by
Caitlin Frese, Pharm.D., PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Resident, Johns Hopkins Bayview
Medical Center
The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education
(ACPE) is the national agency responsible for accrediting professional pharmacy
degree programs since 1932.1 According to ACPE’s 2013 annual report, there
were 109 fully accredited programs, 16 schools in candidate status, and 4 with
pre-candidate status.2 Accreditation
in healthcare is commonplace – schools/colleges, continuing education providers,
and residency training programs are all accredited. Why is accreditation
important? And should all programs be
the same?
Accreditation is intended to ensure that high standards
are met – not only in terms of the instructional design of the learning program
but also its execution. For colleges/schools that offer the Doctor of Pharmacy
degree, standards relate to the curriculum, experiential education program,
strategic plan, faculty qualifications, and organizational support. Although accreditation is intended to ensure
that every school/college meets and maintains high standards, there is wide
variability in skills and competencies obtained by students. For example, schools of pharmacy located on a
academic health sciences campus provide the opportunity for interdisciplinary interactions
earlier in their curricula. Programs
located in states with progressive pharmacy practice acts may offer students a greater
breadth of practice experiences relative to other programs that are limited by
legal constraints. Differences in
curricular design, assessment strategies, experiential education opportunities,
and interprofessional interaction often sets one accredited school apart from
another.
National pharmaceutical organizations have
advocated for revisions in the ACPE accreditation standards to ensure that
future graduates are ready for practice and can meet employer
expectations. At a 2012 conference,
stakeholders provided recommendations including:
- Greater emphasis on developing skills for literature evaluation and data interpretation.
- Identifying and cultivating behavioral attributes needed by pharmacists in practice including interprofessional collaboration, clinical reasoning, and motivation.
- Ensuring assessment data is utilized for program improvement.
- Using standard assessment questions at the conclusion of advanced practice experiences such as “Would you hire this student?” and “Are the student’s skills at a level ready to enter practice?”3
Many of the recommendations focus on ensuring the
pharmacy program adequately trains student pharmacists to enter the workforce
as healthcare providers capable of providing direct-patient care.
Reviewing future employer expectations highlights
gaps in the current ACPE standards. Some
expectations relate to managerial and business aspects of pharmacy (e.g.
delegating tasks, measure/report performance, pharmaceutical supply chains);
others place emphasis on health care delivery systems.4 Some employers expressed expectations that
students should be competent in everyday activities such as documenting in
electronic records, respecting patient confidentiality, managing drug waste,
and administering common dosage forms.4
After reflecting on my education and listening to
the experiences of other recent graduates from different schools of pharmacy, many
(but not all) of these expectations are already included in the
curriculum. However, the depth to which
they are taught (if they are taught at all) varies greatly. This likely explains the variability in
competencies seen among graduating students today.
ACPE has released a draft version of the 2016 accreditation
standards for comment. These draft
standards incorporate many of the recommendations from the stakeholders
conference.5 These new standards would force schools/colleges of pharmacy
to critically review their current curriculum and find opportunities for
enhancement. Terminology within the proposed standards better delineates which
items are necessary (i.e. “must” statements listed in the standard document)
versus items recommended to enhance the quality of the program (i.e. “should”
and “could” statements listed in the guidance document).5 Twenty-six
standards are organized into three major themes: Educational Outcomes,
Structure and Process to Promote Achievement of Education Outcomes, and Assessment.5
This change in organization of the standards document mirrors the change
pharmacy. As health care delivery changes, the pharmacist’s role has shifted
from the traditional dispensing/drug distribution functions to a focus on patient
care functions, health outcomes, and cost-effective use of drugs. This shift is evident within the proposed
draft of Educational Outcomes as there is greater emphasis on patient care
functions and practicing in interprofessional healthcare teams.5
One key change between the current and proposed
standards is the separation of standards and guidance statements.5,6
This separation is where pharmacy schools/colleges can customize their program
and truly shine. ACPE acknowledges that pharmacy
programs differ and the guidance document is intended to elevate a program from
meeting the bare minimum to producing outstanding graduates with unique skills
that are highly sought by employers.
For faculty (or those seeking faculty positions),
knowledge of the proposed standards and guidance documents should inform course
development. The new standards allow for flexibility in terms of innovative
course design and delivery methods.6 This could include adopting the “flipped
classroom” method when redesigning a course or creating a new interdisciplinary
elective. The guidance document includes
examples of co-curricular experiences that can be built into courses including student
participation in activities such as Legislative Day, brown bag and medication
review events, and serving as an institutional ambassador.6 It is unlikely that a school/college of pharmacy
will be able to successfully implement and master all recommendations included
in the guidance document. Being
selective about what can be optimally incorporated into the pharmacy program
will maximize student learning and help set the school/college apart.
Ultimately the guidance document encourages schools
to strive for excellence. Accreditation
ensures that students gain foundational knowledge and attain a reasonably similar level of competency to perform core professional functions regardless of what school/college they attend. However, not all schools
/ colleges are alike. Utilizing the
guidance recommendations and capitalizing on local or state resources will help
good programs become great programs.
References
- Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. Accreditation standards and guidelines for the professional program in pharmacy leading to the doctor of pharmacy degree (Guidelines Version 2.0, Adopted: January 23, 2011, Effective: February 14, 2011). Accessed March 14, 2014.
- Vlasses PH, Wadelin JW, Boyer JG, et al. Annual Report of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. Am J Pharm Educ 2013; 77(4):Article 83.
- Zellmer WA, Beardsley RS, Vlasses PH. Recommendations for the Next Generation of Accreditation Standards for Doctor of Pharmacy Education. Am J Pharm Educ 2013; 77(3):Article 45.
- Vlasses PH, Patel N, Rouse MJ, et al. Employer Expectations of New Pharmacy Graduates: Implications for the Pharmacy Degree Accreditation Standards. Am J Pharm Educ 2013; 77(3):Article 47.
- Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. Accreditation standards and key elements for the professional program in pharmacy leading to the doctor of pharmacy degree (Draft Standards 2016, Released: February 3, 2014). Accessed March 14, 2014
- Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. Guidance for the accreditation standards and key elements for the professional program in pharmacy leading to the doctor of pharmacy degree (Draft guidance for standards 2016, Released: February 3, 2014). Accessed March 14, 2014.
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