IMPORTANCE OF CREDENTIALS IN PHARMACY
"Credential" and
"credentialing," like the words "creed" and “credence,” derive from the Latin
verb credere, which means "to trust,"
"to entrust," or "to believe." A pharmacist's credentials are indicators that he
or she holds the qualifications needed to practice the profession of pharmacy
and is therefore worthy of the trust of patients, of other health care
professionals, and of society as a whole.
In
the profession of pharmacy, the interest in credentials has been catalyzed in
recent years by several factors. First among them is the pace of change and the
increasing complexity of health care. A second factor is the pharmacist's
expanding clinical role. Interest in credentialing has likewise been stimulated
by the growing trend toward specialization in pharmacy practice and by the need
to document the pharmacist's ability to provide specialty care.
Another contributing factor
has been the need to help ensure lifelong competence in a rapidly changing,
technologically complex field. The need to provide a means of standardization of
practice has also had a role. Such a motivation was key, for example, to the
development of the Federal Credentialing Program, which is creating a national
database of health professionals that will include pharmacists.
Finally, economic realities
enter the picture. Pharmacists who are providing cognitive services or
specialized care need to be reimbursed for the services they provide. Payers
rightfully demand validation that pharmacists are qualified to provide such
services. Credentials, and in many cases, more specifically, certification, can
help provide the documentation that Medicare and Medicaid, managed care
organizations, and other third-party payers require of pharmacists today and in
the future.
OVERVIEW OF CREDENTIALING IN PHARMACY
Introduction
Pharmacist credentials may
be divided into three fundamental types.
-
The first type--college
and university degrees--is awarded to mark the successful completion of a
pharmacist's academic training and education.
-
The second type--licensure
and relicensure--is an indication that the pharmacist has met minimum
requirements set by the state in which he or she intends to practice.
-
The third type of
credential--which may include advanced degrees and certificates--is awarded to
pharmacy practitioners who have completed programs of various types that are
intended to develop and enhance their knowledge and skills, or who have
successfully documented an advanced level of knowledge and skill through an
assessment process.
These three paths to
pharmacist credentialing are illustrated in Figure 1. The sections that follow
provide information on each of the credentials offered in pharmacy, the
credentialing or accreditation body involved, whether the credential is
mandatory or voluntary, and other related information.
Figure 1.
Preparing for the Pharmacy Profession
-
Credential earned:
Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy; Doctor of Pharmacy degree
-
Credential awarded by:
School or college of pharmacy
-
Accreditation body for
professional programs in pharmacy: American Council on Pharmaceutical
Education (ACPE). The U.S.
Department of Education has recognized the ACPE accreditation of the
professional degree program in pharmacy.
Until July 1, 2000, an
individual who wished to become a pharmacist could enroll in a program of study
that would lead to one of two degrees: a bachelor of science degree in pharmacy
(B.S. Pharm. or Pharm. B.S.) or a doctor of pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree.
As of 1998, two-thirds of all students studying in
professional programs in pharmacy were enrolled in Pharm.D. programs. The
Pharm.D. degree became the sole degree accredited by ACPE for pharmacists’ entry
into practice in the United States, as of July 1, 2000, with the institution of
new ACPE professional program accreditation standards. Pharm.D. programs
typically take six years to complete and generally involve two years of
preprofessional coursework and four years of professional education. A few
programs offer the professional education over three years of full time
education.
B.S.-level pharmacists who
have been in the workforce may also return to a college or school of pharmacy to
earn the Pharm.D. degree. These programs, which are tailored to the individual's
background and experience, may follow "nontraditional" pathways; however they
must produce the same educational outcomes as does the entry-level Pharm.D.
degree.
State boards of pharmacy
require a Pharm.D. or B.S. degree from a program approved by the boards (almost
always an ACPE-accredited program) for a candidate to be eligible to take the
state licensing examination.
A listing of accredited professional programs offered by colleges and
schools of pharmacy is published annually by ACPE, and is available on the ACPE
web site (www.acpe-accredit.org).
Entering Practice and Updating Professional
Knowledge and Skills
-
Credentials earned:
Licensure as registered pharmacist (R.Ph.); relicensure.
