Experienced Pharmacist (>10 years) go back and do a residency?

[halipharmd]

Is this even something that someone should go after? I am not debating at all, but really wanting to hear others' opinions. I have been watching the ACCP and ASHP go back and forth with residency equivalent ideas and really just perplexed this is even something people would consider?

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[confettiflyer]

Only if their 10 years of experience were subpar, incomplete, or otherwise limited. Not all experience is equivalent. Not all residencies are equivalent, either.

That said, I think if a 10 year limited experience hospital pharmacist candidate submitted an application to a residency, it would raise a few red flags and scrutiny. Good institutions should have a way of continuously training and retraining multi-year experienced pharmacists and transition them into roles that the ivory tower deems the exclusive domain of PGY1/PGY2 new grads.

I've seen it done and executed with success...so perhaps this hypothetical 10 year experienced pharmacist is probably better served looking for a new job.

Unless we're talking about a 10 year retail person going back into a clinical role, that's like climbing mt. everest.

 

[awval999]

I have 5 years experience at my community hospital. I have worked in the basement, on the floor, on stroke rounds, and in the emergency room. I have done consults. Attended codes. Attended brain attacks. I have precepted students. I have precepted residents. I have been offered, but declined, the ability to work in the oncology infusion center.

This idea that residency trumps experience is a line of bull****. I have scored higher than all of our residency trained pharmacists on the BCPS. I am faster at putting in orders. I am faster at coming up with pharmacotherapy solutions.

Do the residents have a few weeks of experience that I do not have, yes. Sure. If I really wanted that experience would the NICU specialist and the ICU specialist help me out and send me the articles and review topics with me, sure. However, if you aren't practicing in that area you will "forget" those things anyway if you aren't using them on a daily basis.

Finally, screw this residency business. It has now been perverted into a lower paid year one (and now soon to be year 2) where the institutions don't have to even train pharmacists anymore. They expect perfectly seasoned pharmacists now. Good for them, I guess. They make them do a "residency" pay them 1/3 of normal wages, overwork them, and then pick the 'best' one for any job openings.

 

[GoldfishPharmD]

I have 5 years experience at my community hospital. I have worked in the basement, on the floor, on stroke rounds, and in the emergency room. I have done consults. Attended codes. Attended brain attacks. I have precepted students. I have precepted residents. I have been offered, but declined, the ability to work in the oncology infusion center.

This idea that residency trumps experience is a line of bull****. I have scored higher than all of our residency trained pharmacists on the BCPS. I am faster at putting in orders. I am faster at coming up with pharmacotherapy solutions.

Do the residents have a few weeks of experience that I do not have, yes. Sure. If I really wanted that experience would the NICU specialist and the ICU specialist help me out and send me the articles and review topics with me, sure. However, if you aren't practicing in that area you will "forget" those things anyway if you aren't using them on a daily basis.

Finally, screw this residency business. It has now been perverted into a lower paid year one (and now soon to be year 2) where the institutions don't have to even train pharmacists anymore. They expect perfectly seasoned pharmacists now. Good for them, I guess. They make them do a "residency" pay them 1/3 of normal wages, overwork them, and then pick the 'best' one for any job openings.

Was there ever an idea that residency trumps experience? I guess I was always under the assumption that residency was a quicker and organized way to gain experience and opportunities. You're lucky where you can jump around and gain experience in different areas, but I don't think every hospital is that friendly. They may put you in an area that someone is interested in but jumping from one place to the other to learn seems pretty rare these days. Maybe I'm wrong.

 

[awval999]

Was there ever an idea that residency trumps experience? I guess I was always under the assumption that residency was a quicker and organized way to gain experience and opportunities. You're lucky where you can jump around and gain experience in different areas, but I don't think every hospital is that friendly. They may put you in an area that someone is interested in but jumping from one place to the other to learn seems pretty rare these days. Maybe I'm wrong.

If people didn't have the idea that "residency trumps experience" they wouldn't have "non-traditional residencies" and the OP wouldn't even be questioning this or having 'residency equivalent' discussions.

I guess I can feel how the ole' BPharms felt when the PharmD hot shots came out. I'm showing my age here. And I'm only 29.

 

[GoldfishPharmD]

If people didn't have the idea that "residency trumps experience" they wouldn't have "non-traditional residencies" and the OP wouldn't even be questioning this or having 'residency equivalent' discussions.

I guess I can feel how the ole' BPharms felt when the PharmD hot shots came out. I'm showing my age here. And I'm only 29.

