There are several steps in residency program accreditation, and a status is associated with each. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) is the accrediting body for all pharmacy residency programs. The “Accreditation Status” field in the listing provides information about a residency program’s accreditation status. The values are as follows:
- “AMCP/ASHP” – A residency program that is currently accredited under the AMCP/ASHP joint accreditation standard for PGY1 managed care pharmacy residency programs.
- “APhA/ASHP” – A residency program that is currently accredited under the APhA/ASHP joint accreditation standard for PGY1 community pharmacy residency programs.
- “ASHP” – A residency program that is currently accredited under the ASHP PGY1 or PGY2 accreditation standards for pharmacy residency programs.
- “Candidate” – A program that has submitted an application for accreditation but has not yet undergone an on-site survey.
- “Conditional Accreditation” – A program that is not in substantial compliance with the applicable accreditation standard. Programs must remedy identified problem areas and may undergo a subsequent on-site survey. Conditional accreditation is similar to probationary status, whereby, if identified findings are not resolved within a designated time period, a program will lose its accreditation.
- “NOT Accredited” – A program which is neither accredited nor has submitted an application for accreditation.
- “Preliminary Accreditation” – A program that has undergone an on-site survey, and has been found worthy of accreditation. Accreditation will not be conferred until the ASHP Commission on Credentialing (CoC) reviews the survey results at its next meeting. (The CoC meets twice yearly, in March and August).
- “Pre-Candidate” – A program that is seeking its first resident and has signaled its intention to undergo accreditation once it attains a resident.
Why is accreditation important?
Postgraduate year one of pharmacy residency training is an organized, directed, program that builds upon knowledge, skills, attitudes, and abilities gained from an accredited professional pharmacy degree program. The first-year residency program enhances general competencies in managing medication-use systems and supports optimal medication therapy outcomes for patients with a broad range of disease states. The pharmacy residency program accreditation standard establishes criteria for systematic training of pharmacists for the purpose of achieving professional competence in the delivery of patient-centered care and in pharmacy operational services in managed care settings. Its contents delineate the requirements for PGY1 residencies that build upon the educational foundation provided through completion of an accredited Doctor of Pharmacy degree program. Residents in PGY1 residency programs are provided the opportunity to accelerate their growth beyond entry-level professional competence in patient-centered care and in pharmacy operational services, and to further the development of leadership skills that can be applied in any position and in any practice setting. PGY1 residents in managed care pharmacy are trained to deliver pharmaceutical care utilizing three practice models: 1) individual patient care; 2) care provided to targeted groups of patients; and 3) population care management. PGY1 residents acquire substantial knowledge required for skillful problem solving, refine their problem-solving strategies, strengthen their professional values and attitudes, and advance the growth of their clinical judgment.
Accreditation is a gauge with which to measure the quality of the learning experience offered by a residency program. When a residency program achieves accreditation, it means the residency program has been evaluated using a set of industry standards that assures that the resident receives a high quality, comprehensive learning experience. The Academy views accreditation as an important step in the maturation of managed care pharmacy residency programs and supports the accreditation of all residency programs.
Accredited residency programs:
- meet rigorous national training standards and have been reviewed by expert site survey teams
- are listed in the online residency directory on the ASHP web site
- participate in the residency matching program
- have access to ResitrakTM a web-based tool to assist residency program directors administer their residency programs