October 16, 2012
More than 100 leaders from pharmacy practice, academia, industry and various organizations were recently invited to participate in a conference on pharmacy accreditation standards. David D. Allen, dean of the UM School of Pharmacy, was one of those leaders.
“It was a privilege to be invited as a participant for this conference,” Allen said. “Accreditation is such an important part of pharmacy education and it was wonderful to be able to discuss the next iteration of the standards by which our programs will be measured.”
The conference, “Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education’s Advancing Quality in Pharmacy Education: Charting Accreditation’s Future,” was held in Atlanta in September and engaged attendees around two key objectives that will drive the next review of accreditation program standards.
“ACPE is privileged to engage all segments of the profession in this critical discussion that will set the stage for how educational standards can assess and monitor quality in pharmacy education,” said ACPE President Robert S. Beardsley. “The energy, ideas and insights shared during these critical discussions are important because the status quo is not an option for the profession.”
The objectives for the conference were to advise the ACPE Board of Directors on how to ensure that the standards and accreditation process for Doctor of Pharmacy programs are aligned with:
• Competencies that are currently required of pharmacists and competencies that will be required in the future
• Evidence-based practices in assessing the quality of educational programs
At the conference, nationally recognized keynote speakers presented thought-provoking comments on leadership, interprofessional education and the value of team-based care. Panelists challenged attendees to consider how innovation and experimentation could drive the development of standards and reinforce lifelong learning for pharmacists. Through in-depth work group sessions, participants developed 44 recommendations (24 regarding competencies and 20 regarding assessment activities) in key focus areas.
Detailed proceedings of the meeting will be published in early 2013 in a professional, peer-reviewed journal and will be used to guide the revision process for the Accreditation Standards and Guidelines.