The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) applauds the announcement that the Commission for Certification in Geriatric Pharmacy (CCGP) has reached an agreement with the Board of Pharmacy Specialties® (BPS) to move the Certified Geriatric Pharmacist (CGP) credential under the BPS portfolio of pharmacist certifications.

“This decision is very good for the pharmacy profession and most importantly for patients as it creates alignment, synergy, and clarity for the board certification of pharmacists,” said APhA Executive Vice President and CEO Thomas E. Menighan, BSPharm, MBA, ScD (Hon), FAPhA. “It is also fitting that this occurs as the Board of Pharmacy Specialties is celebrating 40 years of improving patient care by promoting the recognition and value of specialized training, knowledge, and skills in pharmacy and specialty board certification of pharmacists.”

In 1973, the APhA Taskforce on Specialties in Pharmacy was created with four charges:

1. To identify existing or potential areas of specialization in pharmacy practice and/or conclude that the practice of pharmacy does not lend itself to specialization.
2. To propose a means by which such specialties should be identified if specialties do exist.
3. To develop the means by which individuals should be identified as having met the predetermined criteria for such specialties, including recommendations for continuing education or re-certification.
4. To consider other matters of immediate concern identified by the Task Force.

The report of the Task Force concluded that “an official board with independent decision making authority should now be established and charged with the responsibility of formally recognizing specialties in pharmacy once they are judged to have met approved criteria. Furthermore, such board should be empowered with the final responsibility of granting certification to individuals who have met the qualifications for certification as specialists in an officially recognized field of specialty.”

About the Board of Pharmacy Specialties

The Board of Pharmacy Specialties was established in 1976 as an autonomous division of the American Pharmacists Association. The mission of the Board of Pharmacy Specialties is to improve patient care and awareness of the need for BPS Board Certified Pharmacists as integral members of multidisciplinary health care teams through recognition and promotion of specialized training, knowledge, and skills in pharmacy and specialty board certification and recertification of pharmacists throughout the world. Through the rigorous standards mandated by BPS board certification and recertification, the BPS board certified pharmacist stands out as the most qualified to accept today’s expanding professional expectations. Today, more than 26,000 pharmacists are BPS certified in eight specialty areas.