Some people that do non-traditional residencies may want a more structured learning environment. Also, they may have experience staffing but want to gain more clinical experience or experience in a different area. I don't think it necessarily means that they're doing the residency because they think it trumps experience.

 

[mustang sally]

Seems relevant to this thread...how about non-traditional residencies?

Speaking of which, does anyone know where to find a list of these residencies? Can't find an option to sort by non-traditional with the ASHP or ACCP directories. Though I'm guessing there's probably not many of these around anyway.

 

[confettiflyer]

Finally, screw this residency business. It has now been perverted into a lower paid year one (and now soon to be year 2) where the institutions don't have to even train pharmacists anymore. They expect perfectly seasoned pharmacists now. Good for them, I guess. They make them do a "residency" pay them 1/3 of normal wages, overwork them, and then pick the 'best' one for any job openings.

You just described how every other industry works for anyone under the age of 35...except pharmacy residency looks downright like a privilege getting paid $40-$50k/yr (vs. $0 & minimum wage).

 

[confettiflyer]

Was there ever an idea that residency trumps experience?

Never...unless your experience sucked (see my first reply).

@awval999's experience trumps residency, but n = 1.

 

[gwarm01]

I have 5 years experience at my community hospital. I have worked in the basement, on the floor, on stroke rounds, and in the emergency room. I have done consults. Attended codes. Attended brain attacks. I have precepted students. I have precepted residents. I have been offered, but declined, the ability to work in the oncology infusion center.

Okay, so you are almost equivalent to a newly minted PGY1 with zero actual, independent work experience. Who we will be shortly hiring to replace you. Also you have to train them, and then they become your boss.

 

[halipharmd]

That's what my fear is... At least in regards to the BSPharm to PharmDs except back then there was a shortage. Today, I am not treasured for experience. I have BCPS at least and a couple of our "clinical pharmacists" failed it and didn't retake which felt nice.

The attitide of some residents I've seen is one of "I'm gonna get your job."

I find the pharmacists with experience are so much better regardless of setting.

 

[gwarm01]

I have BCPS at least and a couple of our "clinical pharmacists" failed it and didn't retake which felt nice.

The attitide of some residents I've seen is one of "I'm gonna get your job."

If I don't match into this non-traditional residency, my plan is basically to go for board certification in pediatrics. Then perhaps I can find a job at a smaller general hospital as be their peds specialist. Unfortunately, I've spoken with pharmacists who did become board certified and found little difference in how their employer or colleagues treated them. In the words of my former DOP, "BCPS is nice but it's just a bonus. What we really want is residency."

As for your second point, I've seen that happen as well. Oddly enough, I've seen PGY1 graduate and take a position that was created for the very pharmacist that taught them. A pharmacist who also had a PGY1 plus several years of experience. At the end of the day perhaps some hospitals just prefer hiring someone with no experience. They can get away with paying them less, they put up with way more bull****, and you can manipulate them much more easily.

 

[PharmBeanz]

If I don't match into this non-traditional residency, my plan is basically to go for board certification in pediatrics. Then perhaps I can find a job at a smaller general hospital as be their peds specialist. Unfortunately, I've spoken with pharmacists who did become board certified and found little difference in how their employer or colleagues treated them. In the words of my former DOP, "BCPS is nice but it's just a bonus. What we really want is residency."

As for your second point, I've seen that happen as well. Oddly enough, I've seen PGY1 graduate and take a position that was created for the very pharmacist that taught them. A pharmacist who also had a PGY1 plus several years of experience. At the end of the day perhaps some hospitals just prefer hiring someone with no experience. They can get away with paying them less, they put up with way more bull****, and you can manipulate them much more easily.

This is essentially PGY1 residencies in a nutshell.. smh

IMO experience trumps residency when the experience was mainly clinical ie you have been involved in development of protocols, DUE/MUEs, presentations, involvement in PT and other interdisciplinary committees etc. Otherwise the experience is mainly staffing. Important job, but it doesn't expand on the leadership roles pharmacists are evolving to assume.

 

[gwarm01]

IMO experience trumps residency when the experience was mainly clinical ie you have been involved in development of protocols, DUE/MUEs, presentations, involvement in PT and other interdisciplinary committees etc. Otherwise the experience is mainly staffing. Important job, but it doesn't expand on the leadership roles pharmacists are evolving to assume.

I guess that's why experience can be hard to quantify. You could have five years of sitting on your butt and checking pyxis carts, or five years of attending rounds and following patients in the ICU.

