Professional Development Program for BCACP Recertification

The Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) has approved a three-component professional development program to be developed and delivered by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy for the recertification of Board Certified Ambulatory Care Pharmacists (BCACPs).

The three components will provide BCACPs who elect to recertify by continuing education with opportunities to earn more than the 100 hours of continuing pharmacy education (CPE) credit required during a 7-year period. The three components, available annually, are as follows:

1. Ambulatory Care Self-Assessment Program (ACSAP)
2. Updates in Therapeutics^®: The Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Preparatory Review and Recertification Course
3. From Theory to Practice: Clinical Reasoning Series in Ambulatory Care Pharmacy

Collectively, the three components cover the domains, tasks, and knowledge statements within the Ambulatory Care Pharmacy specialty as delineated by the BPS Specialty Council on Ambulatory Care Pharmacy. BCACPs may select from among these annual components to earn the required number of hours during their certification cycle. Each component includes a Web-based posttest.

Component 1: Ambulatory Care Self-Assessment Program (ACSAP)

ACSAP is an online book series that provides BCACPs with previously unpublished material on contemporary topics related to the Ambulatory Care Pharmacy specialty. ACSAP online books (available as PDFs) will be released twice a year starting in January 2013.

ACSAP will provide a minimum of 20 recertification hours annually. BCACPs who wish to earn recertification credit must read the instructional materials and successfully complete the Web-based posttest by the deadline for each ACSAP module. Only completed tests are eligible for credit; no partial or incomplete tests will be processed.

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

2013 ACSAP Availability: The first ACSAP book will be released in January 2013. The full schedule of ACSAP books – with release dates – will be posted at www.accp.com in fall 2012. Tables of contents, learning objectives, sample chapters, faculty, posttest submission deadlines, and available CPE will be updated as this information becomes available for each book.

Component 2: Updates in Therapeutics^®: The Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Preparatory Review and Recertification Course

The Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Preparatory Review and Recertification Course will be offered live each spring and will be available for home study in various formats, including an online program and a workbook and CD-ROM package. Home study materials will be released around June 1 each year after the live offering.

A minimum of 20.0 hours of recertification credit will be available for participants each year. To earn recertification credit, BCACPs 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.

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

2012 Course Availability: 2012 Updates in Therapeutics^®: The Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Preparatory Review and Recertification Course will be held from April 27 to May 1, 2012, in Reno, Nevada. The home study version of the course will be available beginning on June 1, 2012, both as an online/Web-based version and as a CD-ROM and workbook package. Both the live and home study formats of the course include access to a Web-based posttest. BCACPs who take the course and successfully complete the posttest will earn 26.5 hours of recertification credit. The Web-based posttest must be submitted by September 1, 2012, to be eligible for recertification credit.

For more information on Updates in Therapeutics^®: The Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Preparatory Review and Recertification Course, click here.

Component 3: From Theory to Practice: Clinical Reasoning Series in Ambulatory Care Pharmacy

The Clinical Reasoning Series in Ambulatory Care Pharmacy is a live education series that explores cutting-edge, contemporary therapeutic topics. The program employs active learning exercises designed to advance the skills and abilities of BCACPs to critically evaluate scientific evidence and clinical trials and effectively incorporate significant findings into daily practice. This program will be presented live each year in conjunction with the ACCP Annual Meeting.

A minimum of 6.0 hours of recertification credit will be available for participants each year. To earn recertification credit for the Clinical Reasoning Series, BCACPs 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: BCACPs may participate in the Clinical Reasoning Series in Ambulatory Care Pharmacy as many times as they wish throughout their 7-year certification cycle to attain the required recertification credit.

2012 Program Availability: The first Clinical Reasoning Series in Ambulatory Care Pharmacy will be held on Saturday, October 20, in conjunction with the 2012 ACCP Annual Meeting in Hollywood, Florida. To be eligible for recertification credit, BCACPs must attend the live program and successfully complete the Web-based posttest by November 30, 2012.

The Clinical Reasoning Series program agenda, learning objectives, faculty, and registration details will be available in July 2012 at www.accp.com.

BCACP Professional Development Program Schedule

The new BPS-approved professional development program has been designed to provide BCACPs substantially more than the required 100 hours of CPE credit during a 7-year period. Each of the three program components will provide recertification credit annually. BCACPs may select from among these components to earn the required number of hours during their certification cycle.

The table that follows summarizes the minimum recertification credit hours offered, per year, by each program component beginning in April 2012 and continuing through 2018. In total, the program will offer a minimum of 302 credit hours toward BCACP recertification. Of these 302 hours, a minimum of 202 will be available to individual BCACPs. (Factored into the total minimum eligible hours is a limitation on the use of the Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Preparatory Review and Recertification Course, which may be used no more than twice and not in 2 consecutive years.)

Please note that although this program affords BCACPs who elect to recertify by continuing education options to earn the required 100 recertification hours, BPS will only accept no more than 50 hours of recertification credit earned during the first 3 years of the 7-year certification cycle. For more information on BPS requirements, click here.

