Recently at my home institution, Washington State University, I was asked to meet with a group of students to discuss why I feel so strongly that they should continue their education and training by completing a residency. I shared some recent data that showed the growing gap between the number of residency applicants and the number of available residency positions.

In addition, I shared information regarding ACCP’s new “Emerge from the Crowd: How to Become a Standout Residency Candidate” program being offered in Reno for the first time this month. Through this program, we are reaching out to first-, second-, and third-year students with an interest in postgraduate training to demonstrate how they can stand out from the crowd when they eventually apply for residencies. My students shared with me stories about some of their friends who graduated last year, applied for residency positions but did not match, and subsequently had difficulty finding jobs while waiting to reapply for residencies this year.

Having served as the hiring authority in several of my past positions, I felt—and still feel (as do many of you, I’m sure)—that residency training is essential for those working in direct patient care. However, not all pharmacy graduates are created equal. Some graduates are better prepared and therefore make more competitive residency applicants. This is especially true of those who recognize early in pharmacy school the need to complete a residency and take proactive steps in years 1, 2, and 3 to assemble a “body of work” and experience that will enhance their chances of securing a residency position.

In my previous leadership roles, I often used residency training and board certification as suggestive evidence that a “new hire” would be able (with minimal orientation) to “hit the ground running” on day 1. Of course, like pharmacy graduates, not all residency programs are created equal; hence, the completion of residency training doesn’t necessarily ensure that one is fully prepared to provide direct patient care. Nor does board certification guarantee that a clinician will perform exceptionally well. However, credentials such as these are currently the best proxy measures of competence available to us.

So, why bring this up now? For a very long time, there has been a need to more clearly articulate and justify the activities of clinical pharmacy practitioners. Regardless of what shape health care reform eventually takes, it’s now readily apparent that health care providers will be increasingly accountable for the outcomes of their services.

It also appears to me that it will be increasingly important for graduates to have additional patient care skills and experience—attributes that postgraduate training is designed to achieve for those clinical pharmacists who wish to practice in direct patient care settings. Simply stated, an academic degree and state license alone aren’t adequate in today’s health care environment to credibly demonstrate that one possesses the skills necessary to provide direct patient care.

With this in mind and consistent with critical issue 2 of the ACCP Strategic Plan, I charged the Certification Affairs Committee to develop a set of “ACCP guidelines” articulating the desired professional developmental pathways for clinical pharmacists to follow (e.g., postgraduate training, certification, recertification, or other mechanisms to demonstrate competence). I also charged the Public and Professional Relations Committee to answer the question, “Should organized clinical pharmacy promote a consistent, standardized process of patient care provided by clinical pharmacists that could apply to any clinical practice setting?”

In today’s health care environment, where justification based on demonstrated improvement in treatment outcomes is increasingly becoming the norm, we must be able to provide a reliable and consistent set of clinical services on which both patients and our health care professional colleagues can depend. I will address this topic in more detail in future columns of the ACCP Report.

I believe it is important at this time for PRN members to recognize the vital significance of their role to ACCP, particularly to our student members. Indeed, I can think of no better group than PRN members to explain to students the benefits of postgraduate training and active engagement in professional societies like ACCP.

As a student—no matter how many years since you graduated with your pharmacy degree—do you remember how intimidated you felt at your first professional meetings? Walking into your first ACCP Annual Meeting session where many of the attendees were well-known authors of the textbooks you were required to read was unnerving, to say the least! With this observation in mind, I’ve asked the StuNet Advisory Committee to help us identify ways to enhance learning opportunities and other activities for students at our meetings.

One obvious way to address this issue is to make attendance at PRN functions open, friendly, and inviting for students. During and after the ACCP Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh last fall, I heard from several students who wished they had known more about the PRNs before planning their various meeting activities. Many of the students are just starting to be aware of all the PRN interest areas and how the PRNs can contribute to their professional growth and appreciation of the clinical pharmacy discipline.

Finally, I would like to personally recognize our PRN officers for their efforts in working with ACCP leaders and staff as we continue to pursue additional specialties through the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS). Although the process is long and sometimes cumbersome, ACCP continues its advocacy for the expansion of recognized pharmacy specialties. As most of you know, BPS has completed role delineation studies of pharmacists practicing in critical care, pain and palliative care, and pediatrics—and we anticipate that BPS will soon issue a call for petitions in support of these potential new specialties. In addition, BPS recently announced that it is moving forward in 2012 to consider the recognition of cardiology and infectious disease as specialties (see http://www.bpsweb.org/news/pr_040212.cfm), and we are optimistic that BPS will consider organ transplantation in 2013.

In closing, I would like to express my thanks to our PRNs for all that you do for ACCP. Collectively, our PRN members represent a very broad and diverse base of knowledge and expertise that help make ACCP a unique and successful organization. As always, please feel free to contact me at any time. Remember, your creativity, perspective, and knowledge help to keep ACCP on the cutting edge of our discipline.