 

[Dred Pirate]

We had a retail RPh with 7 years experience apply for a residency because she wanted to get out of the retail world. I would think going for a small hospital job would be better suited for her, but I admire her willingness to take a huge paycut.

 

[GoldfishPharmD]

We had a retail RPh with 7 years experience apply for a residency because she wanted to get out of the retail world. I would think going for a small hospital job would be better suited for her, but I admire her willingness to take a huge paycut.

Did she match? I heard once you work 1-2 years in retail, most places won't even look at you because you don't retain a lot of the more clinical stuff you learned in pharmacy school once you start working retail.

 

[inverness2012]

We interviewed a candidate who had worked retail for a few years at my program. The knowledge that you learn in pharmacy school is perishable if you don't use it.

 

[Dred Pirate]

Did she match? I heard once you work 1-2 years in retail, most places won't even look at you because you don't retain a lot of the more clinical stuff you learned in pharmacy school once you start working retail.

it is for this years match, so it hasn't been released yet

 

[GoldfishPharmD]

it is for this years match, so it hasn't been released yet

Ah ok!

 

[ANF14]

I'm in the unique position where I applied for residencies last year and did not match. I was immediately hired for a clinical hybrid position at a very progressive community hospital. I have great experience after having been there for a year. I was practicing completely independently from the moment I was licensed. I had to develop a spot for a pharmacist (a new one at that) on a medical team.

However, there are still things that I believe I could learn in a residency--most of those things are managerial, teaching/precepting, or filling in specialty medicine knowledge gaps. I actually did reapply this cycle to develop those areas.

Having said that, I think that residency training is beneficial, but not necessary to advance clinically. That's not something that I knew as a student. I was basically told, "residency or you will not be clinical". It really depends on your strengths and where you are employed.

 

[gwarm01]

I'm in the unique position where I applied for residencies last year and did not match. I was immediately hired for a clinical hybrid position at a very progressive community hospital. I have great experience after having been there for a year.
...
However, there are still things that I believe I could learn in a residency--most of those things are managerial, teaching/precepting, or filling in specialty medicine knowledge gaps. I actually did reapply this cycle to develop those areas.

I'm in a similar boat. I was hired as a "clinical" pharmacist but the majority of my duties are staffing. Turns out we have "clinical specialists" for full-time clinical duties, and I mostly fill in the gaps. Technically I am responsible for the less critical units, but you rare receive consults from them. I could probably turn my experience here into a full clinical position at a smaller hospital, but I would miss working in such an intense environment with highly critical patients.

 

[awval999]

I'm in the unique position where I applied for residencies last year and did not match. I was immediately hired for a clinical hybrid position at a very progressive community hospital. I have great experience after having been there for a year. I was practicing completely independently from the moment I was licensed. I had to develop a spot for a pharmacist (a new one at that) on a medical team.

However, there are still things that I believe I could learn in a residency--most of those things are managerial, teaching/precepting, or filling in specialty medicine knowledge gaps. I actually did reapply this cycle to develop those areas.

Having said that, I think that residency training is beneficial, but not necessary to advance clinically. That's not something that I knew as a student. I was basically told, "residency or you will not be clinical". It really depends on your strengths and where you are employed.

You are telling me you have a JOB in a hospital making $100k+ that is a clinical hybrid position and you are going to RESIGN from your JOB to take a RESIDENCY that pays $40k. Is that correct? Do you understand that this makes no sense. Are they truly mindwashing the students in the colleges now? You realize at best after a PGY-1 you will be qualified to have your own job back? Why would you do this?

To fill specialty medicine knowledge gaps? For the $60k you are giving up you can subscribe to every specialty medicine journal your heart desires and still have tens of thousands of dollars. Hell you can make cash appointments to physician specialists and pay them to talk to you for an hour about drugs. That would be $1000 tops per MD. Are you serious?!

 

[ANF14]

You are telling me you have a JOB in a hospital making $100k+ that is a clinical hybrid position and you are going to RESIGN from your JOB to take a RESIDENCY that pays $40k. Is that correct? Do you understand that this makes no sense. Are they truly mindwashing the students in the colleges now? You realize at best after a PGY-1 you will be qualified to have your own job back? Why would you do this?

To fill specialty medicine knowledge gaps? For the $60k you are giving up you can subscribe to every specialty medicine journal your heart desires and still have tens of thousands of dollars. Hell you can make cash appointments to physician specialists and pay them to talk to you for an hour about drugs. That would be $1000 tops per MD. Are you serious?!

