As pharmacist services shift to more patient-focused, clinically oriented services, ongoing professional development programs that are intended to enhance pharmacists’ knowledge and skills in providing these services are of great importance. The American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) collaborates with key national entities to provide pharmacists engaged in clinical pharmacy practice and education with high-quality professional development programming that meets their professional needs.
One such program is ACCP’s Pharmacotherapy Review Program for Advanced Clinical Pharmacy Practice. This highly interactive, 3-day program is intended for pharmacist practitioners preparing to sit for the pharmacy specialty board certification examination offered by the Board of Pharmacy Specialties as well as for seasoned practitioners seeking the most up-to-date review and refresher on pharmacotherapeutics and clinical skills. Tailored to the needs of the inviting entity, the program is designed to provide updates on pharmacotherapeutic topics employing various learning activities and case scenarios that facilitate discussions of the topics. Program goals are to:
- present a high-quality, up-to-date overview of pharmacotherapeutics;
- provide a framework to help participants prepare for the pharmacotherapy specialty certification examination; and
- engage participants in an interactive, case-based learning experience to advance the clinical judgment and problem-solving skills required in clinical practice.
The international program was first held in 2011 in Hong Kong in collaboration with the Hong Kong Hospital Authority Chief Pharmacist’s Office. Most recently in March of this year, the program was offered in collaboration with the Ministry of Health Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where there were more than 100 pharmacist participants.
This program, as well as others intended to meet the professional needs of clinical pharmacy practitioners and educators, is developed in keeping with ACCP’s mission to provide leadership, professional development, advocacy, and resources that enable clinical pharmacists to achieve excellence in practice, research, and education and ACCP’s priority to promote the professional development of clinical pharmacists by increasing practitioner access to specialist certification, recertification, and other means of ensuring maintenance of competence.
Participants of ACCP’s Pharmacotherapy Review Program for Advanced Clinical Pharmacy Practice in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia