The Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) is an autonomous division of the American Pharmacists Association. BPS is totally separate and distinct from ACCP. BPS is responsible for specialty examination content, administration, scoring, and all other aspects related to sitting for specialty certification examinations as well as determining requirements for recertification.  To learn more about BPS, visit https://bpsweb.org/about-bps/.

ACCP has participated in the development of petitions seeking recognition of several pharmacy specialties, including pharmacotherapy, ambulatory care, cardiology pharmacy, critical care, emergency medicine, infectious diseases, pain management, pediatric pharmacy, and solid organ transplantation. ACCP provides professional development opportunities for pharmacists preparing to sit for specialty board certification exams in our preparatory review and recertification courses. Neither ACCP nor its agents, including the faculty and staff of the preparatory review and recertification courses, have knowledge of specific examination content, areas of emphasis, or any other information that would compromise the integrity of the examination process. In addition, ACCP is approved as a provider for the recertification of several different specialty certificants, including:  

• Board-Certified Ambulatory Care Pharmacists (BCACP)*
• Board-Certified Cardiology Pharmacists (BCCP)*
• Board-Certified Critical Care Pharmacists (BCCCP)*
• Board-Certified Emergency Medicine Pharmacists (BCEMP)*
• Board-Certified Geriatric Pharmacists (BCGP)*
• Board-Certified Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (BCIDP)*
• Board-Certified Oncology Pharmacists (BCOP)*
• Board-Certified Pediatric Pharmacy Specialists (BCPPS)*
• Board-Certified Pain Management Pharmacists (BCPMP)*
• Board-Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialists (BCPS)
• Board-Certified Transplant Pharmacists (BCTXP)*

For the complete list of BPS Specialty Certifications, visit https://bpsweb.org/bps-specialties/.

*ACCP collaborates with ASHP to offer professional development plans for recertification for these specialty certificants.

Board certification is a way of demonstrating to society that an individual possesses a certain high level of expertise. It signifies that an individual pharmacy specialist possesses a body of knowledge and skill in addition to that of a general practitioner. Thus, patients are able to identify practitioners who can satisfy special needs.

Through pharmacy licensure, state boards of pharmacy ensure that an individual is competent to dispense drugs and understands the legal requirements of pharmacy practice. Board certification in a pharmacy specialty recognizes an individual who has gained additional knowledge, experience, and skills in a defined area of pharmacy practice. Although the health care system as a whole does not yet fully appreciate the value of pharmacy specialty board certification, the Public Health Service and the Veteran's Administration recognize this and reward those who obtain certification.

The rationale for board certification is to demonstrate a level of experience, knowledge, and implied skill. In published surveys, the most significant value of becoming board certified is improved feelings of self-worth and competence. Other important factors include a competitive edge in obtaining jobs, job retention, and enhanced job security for those who have achieved board certification. Tangible value is provided by employers, including some government agencies, where a salary increase is given to employees who become board certified. Furthermore, board certification may be an important factor in third party payment for services and prescriptive authority.

The decision to obtain certification in more than one area is an individual one. It is not uncommon for pharmacists who are certified in Pharmacotherapy to become certified in another specialty area.

Many techniques can be used to study for certification examinations. Before studying for an examination, it is important to review the examination content outline so that study can be focused on areas that account for the most significant percentage of questions on the examination. The examinations are based on well-known facts and not experimental procedures, anecdotal reports, or obscure details; therefore, current review articles and textbook chapters are often helpful. Many individuals who plan to sit for the examination form study groups and assign topics for review and discussion. ACCP offers Preparatory Review and Recertification Courses for specialty certification examinations. These courses are developed by Board Certified Pharmacists and clinical experts. Course content is based on the domains, tasks and knowledge statements outlined in the examination content outline for each specialty.

All Preparatory Review and Recertification Course faculty have passed the specialty examination in which they are involved. They will present their material "at the level of difficulty" of the examination. Course attendees should compare themselves to this level of difficulty to identify areas where they are weak and where they are strong. If an attendee already knows the information presented in a particular area, chances are good he/she will be prepared for other questions in that area. It is very possible that the specific material presented in the Preparatory Review and Recertification Course will not actually appear on the examination. Attendees should compare their areas of strength and weakness to the areas of content emphasis listed examination content outline published by BPS. The Course should be viewed as a way to gauge preparedness for sitting for an examination.

ACCP Pharmacotherapy Preparatory Review and Recertification Course (Prep Course) attendees were asked to rank various methods of preparation for the pharmacotherapy specialty examination regarding value and usefulness. A score of "1" indicated an extremely valuable method, and a score of "10" indicated a method that was not at all valuable. This group found the Prep Course to be the most valuable. Using review articles and participating in a study group were also highly rated methods of preparation. Also of value were use of therapeutics textbooks and the Pharmacotherapy Self-Assessment Program. PSAP is developed primarily as an ongoing professional development tool and is approved by BPS as an acceptable means of recertification for Board-Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialists; although many individuals find it useful as a board preparatory aid, this is not its primary purpose.

Depending on your education, training, and experience, you may require more or less review. For example, an individual with a broad-based practice who encounters a wide variety of therapeutic issues on a daily basis, can critically evaluate literature, and stays current may require less study time than another whose responsibilities are largely in nonpatient care areas. Certification is awarded to individuals with appropriate education and practice experience who can successfully pass the certification examination.