I actually want to be clinical faculty and would like to do specialty training in cardiology. I have about 50/50 staffing and clinical duties right now, so it's worth it. The money isn't a huge issue to me. If I was 100% clinical, I would definitely reconsider.

 

[njrph007]

This is something I have also been pondering lately. I have been a retail pharmacist since I graduated in 2003. While I like my job, there is no growth, and I am tired of weekends away from my kids. The one aspect I do love is the patient interaction. I recently finished a Healthcare MBA in order to stand out of the crowd, but I do not think it will matter in a clinical position since technically I do not have clinical experience.

So I have been debating leaving a full time pharmacy manager job for a ambulatory care residency, in the hopes of landing a clinical position. Maybe some of you can shed some light on this, but I feel a clinical position will be rewarding and more fulfilling than retail. What would be the best route to take at this point? My GPA from pharmacy school was a 2.7, nothing great. And from MBA school a 3.8. Will I even be considered for a residency?

Thanks!

 

[pharmdpharmd]

For the 2 guys working a hybrid position and wanna go back to do a residency...'don't do it. Once you practice independently and know your stuff, residency is just a piece of paper.

I had that hybrid job and went back for residency in a big academic center.. It's a waste of 50k!! Didn't really learn anything that I couldn't figure out on my own. It opened up doors for me for sure (and you may say that's worth the 50k). But defiantly don't advice going back to anyone except those with 1-2 retail experience (anything more than that, it will be hard to match)

 

[Trent Steele]

Definitely do it and let us know how that worked out for you a year from now

 

[MatCauthon]

I would say don't do it. The job market is tough and residents may have trouble finding a job when they finish. I would much rather have one bird in the hand than two in the bush.

 

[Farcus]

I dont think residency trumphs experience but the thought process of a clinically trained pharmacist and a staffing pharmacist for 10 year is just not the same, i'm not talking about little details about a drug here or there but the actual THOUGHT PROCESS required and provided in order to fully take care of pt are just not the same. I been in two different institution and my thoughts remain the same

many people have told me and i agree wholeheartedly that residency doesn't teach you to be smarter per se, it teaches you how to think critically and clinically that you're just not able to get as a student or just staffing

I definitely value the pharmacists with 10 year of staffing experience but for reasons that are not clinically related

 

[gwarm01]

I dont think residency trumphs experience but the thought process of a clinically trained pharmacist and a staffing pharmacist for 10 year is just not the same, i'm not talking about little details about a drug here or there but the actual THOUGHT PROCESS required and provided in order to fully take care of pt are just not the same.

I'm curious about this statement. Could you elaborate? I've seen people on both sides of the residency barrier who just get it, and those that just don't get it. I still say it is all up to the individual and how they choose to approach their career.

 

[Farcus]

i been through two different hospital one teritary teaching hospital with big pharmacy residency program and now at a community bed approx 350 beds and the level detail is just not the same. To grand-fathered in hospital pharmacist, there is no thought process as to why are they on this medication just oh is this the right dose and can we potentially harm the patient. Granted from a general staffing role, this thought process of is the dose right, is it the correct drug, do we have the drug is more than sufficient. I only have limited real work experience but what my experience i have yet to meet anyone thats not residency trained that thinks and analyze problem and issue on another level from normal staffing.

Good example of what experience teaches you: outpt chemo except we do it inside the hospital, chemo cost 5k total, the 10 year experienced staff pharmacist called the rn to see if they patient is actually there and call to see what time they're gonna be there, initially RN says yes, they'll be here. couple hours later before actually physically making the chemo turn out patient couldn't make it so we didn't make the chemo and saved 5k. This i know i probably would of processed and wasted 5k based on just the RN told me initially, thats experience. But it does not involve any signficant clinical thinking in term of assessment and appropriateness of the meds.

 

[DocHoliday Pharm.D.]

I happen through this forum every now and again and came across this thread. It is a very interesting question and there has been some interesting back and forth on it thus far.

I am a Pharm.D. with 9 years experience. I just recently completed a non-traditional residency and would be happy to answer any questions anyone has about it. I will likely chime in in more detail later on in response to posts anyhow, but if anyone has any specific questions I feel like I am in a good position to answer them and will happy to do so honestly.

 

[gwarm01]

i been through two different hospital one teritary teaching hospital with big pharmacy residency program and now at a community bed approx 350 beds and the level detail is just not the same.