-
Credential awarded by:
State board of pharmacy
-
Licensure process overseen
by: State regulatory authorities
Before a graduate of a
school or college of pharmacy can practice pharmacy in the United States, he or
she must become licensed. The licensure process is regulated at the state level
by the boards of pharmacy.
Candidates for licensure in
all states but California must pass the North American Pharmacist Licensure
Examination™ (NAPLEX®), a computer-adaptive,
competency-based examination that assesses the candidate’s ability to apply
knowledge gained in pharmacy school to real life practice situations. California
administers a unique examination process.
Most states also require candidates to take a state-specific pharmacy law
examination. Currently, 36 states use the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence
Examination™ (MPJE™), a computer-adaptive assessment that
tailors each examination to address the pharmacy law and regulations of the
state in which the candidate is seeking licensure.
Both the NAPLEX and the MPJE
are developed by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) for use
by the boards of pharmacy as part of their assessment of competence to practice
pharmacy. Development of these examinations is directly related to NABP’s
mission, which is to assist its member boards and jurisdictions in developing,
implementing, and enforcing uniform standards for the purpose of protecting the
public health. The NAPLEX and MPJE
examinations are administered by appointment, daily, throughout the year at a
system of test centers located in all 50 states.
In
addition to the NAPLEX and MPJE, some states require a laboratory examination or
an oral examination before licensure is conferred. All state boards also
require that candidates complete an internship before being licensed. The
internship may be completed during the candidate's academic training or after
graduation, depending upon state requirements.
State licensure is an
indication that the individual has attained the basic degree of competence
necessary to ensure the public health and welfare will be reasonably well
protected. The names of individuals who have received a license may use the
abbreviation "R.Ph." (for "registered pharmacist") after their names.
Nearly all state boards of
pharmacy also require that registered pharmacists complete a certain number of
continuing education units (CEUs) before they can renew their licenses. The CEUs must be earned through
participation in a continuing education (CE) program whose provider has been
approved by the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE). The symbol used by the American Council
on Pharmaceutical Education to designate that the continuing education provider
is approved is
Note that ACPE approves
providers of continuing education, not individual CE programs. CEUs may be
secured by attending educational seminars, teleconferences, and meetings;
reading journal articles; or completing traditional home study courses or
computer-based education programs. Receipt of a satisfactory score on an
assessment that is created by and submitted to the CE provider is sometimes
required as a documentation of completion of a CE program. ACPE publishes an annual Directory of
approved providers of continuing pharmaceutical education, which is available on
the ACPE web site (www.acpe-accredit.org).
Licensure and relicensure
are mandatory for pharmacists who wish to continue to practice their profession.
In
their regulatory role, state boards of pharmacy are ultimately responsible to
the state legislature.
Developing and Enhancing Knowledge and Skills
Pharmacy practitioners who
wish to broaden and deepen their knowledge and skills may participate in a
variety of postgraduate education and training opportunities. They include the
following:
Academic Postgraduate Education and Training
Pharmacists who wish to
pursue a certain field of study in depth may enroll in postgraduate master's or
doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) programs. Common fields of study for master's
candidates include business administration, clinical pharmacy, and public
health. Common fields for Ph.D. studies include pharmacology, pharmaceutics,
pharmacy practice, and social and administrative sciences.
Residencies
-
Credential earned:
Residency certificate
-
Credential awarded by:
Residency training program
-
Program accreditation: The
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) (independently or in collaboration
with other pharmacy organizations)
ASHP is the chief
accreditation body for pharmacy practice and specialty residency programs in
pharmacy. A total of 505 programs nationwide now hold ASHP accreditation. ASHP
also partners with other organizations, including the Academy of Managed Care
Pharmacy, the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, the American Pharmaceutical
Association, and the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, in accrediting
residency programs.
The
majority of pharmacists who pursue residency training do so in the area of
pharmacy practice. These
residencies sometimes focus on a particular practice setting, such as ambulatory
care. Pharmacists may also pursue
specialty training in a certain topic (e.g., pharmacokinetics), in the care of a
specific patient population (e.g., pediatrics), or in a specific disease area
(e.g., oncology).
Residency programs last one
to two years. The typical training site is a practice setting such as an
academic health center, a community pharmacy, a managed care organization, a
skilled nursing facility, or a home health care agency.
The
Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), an agency of the federal
government, recognizes residency accreditation bodies within the health
professions.
