The Specialty Pharmacy Certification Board (SPCB), in partnership with the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP) is collaborating with national leaders and practitioners to define the Specialty Pharmacist scope of practice.
Specialty pharmacy is a rapidly growing field in pharmacy and the healthcare field as a whole. Defining the scope of practice supports the professionalization of the unique role the Specialty Pharmacist plays on the healthcare team and with the patient. This is a serious undertaking that includes multiple steps to gather and validate information.
The effort includes the development of the first nationwide role delineation study of Specialty Pharmacists. This study is designed to clearly identify the roles that differentiate Specialty Pharmacists from other pharmacists. SPCB used a consensus approach to identify and develop the knowledge, skills, and tasks necessary for safe and competent practice outlined in the study.
The consensus approach is a commonly used tool that relies on the input of a wide range of subject matter experts from across the industry representing pharmacists, educators and opinion leaders. Participants in the process include Specialty Pharmacists from Accredo Health Group, Axela Care, Axium HC, BDI Pharma, CVS Caremark, Community Specialty Pharmacy Network, Curascript, Diplomat, Express-Scripts, Factor Support, MHA, OptumInsight, Parkway Pharmacy, PerformRx, Pfizer, Southside Pharmacy, US Bioservices, Walgreens, and Walmart.
The study started by establishing the definition of the Specialty Pharmacist role and initially identifying and defining four primary content domains: intake, clinical management, fulfillment, and outcomes.
All Specialty Pharmacists are invited to review the domains and task statements by participating in the national online validation survey currently underway.
When completed the SPCB Role Delineation Study will be a significant developmental milestone for the profession. With input directly from practicing professionals representing all practice areas, the study will define the frequency with which prerequisite knowledge is applied in practice, and the importance (or criticality) of this knowledge in satisfactory patient outcomes.
Specialty Pharmacists interested in participating in the online validation study should contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information.