I think the practice site probably plays a big factor in how the pharmacists developed. If the hospital has a higher expectation of you, then you will have to raise yourself to that level. I think I'm lucky to be with an institution with a very high level of acuity, but also believes in training our pharmacists in the different areas. We give two week to one month training periods in our different pharmacy specialty areas, mainly just to have vacation coverage, but it has the side benefit of producing really good pharmacists.

On the other hand, I've seen other hospitals where the expectation was you simply process the orders and get the medication out of the door. You didn't bother the doctors. I couldn't imagine trying to grow professionally in a place like that.

I happen through this forum every now and again and came across this thread. It is a very interesting question and there has been some interesting back and forth on it thus far.

I am a Pharm.D. with 9 years experience. I just recently completed a non-traditional residency and would be happy to answer any questions anyone has about it. I will likely chime in in more detail later on in response to posts anyhow, but if anyone has any specific questions I feel like I am in a good position to answer them and will happy to do so honestly.

Did you get paid your full salary for this? That sweetens the deal in my opinion.

 

[Farcus]

well the place I trained at is large tertiary center and i can't say much for staffing. But I do agree it would dependent on which and type of institution you work for.

 

[christy101]

I graduated about a year and have to say im constantly thinking if my life would be different if i did a residency. There was always two sides of the story how residency isn't that useful, a year less pay, you might not have a job etc...then the residency will be a requirement to go into hospitals etc... at that time i decided not to do one i guess because i was tired from 6 years of school and financially needed to support myself and tons of loans. Theres a lot of hype about residency and suddenly all the job requirement posting for hospitals are asking for it even for regular staff positions and after working a year im kind of scared ill be stuck in retail forever if i don't do something like a residency now to jump out of it. I don't really know whats the best , go back to do a residency or not?

 

[blackwolf2000]

I graduated about a year and have to say im constantly thinking if my life would be different if i did a residency. There was always two sides of the story how residency isn't that useful, a year less pay, you might not have a job etc...then the residency will be a requirement to go into hospitals etc... at that time i decided not to do one i guess because i was tired from 6 years of school and financially needed to support myself and tons of loans. Theres a lot of hype about residency and suddenly all the job requirement posting for hospitals are asking for it even for regular staff positions and after working a year im kind of scared ill be stuck in retail forever if i don't do something like a residency now to jump out of it. I don't really know whats the best , go back to do a residency or not?

Many of the larger urban medical centers and/or ones affiliated with pharmacy schools usually will have a "residency" required. That's because they usually have residents and give inpatient jobs to those residents. They're selling the ASHP load of bull**** because they want/have to. Trust me smaller community hospitals (especially ones more rural) don't care either way. But if you are going to make the plunge, do it now. By that, I mean transitioning to hospital not getting a residency. It would be difficult to get a hospital job with just having many years of retail experience. You will have lost a great deal of "clinical" knowledge and hospitals are less likely to hire what they might perceive as a disgruntled ex-retailer. Plus there are going to be a ****load of new grads looking too. And going back for a residency would raise huge red flags at that point.

I have been a manager and/or director in larger and small hospitals for 13 of the past 20 years. When they say "a residency equals ****** years of experience" that doesn't mean real world experience. That is only meant for compensation. So, instead of a new grad entry level pay; they'll bump you to a pay grade like someone with 3 years experience (at least that is the number we used at one hospital). I can't overemphasize this enough. I read/hear all sorts of crazy bs about this and it is maddening. Trust me, nothing beats real world experiences. And some of my ****tiest pharmacists were residency trained. Give me an old salty dog for clinical staff roles anyday. Leave the residencies to the highly trained clinical specialist roles.

 

[Silvermist]

I kind of take offense to some here implying that I'm brainwashed or some sort of a shill for electing to do residency. Not sure if it's sour grapes or what, but anyway ....

The main point to me is this: in pharmacy, the goalposts are moving. Our industry has a severe case of accreditation creep:

BPharm used to be enough for most types of positions.
Then PharmD used to be enough.
Then PGY1.
Then BCPS.
Then PGY2.
Then a whole ton of other specialty certifications, and fellowships, and they're even talking about PGY3 now ...

In most institutions outside the federal government, no matter how much you do, no matter how much you help, you are not considered a provider. You're not a money maker. You don't have the collective clout (like nurses) to not get laid off when budgets fall short. Pharmacists can be among the first heads on the chopping block Of cost savings. Your institution might treat you amazingly and might be a great place -- but if and when downsizing were to happen, how lucky do you feel, truly, in finding something similar with your current qualifications while competing with us 'brainwashed shills' who did residencies etc?

