Tuesday, August 20, 2013

New Pharmacy Technician Accreditation Commission Launched

Bethesda, MD—The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) are pleased to announce their collaboration to accredit pharmacy technician education and training programs, beginning in late 2014.

The collaboration will result in the creation of the Pharmacy Technician Accreditation Commission (PTAC), which will be tasked with assuring and advancing the quality of pharmacy technician education and training programs.

The PTAC will conduct document reviews and site surveys and advise the ASHP and ACPE boards of directors, which will then agree on final accreditation actions. The establishment of the PTAC expands upon ASHP’s 31-year history as the national accrediting body for pharmacy technician training programs and incorporates ACPE’s expertise in the accreditation of educational programs. 

“The creation of this new accrediting body is a critical next step in the evolution of pharmacy technician education and training programs, helping to assure employers and pharmacists in all settings of the quality and standardization of these programs,” said Paul W. Abramowitz, Pharm.D., DSc (Hon), FASHP, ASHP’s Chief Executive Officer. “We think that the collaboration between ASHP and ACPE is the perfect blend of knowledge and oversight that this process requires.”

Established in 1932, ACPE is the preeminent national accreditation body for professional degree programs in pharmacy and providers of continuing pharmacy education. “ACPE is pleased to engage in this important collaboration that will create synergy between ASHP’s work in accrediting pharmacy technician training programs and ACPE’s insights and deep expertise in accrediting pharmacy degree programs,” said Peter H. Vlasses, Pharm.D., DSc (Hon), BCPS, FCCP, ACPE’s Executive Director. “We believe that this team effort will augment the needed quality and consistency in the education of pharmacy technicians and help technician graduates meet the evolving needs of the pharmacy profession in all sectors of practice.”

There are currently 258 programs in the ASHP accreditation process. Through the work of its Commission on Credentialing, ASHP will continue to accredit pharmacy technician programs until the PTAC officially begins its work in the fall of 2014. ASHP will also provide ongoing accreditation support for the PTAC.

For more information about the PTAC’s accreditation role and processes, please see “Frequently Asked Questions.”


About the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists

ASHP is the national professional organization whose 40,000 members include pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy students who provide patient care services in hospitals, health systems, and ambulatory clinics. For 70 years, the Society has been on the forefront of efforts to improve medication use and enhance patient safety, including the accreditation of pharmacy residencies for 50 years and pharmacy technician training and education programs for 31 years. For more information about the wide array of ASHP activities and the many ways in which pharmacists help people make the best use of medicines, visit ASHP’s website, www.ashp.org, or its consumer website, www.safemedication.com.

About the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education

ACPE is the national agency for the accreditation of professional degree programs in pharmacy and providers of continuing pharmacy education. ACPE also offers evaluation and certification of professional degree programs internationally. The mission of the organization is to assure and advance excellence in education for the profession of pharmacy. ACPE is an autonomous and independent agency whose Board of Directors is derived through the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), and the American Council on Education (ACE). To learn more about ACPE visit www.acpe-accredit.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

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