Whereas, the evolution of health care today, and in the foreseeable future, is increasingly toward an integrated and managed health care system, the pharmacist must accept the responsibility to provide pharmaceutical care to patients. In accordance with the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education's Accreditation Standards and Guidelines for the Professional Program in Pharmacy Leading the Doctor of Pharmacy Degree (adopted 6/14/97), the Schools of Pharmacy in Virginia will graduate pharmacists with an entry level degree. Pharmacy education prepares students for the general practice of pharmacy with the professional competencies necessary to deliver pharmaceutical care. Pharmaceutical care is an evolving mode of pharmacy practice in which the pharmacist, in cooperation with other health care professionals, takes an active role in selecting drugs appropriately, effecting distribution of medications to patients, and by assuring direct responsibility to empower patients to achieve the desired outcomes of drug therapy.

Pharmacy education enables the pharmacist to collaborate with other health care professionals and to share responsibility for the outcomes of pharmacotherapy. It promotes the knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and values necessary to provide pharmaceutical care for the general practice of pharmacy in various settings. The concept of pharmaceutical care should be introduced early in the professional program. The philosophy of pharmacy practice along with necessary professional attitudes, behaviors, and ethics are acquired during the education program. Professionalization of students must be insured. The areas and content of pharmacy education are biomedical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, behavioral, social and administrative pharmacy sciences, pharmacy practice, and professional experience. The educational process should promote life-long learning. The profession must move to enhance the general practice of pharmacy to advance the goals of excellence in pharmacy practice, education, and research in institutional and noninstitutional settings; and

Whereas, the drug product related functions of the pharmacist are increasingly being performed by highly trained pharmacy technicians, robotics, and automation; this has permitted, and will continue to allow, pharmacists to focus on pharmaceutical care activities. This evolving role further underscores the need for more clinical training for pharmacists; and

Whereas, accredited pharmacy education programs will allow for the standardization of pharmacist education and training. Beyond this, pharmacists will have the option to develop specialized practices through residency and fellowship training and board certification. As a result the demand for residency and fellowship programs will increase. VSHP strongly supports the continued growth and expansion of residency programs and fellowships to meet the future training needs of pharmacy practitioners; and

Whereas, pharmacy departments in organized health care settings are investing major resources in developing the pharmacist's clinical capabilities. This is due to the relatively small number of pharmacists with residencies or advance training. Patient care would be enhanced if pharmacist entered practice better educated and trained in clinical services.

Therefore, the future of pharmacy relies on the delivery of comprehensive pharmaceutical care, with services focused on affecting patient's drug therapy outcomes. The need for additional clinical training is essential. The success of the entry level degree will be ensured if the following issues are considered:

• that the Schools of Pharmacy must seek to provide the resources to educate a larger number of Doctor of Pharmacy candidates through increased faculty resources and clerkship sites;
• that the Virginia Society of Health-System Pharmacist urges the Schools of Pharmacy to provide external and part-time Doctor of Pharmacy programs for pharmacist already in practice;
• that members of VSHP participate in the training of entry level degree students, non-traditional students, residents and fellows as appropriate.
• that Schools of Pharmacy offer a wide variety of residency and fellowship training opportunities;
• that a national program for the accreditation of pharmacy technician training programs be developed to assist in the development of a corps of qualified pharmacy technicians. (See VSHP position statement on "The education and utilization of pharmacy technicians in organized health care settings in Virginia");

Approved by Board of Directors: 9/18/98

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