BPS-Approved Professional Development Program for Pharmacotherapy Recertification

The new BPS-approved professional development program has been designed to provide BCPSs substantially more than the required 120 hours of continuing education credit during a 7-year period. Each of the three program components will provide recertification credit annually. BCPSs may select from among these components to earn the required number of hours during their recertification cycle. Until 2010, the Pharmacotherapy Self-Assessment Program (PSAP) was the only BPS-approved professional development program for pharmacotherapy specialty recertification; in 2011, two new program components were designed to complement PSAP and provide an additional dimension to the recertification process. The three components are as follows:

1. Pharmacotherapy Self-Assessment Program, Seventh Edition (PSAP-VII)
2. Updates in Therapeutics^®: The Pharmacotherapy Preparatory Review and Recertification Course
3. From Theory to Bedside: Clinical Reasoning Series

Collectively, the three components cover the domains, tasks, and knowledge statements within the Pharmacotherapy specialty as delineated by the BPS Specialty Council on Pharmacotherapy. Each component will be available annually. BCPSs may select from among these components to earn the required number of hours during their recertification cycle. Each component includes a Web-based posttest. A description of each program component follows.

Component 1: Pharmacotherapy Self-Assessment Program, Seventh Edition(PSAP-VII)
The Pharmacotherapy Self-Assessment Program is an 11-book home study program that provides pharmacotherapy specialists with previously unpublished material on contemporary topics related to pharmacotherapy. PSAP books, available both in print and in an online format as PDFs, are released quarterly. The seventh edition of PSAP began with the release of Cardiology in January 2010. The final book in the series, Gastroenterology and Nutrition, will be released in July 2012.

According to subject matter, PSAP books are subdivided into modules, each of which is available for recertification credit. PSAP-VII provides a minimum of 40.0 hours of recertification credit each year and 120.0 hours of recertification credit during the 3-year life of the edition. BCPSs who wish to earn recertification credit using PSAP modules or books must read the instructional materials and successfully complete the Web-based posttest by the predetermined deadline for each module or book. Only completed tests are eligible for credit; no partial or incomplete tests will be processed.

Note: BCPSs may use PSAP to earn as many recertification hours as they need to attain the required hours during their 7-year recertification cycle.

For the full schedule of books with release dates, tables of contents, learning objectives, sample chapters, faculty, deadlines for submitting online posttests, and recertification credit hours for each module as they become available, click here.

Component 2: Updates in Therapeutics^®: The Pharmacotherapy Preparatory Review and Recertification Course

The Pharmacotherapy Preparatory Review and Recertification Course will be offered live each spring and will be available for home study in various formats including an online program and a workbook and CD-ROM package product. Home study materials will be released on or around June 1 each year after the live offering.

A minimum of 21.0 hours of recertification credit will be available for participants each year. To earn recertification credit for the Pharmacotherapy Preparatory Review and Recertification Course, BCPSs must attend the live program or complete the instructional materials for home study and successfully complete the Web-based posttest for the program. Only completed tests will be eligible for credit; no partial or incomplete tests will be processed.

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

2012 Course Availability
ACCP’s 2012 Updates in Therapeutics^® meeting will be held from April 27 to May 1, 2012, in Reno, Nevada. The home study version of the course will be available beginning on June 1, 2012, both as an online/Web-based version and as a CD-ROM and workbook package. Both the live and home study formats of the course include access to a Web-based posttest. BCACPs who take the course and successfully complete the posttest will earn 24.0 hours of recertification credit. The Web-based posttest must be submitted by September 1, 2012, to be eligible for recertification credit.

For more information on Updates in Therapeutics^®: The Pharmacotherapy Preparatory Review and Recertification Course, click here.

Component 3: From Theory to Bedside: Clinical Reasoning Series in Pharmacotherapy
The Clinical Reasoning Series will be a live education series that explores cutting-edge, contemporary therapeutic topics. The program will employ active learning exercises designed to advance the skills and abilities of BCPSs to critically evaluate scientific evidence and clinical trials and effectively incorporate significant findings. The program will be presented live each year in conjunction with the ACCP Annual Meeting.

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

Note: BCPSs may participate in the Clinical Reasoning Series every year throughout their 7-year recertification cycle to attain the required recertification credit.

2012 Program Availability
The 2012 program of the From Theory to Bedside: Clinical Reasoning Series will be held in conjunction with the 2012 ACCP Annual Meeting in Hollywood, Florida. To be eligible for recertification credit, BCPSs will be required to attend the live program and successfully complete the Web-based posttest.

Please check the Web site this August for updated programming information.

BCPS Professional Development Program Schedule
The table that follows summarizes the recertification credit hours offered, per year, beginning in January 2010 (which marked the release of the first book in the 11-book PSAP-VII series) and continuing through 2016. In total, the program will offer a minimum of 382 contact hours toward BCPS recertification. Of these 382 hours, a minimum of 298 will be available to individual BCPSs. (Factored into the total minimum eligible hours is a limitation on the use of the Pharmacotherapy Preparatory Review and Recertification Course, which may be used no more than twice and not in 2 consecutive years.)

Please note that although this program offers additional options to recertify by continuing education, BPS recertification still requires that BCPSs earn 120 hours of credit and that no more than 60 hours may be earned before the end of the fourth year of certification. However, all 120 hours may be earned during the fifth through seventh years of certification. For more information on BPS requirements, click here.