Merely knowing "facts" about drug therapy and statistics is not enough to pass the specialty examinations. A candidate's ability to apply the facts to hypothetical patient case scenarios using clinical judgment and relying on past patient care experiences is critical to successful performance on the examinations. Candidates are strongly urged to compare their own practice experiences with the task statements for each specialty. When there is a close match between these two, it is much more likely the candidate has the experience necessary. Candidates who find they do not perform very many of the tasks listed should reevaluate their candidacy for specialty certification or postpone sitting for the examination until they have acquired that type of practice experience.

Visit https://bpsweb.org/recertification-overview/ to learn more about BPS requirements for recertification.

Certificants who choose to recertify via the continuing pharmacy education (CPE) pathway must complete required assessed CPE units from a BPS-approved professional development program. ACCP is approved as a provider for the recertification of several different specialty certificants, including:  

• Board-Certified Ambulatory Care Pharmacists (BCACP)*
• Board-Certified Cardiology Pharmacists (BCCP)*
• Board-Certified Critical Care Pharmacists (BCCCP)*
• Board-Certified Emergency Medicine Pharmacists (BCEMP)*
• Board-Certified Geriatric Pharmacists (BCGP)*
• Board-Certified Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (BCIDP)*
• Board-Certified Oncology Pharmacists (BCOP)*
• Board-Certified Pediatric Pharmacy Specialists (BCPPS)*
• Board-Certified Pain Management Pharmacists (BCPMP)*
• Board-Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialists (BCPS)
• Board-Certified Transplant Pharmacists (BCTXP)*

Components of ACCP’s programs vary by specialty, but may include Self-Assessment Programs (SAPs), Literature Studies, Clinical Sessions/Clinical Reasoning Series, and Preparatory Review and Recertification Courses. Visit the Specialty Recertification section of the ACCP bookstore to find current programs offered in each specialty.

*ACCP collaborates with ASHP to offer professional development plans for recertification for these specialty certificants.

On the one hand, the Doctor of Pharmacy degree is an academic degree awarded after completion of a defined curriculum with mastery of core knowledge, skills, and competencies by the student. Pharmacists who do not have the requisite knowledge and skills to provide a desired level of care should pursue a Doctor of Pharmacy degree or an equivalent systematic form of professional development.

Board certification, on the other hand, is a degree-independent form of quality assurance that the practitioner does indeed possess a defined set of knowledge and skills. Pharmacists who already possess the requisite database and experiences who seek an independent verification of their knowledge and skills may well want to seek board certification.

Most certificate programs are designed to bring pharmacists "up to speed" on a specific skill or therapeutic area. Examples include diabetes management, asthma management, drug interaction detection, pharmacoeconomics and outcomes assessment, and management of disorders in lipid metabolism. A certificate is generally provided at the completion of the program.

Board certification is not linked to completion of a specific educational program, is generally broader in scope than material covered in a certificate program, and implies a specified level of education, practice experience, knowledge, and skills. Specialty certification exams are psychometrically sound and validated using the expertise of outside testing consultants, Professional Examination Service. Certification comes from a credentialing body (i.e., BPS).

• For ACCP-Sponsored Home Study Programs:
• Self-Assessment Programs (SAPs)
• Recertification Information: Online posttests submitted for recertification credit will be processed immediately after the submission deadline. Answers will be posted within 3 working days; results will be posted at the CPE Center on the ACCP Web site within 60 days of the submission deadline. Only completed tests are eligible for credit; no partial or incomplete tests will be processed. The passing point for recertification is based on statistical analysis of the examinations in each of the modules. If you receive a passing score, that information will be forwarded to BPS and a printable statement of continuing pharmacy education will be available via ACPE's CPE Monitor.
• ACPE Information: To receive continuing pharmacy education credit, an online posttest must be submitted within 3 years of the book release date; answers will be posted at CPE Center immediately, with the exception of tests submitted during the recertification testing period (the 6 months after the book release date). Continuing pharmacy education credit is awarded for test scores of 50% or greater, and printable statements of continuing education credit will be available within 3 working days at CPE Monitor.
• Waiver: To receive the explained answers to a SAP posttest without submitting a continuing education test, follow the waiver instructions at CE Center. By completing the waiver form for a post test, you waive the opportunity to receive continuing education credit for that module. A PDF with the explained answers will be available immediately, with the exception of waivers submitted during the BPS testing period (6 months after the book release date).
• All Other Web-based publications with continuing education (Pharmacotherapy Preparatory Course, Oncology Preparatory Course etc.):
  Statements of credit for continuing pharmacy education available to participants within 3 working days of successful completion of the Web-based post test via ACPE's CPE Monitor.
• ACCP-Cosponsored Live Programs:
  Statements of credit will made available from ACPE's CPE Monitor within 3 working days of submission of the complete program materials from the cosponsoring organization.
• ACCP-Cosponsored Home Study Programs (i.e., Oncology Review Course cosponsored with ASHP):
  Statements of credit for continuing pharmacy education to participants will be available on ACPE's CPE Monitor within 3 working days of completion of the Web-based posttest.