That's why I chose residency + certification bells/whistles. Not because I want to: because I want to minimize risk to my career as much as I possibly can. The pharmacy world we live in now is not likely to be the pharmacy world we are living in in five years...

Anyway, it's another point to consider if you are thinking about going back.

 

[gwarm01]

I graduated about a year and have to say im constantly thinking if my life would be different if i did a residency. There was always two sides of the story how residency isn't that useful, a year less pay, you might not have a job etc...then the residency will be a requirement to go into hospitals etc... at that time i decided not to do one i guess because i was tired from 6 years of school and financially needed to support myself and tons of loans. Theres a lot of hype about residency and suddenly all the job requirement posting for hospitals are asking for it even for regular staff positions and after working a year im kind of scared ill be stuck in retail forever if i don't do something like a residency now to jump out of it. I don't really know whats the best , go back to do a residency or not?

The longer you spend in retail, the harder it will be to transition. A residency can help make you a better candidate, but can you afford to live on the reduced salary? You also have no guarantee of a job afterwards, so you are taking a risk. It might be a better long term solution, but there are other options. Can you get a PRN job at a local hospital? That is an easy way to gain experience and network while still maintaining financial security. You could also expand your job search to smaller hospitals, different cities, and look for staffing positions. I've seen plenty of hospitals that are willing to hire for evening positions without any experience required.

 

[confettiflyer]

I kind of take offense to some here implying that I'm brainwashed or some sort of a shill for electing to do residency. Not sure if it's sour grapes or what, but anyway ....

The main point to me is this: in pharmacy, the goalposts are moving. Our industry has a severe case of accreditation creep:

BPharm used to be enough for most types of positions.
Then PharmD used to be enough.
Then PGY1.
Then BCPS.
Then PGY2.
Then a whole ton of other specialty certifications, and fellowships, and they're even talking about PGY3 now ...

In most institutions outside the federal government, no matter how much you do, no matter how much you help, you are not considered a provider. You're not a money maker. You don't have the collective clout (like nurses) to not get laid off when budgets fall short. Pharmacists can be among the first heads on the chopping block Of cost savings. Your institution might treat you amazingly and might be a great place -- but if and when downsizing were to happen, how lucky do you feel, truly, in finding something similar with your current qualifications while competing with us 'brainwashed shills' who did residencies etc?

That's why I chose residency + certification bells/whistles. Not because I want to: because I want to minimize risk to my career as much as I possibly can. The pharmacy world we live in now is not likely to be the pharmacy world we are living in in five years...

Anyway, it's another point to consider if you are thinking about going back.

This kind of sums up my feeels.

 

[Transformer]

I have utmost respect for pharmacists who take a pay cut to complete a residency. At the same time, I also respect those who did not complete a residency and are serving our patients in their respective professional settings (e.g., community, mail order, etc)

I agree goalposts in pharmacy is moving, especially in the hospital/clinical world (Bpharm, pharmD, pgy1, bcps, pgy2, bps clinical certifications, etc). Conversely, I strongly think it's important that as a pharmacy profession, we don't leave behind our colleagues who did not have the opportunity to complete a residency. For that reason, I think all pharmacists with x years of experience can review/study and pass the bcps exam.

There are talks among Board of Pharmacy to create a competency exam in the future for community pharmacists in California to also qualify them for advance practice pharmacists (APP). I think this maybe a step in the right direction to not only elevate and streamline competencies for all pharmacists but possibly, unite us as a profession. Only united and working with other healthcare professionals, our patients, and legislators can we advance our profession in the future. Of course, easier said than done, but we can get there and we will

 

[gwarm01]

There are talks among Board of Pharmacy to create a competency exam in the future for community pharmacists in California to also qualify them for advance practice pharmacists (APP). I think this maybe a step in the right direction to not only elevate and streamline competencies for all pharmacists but possibly, unite us as a profession. Only united and working with other healthcare professionals, our patients, and legislators can we advance our profession in the future. Of course, easier said than done, but we can get there and we will

That is probably the best option. If we are going to get serious about post-graduate training, then it should become a mandate for all graduates and a requirement for employment moving forward. However, in that scenario there would have to be some sort of bridge program for current practitioners. Maybe it could be a competency exam, or maybe a program like the BS to PharmD classes they used to have.

 

[gwarm01]

Would you really want to take classes to become a provider? Just curious-- I wouldn't. We already make more than mid level practitioners so we wouldn't get a pay raise for taking and passing the course or class.

Depends on the demand and the job market. I could see it becoming a requirement for certain clinical positions as well.