Postgraduate Year One Pharmacy Practice Residency Equivalency

The American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) supports the development and implementation of a systematic process by which pharmacists can voluntarily evaluate, document, and demonstrate the equivalency of their practice experience, skills, and knowledge to the expected outcomes of an accredited postgraduate year one (PGY1) pharmacy practice residency program. The process would be established to further the achievement of ACCP’s vision that, by 2020, pharmacists providing direct patient care will have the knowledge and skills developed through the completion of an accredited pharmacy residency program. It is ACCP’s belief that a significant number of pharmacists with clinical experience, skills, and expertise comparable to those achieved by the completion of an accredited pharmacy residency program are in practice. These pharmacists are unlikely to pursue formal residency training several years after earning their professional degree. The process should be designed so that it does not provide an alternative pathway for, nor discourage the pursuit of, accredited pharmacy residency training devised for new or very recent graduates of pharmacy degree programs. The process should be available for a reasonable but finite period that aligns with the expected growth of accredited residency programs and positions that will meet the needs of new graduates of pharmacy degree programs who enter direct patient care practice. Background