Every pharmacy graduate in the United States is now receiving a PharmD upon graduation. Many students are now trying to make themselves stand out by going on a residency or fellowship. Others are becoming certified in a specialty to better serve patients by essentially improving their quality of life.

Which option is right for you?
 
“Board certification through the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties (BPS) is key to fostering pharmacists’ inevitable evolution from order-filling agents to integral members of the patient care team.” Those certified by the BPS have greater knowledge than what was needed to obtain a pharmacy license. The BPS provides certification in 5 areas of pharmacy: nuclear, nutrition support, oncology, pharmacotherapy, and psychiatric.

• Nuclear pharmacist specializes in the procurement, compounding, quality control testing, dispensing, distribution, and monitoring of radiopharmaceuticals. In addition, the nuclear pharmacist provides consultation regarding health and safety issues, as well as the use of non-radioactive drugs and patient care
• Nutrition support pharmacist specialist has responsibility for promoting maintenance and/or restoration of optimal nutritional status, designing and modifying treatment according to the needs of the patient. The nutrition support pharmacist has responsibility for direct patient care and often functions as a member of a multidisciplinary nutrition support team.
• Oncology pharmacist specialist provides specialized pharmaceutical care to patients with cancer. Specialists recommend, design, implement, monitor, and modify pharmacotherapeutic plans to optimize outcomes in patients with malignant diseases.
• Pharmacotherapy specialist has responsibility for direct patient care, often functions as a member of a multidisciplinary team, and is frequently the primary source of drug information for other health care professionals. Recently, 2new qualification have been added to this specialty—Cardiology and Infectious diseases.  
• Psychiatric pharmacist specialist is often responsible for optimizing drug treatment and patient care by conducting such activities as monitoring patient response, patient assessment, recognizing drug-induced problems, and recommending appropriate treatment plans.

The National Institute for Standards in Pharmacist Credentialing (NISPC) allows pharmacists to become specialized in 4 areas of disease management—anticoagulation, asthma, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. According to NISPC, certification is a fundamental standard among major health professions in this country. Whereas licensure is important to legally perform the work of a profession, certification is important for internal professional recognition and external verification and accountability. Over 1500 pharmacists are now specialized by NISPC. However, due to lack of interest, the Certified Disease Manager program will expire on December 31, 2008.
  
“As America's medication-related problems escalate, when the baby-boomer population reaches the older, at-risk age group, pharmacists with CGP (Certification in Geriatric Pharmacy) after their name will be sought after for their unique qualifications and expertise.” This is the statement that Commission for Certification in Geriatric Pharmacy has on its Web site describing why pharmacists should be certified in geriatric practice. Geriatric pharmacy is a growing field in the United States, which needs expert pharmacists to help improve quality of life. “The most exciting aspect of the CGP is that it addresses a population, not a disease state or practice setting," says Michael Martin, CCGP Executive Director.
Certification is one of the new steps than can be taking after graduation to further advance your education and value in the future of the profession. As stated on the BPS web site, “Certification is, indeed, the only practical means of determining which pharmacists are qualified to contribute at these evolving, advanced practice levels.” To see the above information and to learn more about the various certification options available for pharmacists, please visit www.bpsweb.org, www.nispcnet.org, or www.ccgp.org.

References:
www.bpsweb.org, www.nispcnet.org, www.ccgp.org.