Fellowships
-
Credential earned:
Fellowship certificate
-
Credential awarded by:
Fellowship training program
-
Program accreditation: No
official accreditation body
A fellowship is an
individualized postgraduate program that prepares the participant to become an
independent researcher. Fellowship programs, like residencies, usually last one
to two years. The programs are developed by colleges of pharmacy, academic
health centers, colleges and universities, and pharmaceutical manufacturers.
There is no official
accreditation body for fellowship programs; however, the American Association of
Colleges of Pharmacy and American College of Clinical Pharmacy have issued
guidelines that are followed by many fellowship program directors.
Certificate Training Programs
-
Credential earned:
Certificate of Completion
-
Credential awarded by:
Educational institutions and companies, pharmacy organizations, and
others
-
Provider accreditation:
American Council on Pharmaceutical Education
A
certificate training program is a structured and systematic postgraduate
continuing education experience for pharmacists that is generally smaller in
magnitude and shorter in duration than degree programs. Certificate programs are designed to
instill, expand, or enhance practice competencies through the systematic
acquisition of specified knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors. The focus
of certificate programs is relatively narrow; for example, the American
Pharmaceutical Association offers programs in such areas as asthma, diabetes,
immunization delivery, and management of dyslipidemias.
Certificate training
programs are offered by national and state pharmacy organizations and by schools
and colleges of pharmacy and other educational groups. The programs are often
held in conjunction with a major educational meeting of an organization. The
American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE) approves providers of such
programs. The symbol used by the ACPE to designate that a certificate training
program is provided by an accredited provider is
Traineeships
Traineeships, in contrast to
certificate training programs, are defined as intensive, individualized,
structured postgraduate programs intended to provide the participant with the
knowledge and skills needed to provide a high level of care to patients with
various chronic diseases and conditions. Traineeships are generally of longer
duration (about five days) and involve smaller groups of trainees than
certificate training programs do. Some are offered on a competitive basis, with
a corporate sponsor or other organization underwriting participants’ costs.
Pharmacy organizations currently offering traineeships include the American
College of Apothecaries, the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, and the
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists' Research and Education
Foundation.
Certification
Introduction
Certification is a
credential granted to pharmacists and other health professionals who have
demonstrated a level of competence in a specific and relatively narrow area of
practice that exceeds the minimum requirements for licensure. Certification is
granted on the basis of successful completion of rigorously developed
eligibility criteria that include a written examination and, in some cases, an
experiential component. The certification process is undertaken and overseen by
a nongovernmental body.
The
development of a certification program includes the following steps:
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Role
delineation. The first step is to
define the area in which certification is to be offered. This is done through
a process called role delineation or “task analysis.” An expert panel of
individuals in the proposed subject area develops a survey instrument to
assess how practitioners working in the area rate the importance, frequency,
and criticality of specific activities in that practice. The instrument is
then sent to a sample of pharmacists who are practicing in that
field.
-
Development of content
outline.
On the basis of responses to the survey, a content outline for the
certification program is developed.
-
Preparation of
examination. The written examination
component of the certification program is developed on the basis of the
content outline.
-
Other
activities. Appropriate measures are
taken to ensure that security and confidentially of the testing process are
maintained, that the examination and eligibility criteria are appropriate, and
that the knowledge and skills of those who are certified do, in fact, reflect
competence.
A
professional testing company typically assists in the development of the role
delineation and the examination to ensure that the examination meets
professional standards of psychometric soundness and legal defensibility.
Certifying Agencies for
Pharmacists Only
Three groups--the Board of
Pharmaceutical Specialties, the Commission for Certification in Geriatric
Pharmacy, and the National Institute for Standards in Pharmacist
Credentialing--offer certification to pharmacists.
Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties
(BPS).
Established in 1976 by the American Pharmaceutical Association, BPS is the only
agency that offers certification at the specialty level in pharmacy. It
certifies pharmacists in five specialties: nuclear pharmacy, nutrition support
pharmacy, oncology pharmacy, pharmacotherapy, and psychiatric pharmacy. As of
June 2002, nearly 3500 pharmacists held BPS certification, distributed across
the five specialties as follows:
Nuclear Pharmacy –
471
Nutrition Support Pharmacy – 425
Oncology Pharmacy – 288
Pharmacotherapy – 1843
Psychiatric Pharmacy - 387
Pharmacists who wish to
retain BPS certification must be recertified every seven years.
