Specialties

Criteria/Guidelines

Criteria for petitions were adopted by the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) House of Delegates in April 1975 and amended in 1997. This document was most recently amended in 2006 by the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties, following discussions with its constituents and outside experts, in an effort to reflect contemporary pharmacy practice and to make the petitioning process more user-friendly. Following each criterion is a set of guidelines. These guidelines are meant to assist petitioners by suggesting areas of information, assessments and documentation that BPS, the public and the profession might find useful when evaluating a petition. The guidelines are neither exhaustive in scope nor mandatory in nature. Petitioners are encouraged to submit all documentation thought to be pertinent to the petition, whether indicated in the guidelines or not.

Criterion A

The area of specialization shall be one for which specifically trained practitioners are needed to fulfill the responsibilities of the profession of pharmacy in improving the health and welfare of the public, which responsibilities may not otherwise be effectively fulfilled.

This criterion addresses NEED.

BPS defines NEED as a condition of requiring supply.

Guidelines for Petitioners
  1. Identify specific public health and/or patient care needs which are not being met currently and which pharmacists in the proposed specialty can meet effectively.

  2. Specify how the functions performed by pharmacists in the proposed specialty address these specific needs of the public's health and well being.

  3. Describe and document with references how the public's health and well being may be at risk if the services of practitioners in the proposed specialty are not provided.

  4. Describe how functions provided by the practitioners in the proposed specialty will fulfill the responsibility of the profession of pharmacy in improving the public's health.

    Petitioners may use the following mission statement for pharmacy when defining the responsibilities of the profession:

    The mission of pharmacy is to serve society as the profession responsible for the appropriate use of medications, devices, and services to achieve optimal therapeutic outcomes.

  5. Describe the reasons why the needs as described above are not or cannot be met by pharmacists who do not have specialized education and training.

  6. Describe in detail how the needs as described above are not or cannot be met by pharmacists in those pharmacy specialties already recognized by BPS.

  7. Describe the reasons why the needs as described above are not or cannot be met by other health professionals.

  8. If these needs are currently being met by other areas of pharmacy practice, or by other health professionals, describe how these needs can be met more effectively by pharmacists in the proposed specialty.

Criterion B

The area of specialization shall be one in which there exists a significant and clear health demand to provide the necessary public reason for certification.

This criterion emphasizes DEMAND.

BPS defines DEMAND as a willingness and ability to purchase a commodity or service.

Guidelines for Petitioners
  1. Include statements by at least two individuals in each of the categories listed below regarding the demand for pharmacists with specialized training and knowledge to provide specialized services in the proposed specialty:
    1. non-pharmacist health professional leaders, planners and/or administrators,
    2. pharmacist practitioners who are not practicing in the proposed specialty,
    3. members of the public.

    NOTE: To the extent possible, such statements should emphasize objective quantification of demand.

  2. Include estimates of positions for pharmacists with specialized training and knowledge in the proposed specialty that are currently filled and those that are currently unfilled. Identify these positions by practice settings. Describe the sources and methods used to determine these estimates.

  3. Include estimates of filled and unfilled positions in each of the past three (3) years in order to demonstrate a sustained or increased demand for pharmacists with specialized knowledge and training. Describe the sources and methods used to determine these estimates.

Criterion C

The area of specialization shall include a reasonable number of individuals who devote most of the time of their practice to the specialty area.

This criterion relates to the NUMBER of practitioners and the amount of TIME spent in the practice of the specialty.

NOTE: This criterion also helps insure that the expenses connected with the development and administration of the certification and recertification processes will be economically justifiable for the public and the profession.

Guidelines for Petitioners
  1. Estimate the number of pharmacists currently practicing in the proposed specialty. Identify the types of practice settings for these pharmacists (e.g., academic, hospital, managed health care, community). Describe the sources and methods used to determine these estimates.

  2. For the pharmacists identified in 1. (immediately above), estimate the percentage of time they devote exclusively to the practice of the proposed specialty. Describe the sources and methods used to determine these estimates.

  3. Estimate the number of pharmacists who would likely seek board certification in the proposed specialty during the first five years in which board certification would be available. Describe the sources and methods used to determine these estimates.

Criterion D

The area of specialization shall be based on specialized knowledge of one or more of the pharmaceutical sciences and the biological, physical, behavioral and administrative sciences which underlie them. Procedural or technical services, and the specific environment in which pharmacy is practiced are not applicable to this criterion.

This criterion relates to SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE.

Guidelines for Petitioners
  1. Describe in detail the specialized knowledge of pharmaceutical sciences required for the proposed specialty.

  2. Explain fully the relationship of this specialized knowledge to the biological, physical and behavioral sciences.

  3. Discuss in detail how this specialized knowledge differs from the knowledge base of a recent graduate with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree.

  4. Discuss in detail how this specialized knowledge differs from the knowledge base of those specialty areas already recognized by BPS (see Criterion E, note on Role Delineation).

NOTE: In this section of the petition, respondents are requested to focus commentary on the areas of specialized knowledge rather than on how this knowledge is attained.

Criterion E

The area of specialization shall represent an identifiable field of pharmacy practice which requires specialized functioning by the practitioner and which is distinct from other BPS-recognized pharmacy specialties.

This criterion refers to SPECIALIZED FUNCTIONS.

Guidelines for Petitioners
  1. Specify and describe in detail, specialized functions performed routinely by practitioners in the proposed specialty which are not performed by pharmacists in general.

  2. Describe the special skills required to perform functions specified above.

  3. Discuss in detail how these specialized functions differ from the functioning of a recent graduate with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree.

  4. Discuss in detail how these specialized functions differ from the functions required in those pharmacy specialties already recognized by BPS (see note below on Role Delineation).

NOTE: A role delineation is required of all petitioners in order to clearly and adequately address Criteria D and E. This information must be incorporated into the petition and will be used by BPS in reaching a decision. BPS will assist the petitioner, as requested, in determining appropriate methods to collect such information.

Also, petitioners are requested to focus commentary on describing the specialized functions within the proposed specialty, rather than on how the knowledge and skills are attained to be able to carry out these functions.

Criterion F

The area of specialization shall be one in which schools and colleges of pharmacy and/or other organizations offer recognized education and training programs to those seeking advanced knowledge and skills in the area of specialty practice.

This criterion addresses EDUCATION and/or TRAINING.

Guidelines for Petitioners
  1. Describe in detail the education, training and/or experience required to acquire such specialized knowledge and skills. Discuss how such education, training and/or experience differ from the education, training and/or experience of a recent graduate with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree.

  2. Describe in detail the nature of training programs in the area of specialty practice including their length, content and objectives.

  3. Provide a comprehensive listing of such programs, detailing sponsoring organizations or institutions, locations and individuals in charge.

Criterion G

The area of specialization shall be one in which there is an adequate transmission of specialized knowledge through professional, scientific and technical literature immediately related to the specialty area.

This criterion refers to the TRANSMISSION OF KNOWLEDGE.

Guidelines for Petitioners
  1. Identify journals and other periodicals dealing specifically with the proposed specialty.

  2. Provide a comprehensive bibliography of articles in the professional literature dealing with the proposed specialty published during the three most recent calendar years.

  3. Include copies of sample peer-reviewed articles dealing with the proposed specialty.

  4. Describe methods of knowledge transmission through symposia, seminars, workshops, etc., and enclose representative programs concerning these activities.

  5. Provide the number of such events, included in #4 above, which occur on an annual basis, and estimate average and total attendance at such programs.