3.0 hours of recertification credit will be available for participants each year through the Fundamentals of Biostatistics and Clinical Trial Design Workshop, and BCPPSs will be required to attend the live program and successfully complete the Web-based posttest. Only completed tests are eligible for credit; no partial or incomplete tests will be processed.

Note: The Fundamentals of Biostatistics and Clinical Trial Design Workshop may be completed for recertification credit, up to two times, in nonconsecutive years, during the 7-year certification cycle.

Visit the Specialty Recertification section of the ACCP Bookstore to view the current resources for each specialty. For more information, please contact ACCP at (913) 492-3311 or send an e-mail to [email protected].