The
recognition of each specialty is the result of a collaborative process between
the Board and one or more pharmacy organizations, which develop a petition to
support and justify recognition of the specialty. This petition must meet
written criteria established by the BPS.
The
BPS is directed by a nine-member board that includes six pharmacists, two health
professionals who are not pharmacists, and one public/consumer member. A
specialty council of six specialist members and three pharmacists not in the
specialty direct the certification process for each specialty.
BPS
examinations are administered with the assistance of an educational testing
firm, resulting in a process that is psychometrically sound and legally
defensible. Each of the five specialties has its own eligibility criteria,
examination specifications, and recertification process. All five examinations
are given on a single day once a year in approximately 25 sites in the United
States and elsewhere.
In
1997, BPS introduced a method designed to recognize focused areas within
pharmacy specialties. A designation of "Added Qualifications" denotes that an
individual has demonstrated an enhanced level of training and experience in one
segment of a BPS-recognized specialty. Added qualifications are conferred on the
basis of a portfolio review to qualified individuals who already hold BPS
certification. The first added qualification to receive BPS approval was
infectious diseases, within the pharmacotherapy specialty.
Commission for Certification in Geriatric Pharmacy
(CCGP). In 1997, the American Society of
Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP) Board of Directors voted to create the CCGP to
oversee a certification program in geriatric pharmacy practice. CCGP is a nonprofit corporation that is
autonomous from ASCP. It has its
own governing Board of Commissioners.
The CCGP Board of Commissioners includes five pharmacist members, one
physician member, one payer/employer member, one public/consumer member, and one
liaison member from the ASCP Board of Directors.
Pharmacists who meet CCGP’s
requirements are entitled to use the designation Certified Geriatric Pharmacist,
or CGP. As of June 2002,
approximately 800 pharmacists have earned the CGP credential. Pharmacists who wish to retain their CGP
credential must recertify every five years by successfully completing a written
examination.
CCGP contracts with a
professional testing firm to assist in conducting the role delineation or task
analysis and in developing and administering the examination. The resulting process is
psychometrically sound and legally defensible; it also meets nationally
recognized standards. The CGP
certification exams are administered twice a year at multiple locations in the
United States, Canada, and Australia.
CCGP publishes a candidate handbook that includes the content outline for
the examination, eligibility criteria for taking the examination, and the
policies and procedures of the certification program.
National Institute for Standards in Pharmacist
Credentialing (NISPC). The NISPC was founded in
1998 by the American Pharmaceutical Association, the National Association of
Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, and
the National Community Pharmacists Association. The purpose of NISPC is to
"promote the value and encourage the adoption of National Association of Boards
of Pharmacy disease-specific examinations as the consistent and objective means
of documenting the ability of pharmacists to provide disease state management
services."
NISPC offers certification
in the management of diabetes, asthma, dyslipidemia, and anticoagulation
therapy. At the time of its founding, the organization's immediate objective was
to design a process that would document the competence of pharmacists providing
care for patients with these disease states. The NISPC credential was first
recognized in the state of Mississippi, where it was used to enable pharmacists
to qualify for Medicaid reimbursement as part of a pilot project in that state.
NABP developed the competency assessment examinations and oversees their
administration. As of June 2002,
1340 pharmacists hold NISPC certification: 771 in diabetes, 314 in asthma, 120
in dyslipidemia, and 135 in anticoagulation therapy.
The
NISPC tests are administered nationally as computerized examinations, and are
available throughout the year.
Multidisciplinary Certification Programs
Some certification programs are available to professionals
from many health disciplines, including pharmacists. Areas in which such
certification is available include diabetes education, anticoagulation therapy,
pain management, and asthma education. Some of these programs are still in the
early stages of development.
Several of these providers are listed in Appendix B; however the
information is not intended to be exhaustive.
PHARMACY SUPPORTIVE PERSONNEL
A
pharmacy technician is an individual who assists in pharmacy activities that do
not require the professional judgment of a pharmacist. For example, pharmacy
technicians may accept orders from patients, prepare labels, enter drug
information into the pharmacy's computer system, and retrieve medications from
inventory. As pharmacists assume an increasing number of clinical roles,
pharmacy technicians are taking more and more responsibility for distributive
functions in pharmacies in all settings.
