As part of its assessment of the professional degree accreditation standards in pharmacy, the Board of Directors of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) desired feedback from employers of new graduates. Specifically, the Board wished to understand what employers from the most common sectors of practice (community, health system, and managed care) were expecting from new PharmD graduates in terms of competencies related to the specific practice areas. Having a better understanding of practice expectations of Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) graduates would assist the Board in its revisions of PharmD program standards. At the same time, this information would be valuable to schools and colleges of pharmacy as they continue to revise their curricula to better meet the needs of pharmacy practice.
To achieve the desired feedback, ACPE initially reached out to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) to establish a joint task force to identify a group of ASHP members that hire new graduates for entry level practice or for first year residency positions and identify their expectations.1 The methodology used to identify the desired competencies is described in the Methods section below. The information provided by the health system employers informed the 2011 revision of the guidelines to the ACPE accreditation standards.2 The ASHP-ACPE Task Force report was shared jointly with the National Community Pharmacy Association (NCPA) and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation (NACDSF) to engage a similar project to identify the expectations of community (independent and chain) employers.1 A similar project was undertaken with the help of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP).1 The findings of these three reports describing the expectations of employers from the respective areas of pharmacy practice were included in the preparatory readings provided to participants of the ACPE Invitational Conference Advancing Quality in Pharmacy Education: Charting Accreditation’s Future held September 12-14, 2012 in Atlanta, GA.3
The purposes of this paper are:
(1) To describe the common methodology used by three joint task forces to obtain the expectations of employers of new pharmacy graduates from various sectors of practice
(2) To list the competencies of new graduates desired by employers for each of the studied sectors of practice
(3) To compare and contrast the findings of the three task force reports
(4) To evaluate the recommended competencies in the three task force reports against the ACPE Standards and Guidelines for Doctor of Pharmacy degree programs
METHODS
ACPE reached out and established three joint task forces with the following organizations: ASHP, NCPA/NACDSF, and AMCP. The ASHP-ACPE task force initially developed methodology that informed the other two task forces. In each case, the partner organization(s) on the task force identified members that were involved in hiring new graduates. These “employers” developed through an iterative process a set of entry-level competencies expected from PharmD graduates. Two of the task forces (ASHP and AMCP) also sent out a survey to the respective membership regarding the proposed competencies. The survey results were analyzed and the competency lists refined for the three final reports. Full details of the specific methods used by each task force can be found in the final report of each employer group.1 The authors of this paper compared and contrasted the findings of each task force with the current ACPE standards and guidelines for the professional program in pharmacy leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Ideas for possible revisions to future revision of the ACPE accreditation standards for the PharmD degree were identified.
Employer Competencies: Compared and Contrasted
Table 1 lists the competencies identified by each of the task forces. The table allows comparison of issues common to each employer group (the first 12 competencies listed in Table 1) and competencies more specific to one or two of the practice areas. Of note, an empty cell does not mean that the competency does not apply at all to the sector but that it wasn’t prioritized by the respective task force for inclusion. The table also provides author assessment of the adequacy of ACPE Standards 2007 Guidelines 2.0 in addressing the competency areas identified by the task forces. Finally, Table 1 provides suggestions for the next standards revision process by the ACPE-related authors on how to better address the competencies identified by the employer groups.
Table 1.
Entry-Level Competencies Identified by Pharmacy Employer Groups: Compared and Contrasted to the Current ACPE Standards 2007 Guidelines 2.02
DISCUSSION
Most of the entry-level competencies expected from a PharmD graduate found in the three task force reports are covered to some degree in the curriculum requirements articulated within the current ACPE Standards and Guidelines. However, some improvements could be made to Standards 12, 13, and 14 and Appendices B and C to meet the expectations of employers of entry-level pharmacists. For example, all the task force reports identified the need for good communication skills for new graduates and standards address many aspects of verbal and written communications. However, respect for patient confidentiality and privacy rights, as well as documention by pharmacists in the electronic health record were noted to be areas to be added. Similarly, concepts related to drug formulary systems such as prior authorization, step therapy protocols, and quantity limits should be addressed in the curriculum.
SUMMARY
Individuals involved in hiring new graduates into the main areas of pharmacist employment identified desirable competencies and knowledge areas for entry level practitioners. A number of recommendations from the ACPE Invitational Conference focused on the importance of engaging the employer community in the review and improvement of the PharmD accreditation standards.4 The task force reports emanating from ACPE collaborations with ASHP, NCPA/NACDSF, and AMCP identified opportunities for improvements in the ACPE Standards and Guidelines. The employer suggested enhancements noted in Table 1 will be considered by the ACPE Board of Directors in the next round of standards and guidelines revision, as will the recommendations received during the ACPE Invitational Conference.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ACPE would like to thank the following individuals for their input into this time-consuming, but critical process.
