BPS Issues Call for Petition in Emergency Medicine Pharmacy Practice

November 13, 2018

Washington, D.C. – The Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS), the post-licensure certification organization serving the pharmacy profession, has issued a call for petition in Emergency Medicine Pharmacy Practice. The BPS Board of Directors reviewed the role delineation study conducted in Emergency Medicine Pharmacy Practice and found the results supportive of further consideration.

BPS Chair, Andrea Iannucci, Pharm.D., BCOP, commented “Though the earliest published reports regarding the role of the pharmacist in emergency medicine date back to the 1970s, recent growth in the number of postgraduate residency training programs as well as positions for pharmacists in emergency departments are compelling. This call for a petition to formally recognize Emergency Medicine Pharmacy Practice is another step in the evolution of the pharmacy profession to provide needed care and services to patients.”

BPS Executive Director, William M. Ellis, MS added, “I want to thank the members of the Emergency Medicine Pharmacist Role Delineation Study Taskforce for their tremendous commitment and the contribution of their time and subject matter expertise to this process, as well as the contributions of the Role Delineation Study Panel and those pharmacists who participated in the validation survey. Clearly the role of the emergency medicine pharmacist as a clinical practitioner and translational scientist is evolving and BPS looks forward to receiving a petition to evaluate emergency medicine pharmacy practice as a pharmacy specialty.”

For a new specialty to be recognized by BPS, the petition must address in detail each of the criteria deemed necessary: need; demand; number/time; specialized knowledge; specialized functions; education and training; and transmission of knowledge.

Once BPS receives the petition, the Board will review and render a decision within six months. If approved, an Emergency Medicine Pharmacy Specialty Council would be convened to work with BPS staff to establish eligibility criteria and begin development of a certification examination.

About the Board of Pharmacy Specialties:

Established in 1976 as an autonomous division of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), the mission of BPS is to improve patient care by positioning board-certified pharmacists as integral members of interprofessional healthcare teams, and through recognition and promotion of specialized training, knowledge, and skills for pharmacists in the United States and internationally. Board certification is a recognized credential for determining which pharmacists are qualified to contribute at advanced practice levels given the rigorous standards upheld by BPS. BPS currently recognizes more than 38,000 active pharmacist certifications in nine different specialties.