The
exact functions and responsibilities of pharmacy technicians are defined by
state laws and regulations and are also determined by the willingness of
pharmacists to delegate the nonjudgmental activities of their practice. Pharmacy
technicians always work under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist.
The
education and training, certification, and continuing education of pharmacy
technicians are similar in some ways to those of pharmacists.
Education and Training
Most pharmacy technicians
today have been trained on the job, either formally or informally. As the
responsibilities of pharmacy technicians grow, however, more and more
individuals are enrolling in formal training programs. These programs are
generally affiliated with a community college, a four-year college, a hospital,
or another health care organization. Graduates of these programs may be awarded
an associate's degree or a certificate of completion.
ASHP is the accreditation
body for pharmacy technician training programs. Sixty programs were accredited
as of 1999.
Regulation
State boards of pharmacy
oversee the registration of pharmacy technicians. Practices differ substantially
from state to state.
Certification
The
Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) was established in 1995 as a
national voluntary certification program for pharmacy technicians. Its founders
were the American Pharmaceutical Association, the American Society of
Health-System Pharmacists, the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists,
and the Michigan Pharmacists Association.
In
collaboration with testing experts, the PTCB developed a national examination,
the Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination (PTCE). The examination is
designed to assess the candidate's knowledge and skill base for activities that
are most commonly performed by a pharmacy technician, as determined by a
national task analysis.
The
Board administers the PTCE three times a year at more than 120 sites across the
nation. A technician who passes the PTCE is designated as a Certified Pharmacy
Technician (CPhT). As of June 2002, more than 100,000 pharmacy
technicians have earned PTCB certification.
Pharmacy technicians must
renew their certification every two years. To qualify for recertification, they
must participate in at least 20 hours of pharmacy-related continuing education
that includes an hour of pharmacy law.
Appendix A
Glossary
Accreditation: The process whereby an
association or agency grants public recognition to an organization that meets
certain established qualifications or standards, as determined through initial
and periodic evaluations.
Certificate Training
Program: A
structured, systematic postgraduate education and continuing education
experience for pharmacists that is generally smaller in magnitude and shorter in
duration than a degree program.
Certificate programs are designed to instill, expand, or enhance practice
competencies through the systematic acquisition of specific knowledge, skills,
attitudes, and performance behaviors.
Certified: Adjective that is used to
describe an individual who holds certification and that is incorporated into the
name of the credential awarded that individual. For example, someone who has
earned BPS certification in oncology is a "Board-Certified Oncology
Pharmacist.”
Certificate: A certificate is a document
issued to a pharmacist upon successful completion of the predetermined level of
performance of a certificate training program or of a pharmacy residency or
fellowship. See also “statement of
continuing education credit.”
Certification: The voluntary process by
which a nongovernmental agency or association formally grants recognition to a
pharmacist who has met certain predetermined qualifications specified by that
organization. This recognition
designates to the public that the holder has attained the requisite level of
knowledge, skill, or experience in a well-defined, often specialized, area of
the total discipline. Certification entails assessment, including testing, an
evaluation of the candidate’s education and experience, or both. Periodic recertification is usually
required to retain the credential.
Clinical
privileges:
Authorization to provide a specific range of patient care services. See Privileging.
Competence: The ability to perform
one's duties accurately, make correct judgments, and interact appropriately with
patients and with colleagues. Professional competence is characterized by good
problem-solving and decision-making abilities, a strong knowledge base, and the
ability to apply knowledge and experience to diverse patient-care situations.
Competency: A distinct skill, ability,
or attitude that is essential to the practice of a profession. Individual
competencies for pharmacists include, for example, mastery of aseptic technique
and achievement of a thought process that enables one to identify therapeutic
duplications. A pharmacist must master a variety of competencies in order to
gain competence in his or her profession.
Continuing
education:
Organized learning experiences and activities in which pharmacists engage after
they have completed their entry-level academic education and training. These
experiences are designed to promote the continuous development of the skills,
attitudes, and knowledge needed to maintain proficiency, provide quality service
or products, respond to patient needs, and keep abreast of change.
Credential: Documented evidence of
professional qualifications. For pharmacists, academic degrees, state licensure,
and Board certification are all examples of credentials.