Entry-level Competencies Needed for Pharmacy Practice in Hospitals and Health-Systems1 (2010) Task Force members:
Nominated by ASHP: Steven Abel, PharmD, Assistant Dean for Clinical Programs, Head, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Purdue University College of Pharmacy, Indianapolis, IN; Cynthia Brennan, PharmD, Director of Pharmacy Excellence, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, WA; Kristina De Los Santos, PharmD, Assistant Chief, Pharmacy Clinical Services and Education, Southern Arizona Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Tucson, AZ; Andy Donnelly, PharmD, Director of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Hospital, Chicago, IL; Kristie Gholson, PharmD, Assistant Director of Pharmacy, North Mississippi Medical Center, Tupelo, MS; Gerald Meyer, PharmD, MBA, Director, Experiential Education, Jefferson School of Pharmacy, Philadelphia, PA; Rita Shane, PharmD, Director of Pharmacy Services, Cedar Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California; James Stevenson, MS, ASHP Board Liaison, Director of Pharmacy Services, University of Michigan Hospitals, Ann Arbor, MI; Janet Teeters, MS, Director, Accreditation Services; Douglas Scheckelhoff, MS, Vice President, Professional Development.
ACPE Board or Staff: Robert S. Beardsley, PhD, ACPE Board Liaison, Professor, University of Maryland, College of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland; Peter H. Vlasses, PharmD, DSc (Hon), BCPS, Executive Director; Michael J. Rouse, BPharm (Hons), MPS, Assistant Executive Director, International & Professional Affairs.
Entry-Level Competencies Needed for Community Pharmacy Practice1 (2012) Task Force members:
Nominated by NACDS: Michelle Belsey, RPh, Vice President, College and Professional Recruitment, Rite Aid Corporation, Harrisburg, PA; Ami Bhatt, RPh, Director, Talent Acquisitions – Health and Wellness, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Bentonville, AR; Janeen Winnike, RPh, Director of Recruiting & College Relations, SUPERVALUE Pharmacies, Franklin Park, IL; Alex J. Adams, PharmD, Director, Pharmacy Programs, NACDSF, Alexandria, VA.
Nominated by NCPA: Patty Johnson, RPh, Owner, Colony Drug and Wellness Center, Beckley, WV; Joe Moore, RPh, Owner, Moose Professional Pharmacy, Concord, NC; Jeff Harrell, RPh, Owner, Ilwaco Drugs/Peninsular Pharmacies, Ilwaco, WA; Bill Osborn, RPh, Owner, Osborn Drugs, Miami, OK; Barbara Hayward, Vice President Education and Committees, Director, Management Institute, NCPA, Alexandria, VA.
ACPE Board or Staff: Robert S. Beardsley, PhD, President and Task Force Board Liaison, Professor, University of Maryland, College of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland; Peter H. Vlasses, PharmD, DSc (Hon), BCPS, Executive Director; Gary H. Smith, PharmD, FAPhA, FCCP, FASHP, Consultant, Tucson, AZ.
Entry-level Competencies Needed for Managed Care Pharmacy Practice1 (2012) Task Force members:
Nominated by AMCP: Amanda Bain, PharmD, MPH, Assistant Director, Pharmacy Benefit Services, The Ohio State University Health Plan, Inc., Columbus, Ohio; Shawn Burke, BSPharm, RPh, Regional Vice President, Pharmacy Services, Coventry Health Care, Kansas City, MO; Carey C. Cotterell, BSPharm, RPh, FAMCP, FCSHP, Managed Health Care Pharmacy Consultant, Diamond Bar, CA; James T. Kenney, BSPharm, RPh, MBA, Pharmacy Operations Manager, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Wellesley, MA; Daniel McConnell, PharmD, Clinical Coordinator, Department of Pharmacy, Geisinger Health Plan, Danville, PA; Ann Nakahira, PharmD, Residency Program Coordinator, Clinical Pharmacist, OptumRx, Irvine, CA; Lynn Nishida, BSPharm, RPh, Vice President, Clinical Services, Catalyst Rx Center of Excellence, Northwest Region, Portland, OR; Shirley Reitz, PharmD, Director, Pharmacy Clinical Services, Group Health Cooperative, Seattle, WA; Marissa Schlaifer, MS, RPh, Director of Pharmacy Affairs, AMCP, Alexandria, VA.
ACPE Board or Staff: Stephanie F. Gardner, PharmD, EdD, Task Force Board Liaison, and Dean, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College, Little Rock, AR; Peter H. Vlasses, PharmD, DSc (Hon), BCPS, Executive Director; Max D. Ray, PharmD, MS, LHD (Hon), Consultant, Memphis, TN.
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