The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) has announced the launch of its accreditation program, the ‘PSA Accreditation Credentialing Program for Comprehensive Medication Management Reviews’.
This launch comes ahead of the closure of the Australian Association of Consultant Pharmacy (AACP) later this month.
“We are incredibly proud to offer a complete package of high-quality learning, training and ongoing career support for accredited pharmacists and those looking to become accredited,” says PSA President Dr Fei Sim.
Dr Sim says the accreditation program will enable pharmacists to “provide high quality, complex medication review services through collaborative care models with other healthcare providers”.
“Accreditation provides the opportunity for career pathways and progression, a key pillar of PSA’s ongoing advocacy for roles, remuneration and recognition of pharmacists,” says Dr Sim adding that the PSA is focussed on continuing to “improve and growing this workforce”.
“We have a strong vision for the future of accreditation and want to see accreditation become another major career pathway for pharmacists,” says Dr Sim.
“Accreditation will continue to evolve as we expand the scope of practice of pharmacists and enable pharmacists across practice settings to practice to top-of-scope.
“While the role of accredited pharmacists may evolve in the immediate future, accreditation provides an infrastructure for scope expansion.
“It preserves pharmacists’ independence in practice, commensurate with remuneration,” she says.
The PSA has engaged an Accreditation Expert Advisory Group, chaired by Debbie Rigby FPS and supported by experts A/Prof Chris Freeman FPS, Deborah Hawthorne MPS, Dr Andrew Stafford MPS, Dr Manya Angley FPS, and Tim Perry FPS.
This expert group has advised on the Accreditation Credentialing Program, which will be developed by PSA for launch in mid-2023.
To accommodate learners already engaged in the credentialing process and those wanting to complete Stage 2 early next year, the PSA have implemented a program that reflects the current structure of AACP.
Accreditation application fees are in line with AACP’s offering, but PSA says it will not charge an accreditation fee for PSA members and will not charge ongoing reaccreditation fees to members.
More information on the PSA Accreditation Credentialing Program is available at: psa.org.au/career-and-support/accreditation.