Credentialing: (1) The process by which an organization
or institution obtains, verifies, and assesses a pharmacist's qualifications to
provide patient care services. (2) The process of granting a credential (a
designation that indicates qualifications in a subject or an area.)
Fellowship: A directed, highly
individualized postgraduate program designed to prepare a pharmacist to become
an independent researcher.
License: A credential issued by a
state or federal body that indicates that the holder is in compliance with
minimum mandatory governmental requirements necessary to practice in a
particular profession or occupation.
Licensure: The process of granting a
license.
Pharmacy
technician:
An individual who, under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist, assists in
pharmacy activities not requiring the professional judgment of the
pharmacist.
Privileging: The process by which a
health care organization, having reviewed an individual health care provider's
credentials and performance and found them satisfactory, authorizes that
individual to perform a specific scope of patient care services within that
organization.
Residency: An organized, directed,
postgraduate training program in a defined area of pharmacy
practice.
Registered: Adjective used to describe a
pharmacist who has met state requirements for licensure and whose name has been
entered on a state registry of practitioners who are licensed to practice in
that jurisdiction.
Scope of
Practice: The boundaries within which a health professional may practice.
For pharmacists, the scope of practice is generally established by the board or
agency that regulates the profession in a given state or organization.
Statement of Continuing
Education Credit: A document issued to a
pharmacist upon completion of a continuing education program provided by an
organization approved by the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education
Traineeship: A short, intensive,
clinical and didactic postgraduate educational program intended to provide the
pharmacist with knowledge and skills needed to provide a high level of care to
patients with specific diseases or conditions.
Appendix B
Referenced Pharmacy
Organizations and Certification Bodies
Pharmacy Organizations
Academy of Managed Care
Pharmacy (AMCP)
100 North Pitt Street, Suite 400
Alexandria, VA 22314
(800) 827-2627
www.amcp.org
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP)
1426 Prince Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-2841
(703) 836-8982
www.aacp.org
American College of
Apothecaries (ACA)
P.O. Box 341266
Memphis, TN
38184
(901) 383-8119
www.acaresourcecenter.org
American College of Clinical
Pharmacy (ACCP)
3101 Broadway, Suite 380
Kansas
City, MO 64111
(816) 531-2177
www.accp.com
American Council on
Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE)
20 North Clark Street, Suite
2500
Chicago, IL 60602-5109
(312) 664-3575
www.acpe-accredit.org
American Pharmaceutical
Association (APhA)
2215 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20037-2985
(202) 628-4410
www.aphanet.org
American Society of
Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP)
1321 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-3563
(703) 739-1300
www.ascp.com
American Society of
Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)
7272 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 657-3000
www.ashp.org
National Association of
Boards of Pharmacy (NABP)
700 Busse Highway
Park
Ridge, IL 60068
(847) 698-6227
www.nabp.net
National Association of
Chain Drug Stores (NACDS)
413 N. Lee Street, P.O. Box
1417-D49
Alexandria, VA 22313-1480
(703) 549-3001
www.nacds.org
National Community
Pharmacists Association (NCPA)
205 Daingerfield Road
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 683-8200
www.ncpanet.org
Certification Bodies for
Pharmacists or Pharmacy Technicians
(May be
multidisciplinary)
Anticoagulation Forum
88 East Newton Street, E-113
Boston, MA 02118-2395
(617) 638-7265
www.acforum.org
Board of Pharmaceutical
Specialties (BPS)
2215 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20037-2985
(202) 429-7591
www.bpsweb.org
Commission for Certification
in Geriatric Pharmacy (CCGP)
1321 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-3563
(703) 535-3038
www.ccgp.org
National Asthma Educator
Certification Board
American Lung Association
1740
Broadway
New York, NY 10019-4374
(212)
315-8865
www.lungusa.org
National Certification Board
for Diabetes Educators (NCBDE)
330 East Algonquin Road, Suite
4
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
(847) 228-9795
www.nbcde.org
National Institute for
Standards in Pharmacist Credentialing (NISPC)
P.O. Box 1910
Alexandria, VA 22313-1910
(703) 299-8790
www.nispcnet.org
Pharmacy Technician
Certification Board (PTCB)
2215 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20037-2985
(202) 429-7576
http://www.ptcb.org/
