Specialties

Nutrition Support Pharmacy

Nutrition support pharmacy addresses the care of patients who receive specialized nutrition support, including parenteral and enteral nutrition. The nutrition support pharmacist has responsibility for promoting maintenance and/or restoration of optimal nutritional status, designing and modifying treatment according to the needs of the patient. The nutrition support pharmacist has responsibility for direct patient care and often functions as a member of a multidisciplinary nutrition support team. Those who are granted certification in this specialty may use the designation Board Certified Nutrition Support Pharmacist and the initials BCNSP, as long as certification is valid.

Elibigility Requirements

The minimum requirements for this specialty certification are:
  • Graduation from a pharmacy program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) or program outside the U.S. that qualifies the individual to practice in the jurisdiction.
  • Current, active license to practice pharmacy in the U.S. or another jurisdiction.
  • Completion of three (3) years practice experience with at least 50% of time spent in nutrition support pharmacy activities (as defined by the BPS Nutrition Support Content Outline)
    OR
    Completion of a (PGY2) residency* in nutrition support pharmacy.
    *Effective January 1, 2013, only residencies accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists(ASHP) or residency programs that are under active consideration for accreditation by ASHP are creditable for this purpose.
  • Achieving a passing score on the Nutrition Support Pharmacy Specialty Certification Examination.

Examination Content

(refer to the Nutrition Support Pharmacy Content Outline for details)
  • Domain 1: Clinical Practice/Provision of Individualized Nutrition Support to Patients (68% of the examination)
    • Subdomain A: Assessment (21% of the examination)
    • Subdomain B: Develop and Implement a Therapeutic Plan of Care (21% of the examination)
    • Subdomain C: Monitoring and Clinical Management (26% of the examination)
  • Domain 2: Management of Nutrition Support Operations (20% of the examination)
    • Subdomain A: Patient Care Management (12% of the examination)
    • Subdomain B: Compounding Operations (8% of the examination)
  • Domain 3: Advancement of Nutrition Support Practice (12% of the examination)

Recertification

Recertification for Board Certified Nutrition Support Pharmacists (BCNSP) is based on the following activities:
  • Earning a minimum of 30 hours of continuing education in nutrition support with no less than 10 hours earned every two years. These hours must be from providers approved by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).
  • Achieving a passing score on the 100-item, multiple-choice recertification examination, which is based on the content outline of the certification examination
A current, active license to practice pharmacy is required for recertification.