The healthcare education arena has seen a tremendous transformation due to technological changes, multi-dimensional expectations, and higher costs. It has impacted Pharmacy students alike. The doctrine of pharmacy teaching now extends to comprehensive pharmaceutical care duties. This competitive backdrop has made live pharmacy CE a requirement to enhance your competency.
An article published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information says that the integration of continuing education in the current curriculum resulted in advanced professional practices for pharmacists and better healthcare outcomes for patients. It helps enhance your competency in the following ways:
Standard of Professional Competency in Pharmacy Education
The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), suggests that continued education is a standard of professional competency for pharmacy students. It’s a structured educational campaign designed to enhance and support the continued growth of pharmacists. It allows them to maintain and improve their competency.
Advanced Practical Knowledge
The general public trusts healthcare professionals to deliver safe, effective, and efficient healthcare solutions. With CE, pharmacy graduates can gain advanced knowledge that can be applied in their practice. The program is designed to advance your professional competencies such as expertise in medications and drug distribution, collaboration and communication, safety and quality, and professionalism with ethics.
Advanced Skill Learning and Modification
A CE program will help you learn advanced skills such as pharmacogenomics, or modifying your current skills through evidence-based practice. Your pharmacy practice can reach new heights by using new skills and updating your existing skills.
For example, rather than just filling prescriptions, you can add PGx testing to your practice to open a rage of treatment opportunities for the patient.
A Pre-requisite for Renewal of License
Almost all states have specific CE requirements for the renewal of your pharmacist license. State boards have different rules, but most require at least fifteen CE hours per year, or thirty CE hours every two years.
The CE requirements in seventeen states require covering topics such as law, immunization, patient safety, HIV, and pain management. Twenty-three states require live CE before they renew your license.
Improves the Quality of Patient Outcomes
The whole purpose of CE is an improvement in patient outcomes. With the paradigm shift in the healthcare landscape, it’s necessary that you, as a pharmacist, be abreast of the latest procedures, drugs, and services in healthcare. Only when you integrate these latest methods in your practice, you may improve patient outcome.
Most CE programs are structured as ongoing, outcome-focused, self-directed, and improved professional performance. The program aims at broadening the performance by enhancing competencies and focusing on outcomes.
Adds Weight to Your Resume
Like any other profession, pharmacists also need to evolve continuously. Live pharmacy CE is the means to do that. By enrolling in such programs, you can add weight to your resume. It opens a whole range of possibilities for you as a professional pharmacist.
Pharmacists are no longer limited in their scope of work. They are now expected to engage in direct patient care and preventive care services. It needs them to be updated in the transformations occurring in the healthcare industry.
A live CE program ensures that your core competencies are enhanced and allow professional development.
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