Washington, DC – The Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) announces that Emergency Medicine Pharmacy is formally recognized as the fourteenth pharmacy specialty.

Karen M. Gunning, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP, the 2020 Chair of the BPS Board of Directors, Professor of Pharmacotherapy, at the University of Utah College of Pharmacy, provided the following comments: “BPS is pleased to formally acknowledge emergency medicine pharmacy as a new pharmacy specialty. The addition of this specialty underscores the growth of pharmacist specialization as well as the recognition of expanded patient care responsibilities of pharmacists in this practice area. Also noteworthy was the fact that over 200 physicians and 70 nurses submitted public comments in support of the petition.”

Emergency Medicine Pharmacy

The petition to recognize this specialty was submitted jointly by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). In their petition, emergency medicine pharmacy practice is defined as: “Emergency medicine pharmacists (EMPs) specialize in the delivery of direct patient care at the bedside and care for patients across diverse populations and acuity levels. These specialists are critical members of the interprofessional emergency medicine team, are able to anticipate pharmacotherapy needs in the fast‐paced environment of the emergency department (ED), and have expertise in the management of time‐dependent emergencies, pre‐hospital medicine, emergency preparedness, public health, and toxicology. Emergency medicine pharmacy practice focuses on rapid assessment of available patient data to optimize pharmacotherapy, improve patient safety, increase efficiency and cost‐effectiveness of care, facilitate medication stewardship, educate patients and health care clinicians, and contribute to research and scholarly efforts.”

Next Steps

BPS will issue a call for nominations for Emergency Medicine Pharmacy Specialty Council appointments in Summer 2020.

BPS will appoint nine members to the Specialty Council by December 31, 2020.

The Council will convene, on dates to be determined, in February 2021.

Examination item writing for the new specialty will commence in the first quarter, 2021, with the first examination anticipated for fourth quarter 2022.

Related Link: BPS Receives Petition to Recognize Emergency Medicine Pharmacy as a Specialty

BPS Contact

Alexander Jean-Baptiste

Social Media & Content Marketing Manager

ajeanbaptiste@aphanet.org

(202) 760-3836

About the Board of Pharmacy Specialties

The Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) was established in 1976 as an autonomous division of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA). The mission of BPS is to improve patient care by positioning BPS Board-Certified Pharmacist Specialists as integral members of multidisciplinary healthcare teams, through recognition and promotion of specialized training, knowledge, and skills for pharmacists in the United States and internationally. Board certification is a recognized credential for determining which pharmacists are qualified to contribute at advanced practice levels given the rigorous standards mandated by BPS board certification and recertification. BPS currently recognizes more than 46,000 pharmacist certifications across 14 specialties.