Washington, D.C. – The Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) received recognition from the Department of Defense (DOD) as a credentialing opportunity for service members and is now included on the Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (COOL) website. 13 out of 14 BPS credentials met the DOD credentialing standards required for inclusion on COOL. Emergency Medicine Pharmacy is not listed because testing will not begin until 2023.
The COOL webpage, which is recognized by all military service branches, provides links to credentials, credentialing agencies, and training program resources that are recognized to have an important role in professionalizing the Force and in enhancing the Service members’ ability to transition to the civilian workforce upon completion of military service. Credentials included on COOL are analyzed carefully and must be relevant to a military or civilian occupation and meet COOL credentialing standards.
“BPS is honored to be a vendor who provides quality pharmacy credentialing opportunities to enhance a Soldier’s ability to support mission accomplishments while enlisted and prepare them for future career pursuits when they return to civilian life”, said Avis Bullard, BPS Senior Director of Quality Assurance.
Each military service branch has their own service-specific COOL programs designed to match military occupations to civilian credentials. The DOD COOL webpage is a portal for the individual military COOL programs, as each branch of service disseminates the information on their own COOL websites and offers variations on the information for their specific branches.
The BPS credentials recognized by DOD COOL include:
- Board-Certified Ambulatory Care Pharmacist (BCACP)
- Board-Certified Cardiology Pharmacist (BCCP)
- Board-Certified Critical Care Pharmacist (BCCCP)
- Board-Certified Geriatric Pharmacist (BCGP)
- Board-Certified Infectious Diseases Pharmacist (BCIDP)
- Board-Certified Nuclear Pharmacist (BCNP)
- Board-Certified Nutrition Support Pharmacist (BCNSP)
- Board-Certified Oncology Pharmacist (BCOP)
- Board-Certified Pediatric Pharmacist (BCPPS)
- Board-Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist (BCPS)
- Board-Certified Psychiatric Pharmacist (BCPP)
- Board-Certified Sterile Compounding Pharmacist (BCSCP)
- Board-Certified Transplant Pharmacist (BCTXP)
The Board-Certified Emergency Medicine Pharmacist (BCEMP) credential will be submitted to the DOD for recognition following the first examination administration in 2023 at which time the first cohort of newly certified BCEMP will be issued credentials.
The list of currently recognized BPS credentials can be found on the DOD COOL website by searching here: https://www.cool.osd.mil/research-related-credentials.htm. The Department of Defense and the Department of the Army are neither affiliated with nor endorse the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS).
About the Board of Pharmacy Specialties
The Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) was established in 1976 as an autonomous division of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA). The mission of BPS is to improve patient care by positioning BPS Board-Certified Pharmacist Specialists as integral members of interprofessional healthcare teams, through recognition and promotion of specialized training, knowledge, and skills for pharmacists in the United States and internationally. Board certification is a recognized credential for determining which pharmacists are qualified to contribute at advanced practice levels given the rigorous standards mandated by BPS board certification and recertification. BPS currently recognizes more than 54,400 active pharmacist certifications across 14 specialties.
BPS Contact
Alexander Jean-Baptiste
Senior Manager, Content Marketing & Social Media
ajeanbaptiste@aphanet.org
(202) 760-3836
