Across the Industry

Expanding Professional Development Options for Recertification: A Case Study From the Board of Pharmacy Specialties

As both the profession of pharmacy and the certification industry evolve, so must the mechanisms that support lifelong learning and continued competency. The Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) expanded its recertification framework to include continuing professional development (CPD), offering pharmacists highly relevant activities and greater flexibility for recertification. BPS shares insight into the rationale, process and impact of this shift. The case study also offers practical considerations for other organizations exploring similar transitions.

Recertification helps ensure professionals remain up to date with the competencies necessary to align with standards and best practices in their field or specialty. Doing so supports public safety, can enhance job performance and demonstrates a commitment to lifelong learning and professional excellence.1

Identification of Opportunity

BPS administers 15 specialty certification programs for pharmacists around the globe. In some countries, such as New Zealand and Ireland, pharmacists demonstrate continued competency to the regulatory body and/or employer through CPD activities — which span beyond traditional continuing pharmacy education (CPE). In the US, traditional CPE is often a presentation or lecture from an expert, followed by assessment questions. CPD offers practice-based opportunities for learning such as research, scholarship, teaching, volunteerism and more. Widespread implementation of CPD has not happened in pharmacy profession in the U.S.

In 2022, discussions at BPS related to implementing CPD into the recertification framework culminated in BPS Board of Directors approval of the initiative. The decision was informed by BPS recertification survey data. Findings suggested a desire for recertification options that were more temporally and financially flexible than the existing options, which were examination by BPS or by assessed CPE through BPS-approved programs.2 BPS seeks to address this feedback in its updated recertification framework, recognizing additional activities that support professional development, enhance competence and reflect commitment to lifelong learning.

Beginning With Environmental Scanning

Updating the BPS recertification framework included environmental scanning of organizations with a similar vision for lifelong learning. Staff and leaders explored certification programs for other health care professionals that already recognized activities beyond traditional continuing education, such as the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties, the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists and the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Involving volunteer leadership and subject matter experts was a crucial step. Board-certified pharmacists serving on BPS Specialty Councils provided feedback on draft CPD activity categories, activity descriptions, documentation and associated units. The finalized version of the framework was then approved by the BPS Board of Directors in late 2022.

Implementing the New Framework

BPS is introducing the CPD-recertification framework in a stepwise fashion, first applying to any certification cycle beginning Jan. 1, 2024, and then to each subsequent cohort as new cycles begin. This allows pharmacists to follow previous requirements for cycles that had already begun, versus needing to change their approach mid-cycle. Furthermore, this allowed staff to monitor the program and make quality improvement enhancements on a smaller scale.

In addition, this timeline allowed staff and the database vendor to build the self-reporting portal within MyBPS, the platform pharmacists were already using to track their recertification progress. To build the self-reporting feature, work orders describing technical and procedural rules were built to establish minimum and maximum limits for each CPD activity, implement duplicate detection safeguards and create activity-specific dropdown menus. One by one, each CPD activity was thoroughly tested in both the quality control and live environments to confirm that activities saved, categorized and displayed correctly, and that uploaded documentation was properly stored.

With just over a year of lead time, BPS launched a multichannel strategy to communicate CPD implementation. This included new website content (e.g., landing page, CPD FAQ) and peer-led resources such as interviews and podcasts designed to help pharmacists navigate the updated framework (e.g., What is CPD?, Navigating Recertification and Continuing Professional Development).

Visual tools such as infographics and charts outlining CPD activities aided in pharmacists’ adoption of the updated framework. Targeted email campaigns and press releases kept pharmacists informed of key updates and deadlines. Coordinated marketing efforts were essential in driving awareness, reinforcing the value of lifelong learning and facilitating a smooth transition to the new recertification model.

Evaluating Early Data

In 2024, the inaugural cohort of over 8,500 certifications were eligible for the updated CPD recertification framework. BPS sent regular emails and shared social media reminders to build awareness. Halfway through the year, approximately 1,650 CPD activities were self-reported and, by the end of 2024, over 7,700 CPD activities were self-reported. The increase in self-reporting near the end of 2024 suggests greater awareness and participation as the year progressed, likely driven by targeted communications and end-of-year deadlines. The most frequently reported activities were participating in education outside of the BPS-approved programs (e.g., state-specific or workplace-specific education); serving as a preceptor for students, residents, or other health care professionals; developing and presenting educational content and authoring a peer-reviewed journal article or book chapter.

In summer 2024, BPS surveyed a sample of board-certified pharmacists within the new CPD-recertification framework. Key opportunities for BPS to clarify emerged: certificants wanted to know how to align activities with the specialty content outline, how to write a reflection and plan and which requirements were mandatory versus optional. Staff identified several resulting quality improvement initiatives:

  • Providing clearer guidance on recertification requirements for both the old framework and the updated CPD-recertification framework via enhanced communication updates, infographics and flyers
  • Creating multiple examples of reflections and plans.

Looking ahead, BPS is exploring a virtual forum where specific topics and questions can be addressed, further expanding engagement opportunities across multiple platforms.

Early data also informed engagement with strategic partners, such as state, national and international professional associations and employer groups has proven critical, with tailored outreach to help pharmacists understand how CPD applies to their roles. Disseminating information through webinars, newsletters, live sessions and posters at conferences and one-on-one conversations in exhibit halls have all been effective engagement methods.

In 2025, following completion of all 2024 self-reporting, staff conducted an audit of self-reported CPD activities. The findings were positive, suggesting pharmacists demonstrate sound judgment in aligning CPD activities with the applicable specialty content outline, evidence of completion and other requirements.

Sustainability & Future Vision

Continued monitoring of CPD uptake among board-certified pharmacists is planned, with a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the CPD-recertification framework on recertification rates planned for the longer-term future. BPS plans to continue surveying pharmacists with certifications eligible for the CPD-recertification framework annually, likely until all certifications are within the updated framework. BPS remains committed to the goal of making the process as user-friendly as possible, listening to the voice of the customer and continuing to refine processes, documentation, communications and related activities to support a successful transition to CPD for all.

Conclusion

The integration of CPD into the BPS recertification framework marked a shift toward more personalized, flexible and meaningful lifelong learning. For organizations seeking to implement a similar initiative, consider beginning with environmental scanning to identify best practices, involving subject matter experts early in the design process, piloting systems before full rollout and investing in clear, multichannel communication strategies. Establishing champions within key stakeholder groups and committing to ongoing evaluation will further support successful adoption and sustainability.

References

  1. Why Continuing Certification is Important. Institute for Credentialing Excellence. Accessed July 21, 2025. https://www.credentialingexcellence.org/Resources/Importance-of-Continued-Certification
  2. LaNou E, Meng Y, Patel P, Saiar S, Bakken B. Board of Pharmacy Specialties 2022 recertification data: Characteristics and perceptions of pharmacists successfully recertified. Am J Health-Syst Pharm. 2025;82(6):306-316. doi: 10.1093/ajhp/zxae308.

Disclosure: ChatGPT was used for copyediting (concise language, sentence structuring, grammar, etc.) certain portions of the draft.

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